Environmental

Globalization
GEC -3
GroupMembers :
Ayangco Melchor
Cawili Pablo
David Pascua
Guimbangunan Reymundo
Mandigma Rivera
lamera
Environmental Globalization
Environmental globalization refers to the growing
interconnections between environmental issues and the
global economy. It encompasses the impact of
globalization on the environment and the consequences of
environmental degradation on the global economy and
society.
Ecological Modernization Theory
Argues that the economic and technological development that
favored the neo - liberal economists can go hand - in - hand with
the reduce of the negative effects on the environment that are the
focal concerns of environmentalists. Examples include the creation
of low - odor paints and less environmentally destructive pesticides.
In 2006 there have been a ranking between nation states based
on their environmental performance on a number of
dimensions, such as air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions,
sanitation, agricultural policies, and many others. The highest -
ranking nations in terms of friendliness to the environment
were Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Austria, France
and the US barely ranked thirty - ninth.
 COLLAPSE
Jared Diamond has written a popular book – Collapse (2006) –
about societal collapse and the role of environmental factors in
that collapse. One factor in collapse due to environmental
causes is the amount and type of damage that people
inadvertently inflict on their environment. For example,
historically those societies (e.g. Highland New Guinea) that
developed sound forest management policies and procedures
continued to survive, while others that did not (e.g. Easter
Island) collapsed. What is unique about the global era is the fact
that unlike in the past societies are not likely to collapse in
isolation from others (as Easter Island did). On the one hand,
globalization can be a cause of optimism in the sense that other
parts of the world will be alerted to dangers elsewhere long
before the dangers are critical to them.

 Destruction
of
Natural Habitat
1st Environmental Problem
This involves, according to Diamond, the destruction, or
conversion into human habitats, of natural habitats such as
the “forests, wetlands, coral reefs, and the ocean bottom”

Deforestation was a, or perhaps the, major factor in the

collapse of the past societies analyzed by Diamond. Today,
the most notable deforestation in the world is taking place
in the Amazon rainforest (mostly in Brazil) (Economist
2008: June 5), but other parts of the world are also
destroying/ losing their forests.
Decline of Fish
 DestructiveFishing
• A large fraction of the protein • Decades of destructive fishing
consumed by humans comes has resulted in the precipitous
from fish and, to a lesser decline of key fish stocks such
extent, shellfish. However, as bluefin tuna and Grand
many fishing areas are in Banks cod, as well as collateral
decline or have collapsed. impacts to other marine life.
• One of the worst examples of
• Drift nets were in use until 1992 bycatch occurs as a result of the
when they were banned on the use of bottom trawling in the
high seas by the UN. They were harvest- ing of shrimp in the Gulf
“free-floating veils of of Mexico. That method leads to
monofilament webbing that can over 80 percent bycatch.
be as long as twenty-five miles at Furthermore, innumerable plants
the peak of their use in the and corals are uprooted, caught
eighties, in the trawling and destroyed in
the process.
Decline in Fresh Water
Decline in Fresh Water
Water is becoming an increasingly important global issue, or
rather it raises a number of different issues (Conca 2006 ).
among the concerns are water pollution (with one result being
water - borne diseases), flooding (especially as a result of
global warming), the increasing scarcity of water, the need to
choose between water (to drink) and the crops (food) that can
be produced with it (Martin 2008 : A1, A8), and the possibility
that the fl ow of water could slow or stop completely, at least
in some locales.
This last concern involves “ desertifi cation ” (Glantz 1977 )
Decline in Fresh Water
Water is becoming an increasingly important
global commodity as many places run low on, and
in some cases begin to run out of, drinkable water.
At the same time, there has been an enormous
growth in the global distribution and sale of bottled
water; bottled water has become a global
commodity commanding relatively high prices.
However, it is too expensive for the poorest people
in the world who may be most in need as a result of
the decline in available water supplies.
Toxic Chemicals
 Toxic Chemicals
Various industries, especially the chemical
industry, “ manufacture or release into the
air, soil, oceans, lakes, and rivers many
toxic chemicals ” (Diamond 2006 : 491).
Among the culprits are “ insecticides,
pesticides, and herbicides … mercury and
other metals, fi re - retardant chemicals,
refrigerator coolants, detergents, and
components of plastics ” (Diamond 2006 :
491).
Greenhouse Gases and
Global Warming
Greenhouse Gases and Global Warming
Global warming will have severe impacts on the environment,
including melting of ice sheets in the Arctic, Antarctica and on
high mountain ranges, leading to rising sea levels and
potential global catastrophe. This rise in sea levels will also
increase the number of refugees, estimated to be 60 million
with just a 3-foot rise. In terms of health, global warming will
bring with it more heat waves, which will lead to more deaths,
especially among the poor, the young, and the elderly. Storms
will also lead to more deaths from flooding and storm surges.
Variations in weather will cause droughts, food shortages, and
increased water-borne and food-borne diseases. Additionally,
air pollution, such as ozone and soot, will worsen, and pollen
production will increase, affecting those with allergies and
asthma.
Population Growth
Population Growth
Significant population growth, especially in the South
(populations will remain stable or dedine in much of the North)

The roughly one billion people who live in the developed

countries, especially the 300 million or so in the United States,
have a per capita consumption rate of 32, while it is mudh less
in the less developed world, with many countries located there
(e.g. Kenya) approaching a rate of 1, or 32 times less than that
in the US.
The latter also points to the looming increase in ecological
problems traceable to the booming populations and
economies of India and especially China (its 1.3 billion people
give it a larger population than the developed world).
The Global Flow of
Dangerous Debris
The Global Flow of Dangerous Debris
All parts of the world produce detritus that is dangerous, or at
least potentially so. Examples of concern here indude e-waste"
such as discarded television sets, com- puters, printers, cell
phones and so on. However, it is the highly developed northern
countries that produce a disproportionate amount of such
debris
The debris that is unloaded on these countries has
components and elements (gold, silver, copper) that are of
value.
When workers in developing countries dismantle, burn, or pour
acids on cell phones, it is unclear what toxic chemicals are
released and how they are affected by the processes that
release them.
GLOBAL RESPONSES
 Global Responses
Economic development contributes to global environmental
problems, such as global warming.
Development leads to increased pollution from factories and
transportation.
Nation-states are reluctant to sacrifice economic development for
environmental protection.
The concept of sustainable development is important in addressing
the balance between economic growth and environmental
protection.
 Sustainable Development
Economic and environmental changes that meet the needs of
the present without jeopardizing the future.
Global environmental problems, particularly global warming, are tied to economic
development.
The concept of sustainable development was introduced in the 1987 report "Our Common
Future" by the World Commission on Environment and Development. It involves meeting
current needs without compromising future needs and considers both physical
sustainability and equity.
The 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit)
advanced the concept of sustainable development.
The term "sustainable development" has broadened to include various practices.
There are debates over the causes of current unsustainability, with the main differences
being between population growth and high production/consumption.
The impact of globalization on sustainability is complex, with some elements being
detrimental while others increasing the capacity to deal with environmental problems.
Carbon Tax and
Carbon Neutrality
A carbon tax is a tax levied on the carbon emissions required to
produce goods and services. Carbon taxes are intended to make
visible the "hidden" social costs of carbon emissions, which are
otherwise felt only in indirect ways like more severe weather
events.
Carbon neutrality is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions.
This can be achieved by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide
with its removal or by eliminating emissions from society.
Alternative Fuels and
Power Sources
Alternative Fuels and Power Sources
HYBRID TECHNOLOGY
One development of note is the increasing importance of hybrid automobiles that
derive at least part of their power from electricity. Then there is an all - electric car
that, in order to be re - energized, would simply be plugged into an electrical outlet (
Economist 2008 : June 19).
ETHANOL
There is also growing interest in alternative fuels to gasoline, with the greatest
attention these days focused on ethanol (Barrionuevo 2007 : C1). The major
current source of ethanol is corn, but it can be made from other agri- cultural
products (e.g. cellulosic sources such as switchgrass or wood chips).
SOLAR POWER
A better alternative source of energy is solar power. One of its attractions is
that it produces no greenhouse gases.
A Technological Fix?
A Technological Fix?
There is a longstanding attraction to
finding technological solutions to all
social problems. To many, finding new
technologies seems far easier and less
painful than the much harder task of
getting large numbers of people to
change longstanding behaviors.
 DEALING WITH
CLIMATE CHANGE
Dealing With Climate Change

In spite of mounting evidence that fossil fuels are the major factor in
global warming, many major corporations and some governments,
especially in the US, have resisted taking action to limit fossil-fuel
emissions.

- Take, for example, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, a major effort to deal with
climate change due to carbon emissions. Ratifying nations would have
been required by 2012 to reduce their emissions to 5 percent below what
they were in 1990. The agreement created ceilings for the carbon
emissions of developed countries, but none for developing countries,
especially China and India. Many nations ratified the Kyoto Protocol, but
it required that countries that were responsible for a total of 55 percent of
the emissions be signatories
 Opposing
Environmentalism
Opposing Environmentalism
Environmentalism is often opposed by those interested in economic
development.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) started a program in 2003 called
Amazon Region Protected Areas to create parks and reserves in
Brazil to limit deforestation and protect its biodiversity.
Deforestation in the Amazon is contributing to global warming as
the decline of trees that absorb carbon dioxide has led to an increase
in carbon dioxide production from decaying plant life.
The WWF's efforts to protect the Amazon have been met with
resistance by some businessmen, who see it as a hindrance to their
development and profit-making opportunities.
Some view the WWF's actions as colonialism or a precursor to
traditional colonialism.
The WWF denies these accusations and states that it is simply trying
to protect land that the Brazilian government has failed to protect.
Thank You for
listening!