Environmental Issues

GLOBALISATION
Although the term is most commonly used to refer to the breaking down of barriers to trade such as embargoes, tariffs and duties between economies globalization holistically refers to the continuing process of economic, social and cultural integration between the countries of the world. Websters online dictionary defines the term as growth on a worldwide scale or at an international level. So the concept may be described as the world turning into a global village where all nations are connected with and dependant on each other. Nowadays, with the advent of technologies such as the internet and telecommunication networks, distances have to a large extent become meaningless. At the same time, dangers such as terrorism, drug trafficking and nuclear weapons mean that no nation or country can exist in isolation from the rest of the world.

Of course, the mingling of cultures of the world is not a recent phenomenon. In fact, the transfer of goods and ideas between populations separated by thousands of miles commenced in the third millennium B.C with the establishment of trade between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley civilization. Since then the peoples of the world have become more and more inter-dependant with each new invention and discovery. The invention of ships and navigation equipment bought Egyptian traders to Asia. The Silk route brought exotic herbs, paper and many other products hitherto unheard of, to European nations and Christopher Columbus voyage of discovery incited the mass migration that has today, arguably turned that continent into the economic heart throb of the world.

All these developments can be seen as predecessors to the contemporary phenomenon of globalization. But this term has only become part of vernacular since the latter half of the 1980s. Perhaps the most accurate description of the term is the systematic removal of barriers to trade between countries in the wake of the Second World War. At the end of WWII, delegates from forty four Allied nations of the world met in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire in the United States in 1944 to formulate a set of laws and set up a number of institutions to assist in trade and commercial activity between the nations of the world. The US Secretary of State Cordell Hull was one of the conveners of this meeting. In his memoirs he explained the purpose of this agreement was to facilitate interdependence between countries so that they would not get jealous of each others resources and capacity and would also result in an increase in the living standards of each country as well.

So it is clear that the intention behind trying to increase trade between countries of the world was to provide greater opportunities for people and businesses to sell their crafts and services and thereby improve their economic conditions. To the extent of boosting trade between countries we can say the idea has been successful. Data maintained by the World Policy Forum shows that, world exports increased to 16.2 in 2001 from 8.5 of total gross world product in 1970.

Most countries of the world are now attempting to increase their trade with others. The formation of trade blocs such as MERCOSUR, the European Union and ASEAN are all attempts to reduce barriers to trade and movement across borders. Even countries that have traditionally maintained much closed economies in the past such as India and China are now attempting to boost their exports. In fact it is now a well established fact that China has increased its exports so much that it is providing a majority of consumer and industrial goods to the rest of the world. One third of all outstanding US debt is also financed by China. Countries that are still adamant against opening up their borders to the goods and services of the rest of the world are fast becoming pariah states. One example of this is North Korea that is now considered a hostile state and a threat to world peace by a majority of the worlds nations.

Even recent economic crises faced have not deterred the faith of proponents of the global village. Addressing the World Economic Forum in 2000, Former US President Bill Clinton stressed that we have to build an environment in which everyone feels that open markets are the best way to improve standards of living and increase overall prosperity of every citizen of this world. And again, after the sub-prime mortgage crisis of the United States threatened the economies of other countries and many feared that world trade would once again recede into the pre-WWII era leaders of the world have once again reaffirmed their belief in free trade and integration among nations. Countries belonging to the European Union have helped their weaker member states shore up their reserves, China has continued to finance US debt and aid from international donor agencies is still flowing to developing nations.

But moving beyond the economic definition of globalization, contemporary social theorists have devised a more comprehensive explanation of the term. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy describes globalization as basic changes that occur in the social context of how people live and function due to which the concept and significance of territory and space changes with the speeding of change as to how a person functions and carries out his daily activities.

Considered in this light, it appears that globalization is reshaping the very essence of human psychology. A poignant example may be that nowadays many people casually remark that the world is once again flat Obviously this does not imply that the globe has literally flattened, it simply visualizes that every corner of the planet is now much more accessible and that people have ready access to information about far off places. They can also travel to most of those places that were unfrequented just a few decades ago.

Societies all over the world have developed closer relations but recently the pace of this contact has quickened and this can be attributed to the different modes of communication and conveyance available to people this includes cheaper telephone networks, email, airplanes etc. Multinational organizations have emerged which produce goods that appeal to the tastes of the people consumers in many different markets. Information, money, raw materials all can now move easily from one country to another. Ideas and cultures are also changing and evolving as a result. Because of these changes laws, economies and social interactions are also becoming integrated and are being developed at an international level.

This unimpeded transfer of products and of ideas has brought many banes and boons to humans. Among the most obvious advantages of globalization is economic prosperity for millions, and the spread of ideologies such as democracy, civil liberties and greater tolerance for others cultures and beliefs. It is hardly contestable that the movement of ideas such as global awareness campaigns against diseases such as AIDS and the perils of drug abuse have made a positive impact in the lives of many people. Even the emergence of new economic superpowers can be partly attributed to the globalization of western ideals of free trade and capitalism. After all, it is the dissemination and acceptance of these ideas in countries like India, China and Russia that has given a new life to their economies. Previously, governments of all three countries operated in introverted and isolated environments encouraging self-sufficiency. It was only after they adapted the economic views prevalent in other parts of the world that they emerged in their current roles as the worlds suppliers and to a large extent, demand producers.

But not all effects of the increased mingling of humans are positive. Some, like its effects on different cultures are debatable. For example, in India the age-old custom of infanticide is finally showing some signs of reducing. But in the same country, Goa a place that had a distinct and deeply rooted culture is now losing its heritage because of the exodus of foreign tourists and the businesses that have cropped up to cater for them.

Still other impacts of the phenomenon are downright disturbing and at times lethal. One often overlooked effect is that of the spread of diseases. As humans from different and previously unconnected areas interact, they also carry each others germs and diseases to those places. In many places the peoples immune systems are not used to these foreign anti-bodies and are thus much more susceptible to them. For example, when the Europeans started to migrate to America, they bought with them measles. This was a disease that the local inhabitants the native Americans had no prior exposure to. As a result entire villages were wiped out by this disease. The spread of modern-day viruses like the avian flu can also be attributed to similar causes.

Negative effects on the environment have also received a minimum attention from the world at large. China has become the worlds largest producer in the whole world over the past few years. In 2002, the World Watch Institutes reported that China had also become the country emitting the most carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, overtaking the US in this shameful act. It is increasingly harder to combat emission of pollutants from industrial processes as the output of developing nations rises because many of these countries have lax environmental regulations. In the rare cases where laws exist, implementation is hard because the governments of these countries either lack the resources or the political will to implement such laws.

But perhaps one of the most disturbing effects of globalization is that on income disparities and food security in many parts of the world. This is worrisome not only because the problem is acute for millions but also because these are the very same problems that globalization was supposed to address. The problem is that much of the developed world has benefited greatly from economic integration among nations. These populations can now afford better food, for more dependants. Their increased demand is continuously driving up food prices. Further, in many cases the rich have better access to trading instruments and derivatives based on food supplies than the poor have access to the food itself. Speculation in oil, grain and meat markets are fast making their procurement difficult, especially for those living in abject poverty, for instance many sub-Saharan countries. A report published in 2008 by the International Food Policy Research Institute states that, the main reason behind the rise in food prices is that the well to do populations have experienced a change in diet. (Von Braun, 2008). That same year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization warned that world food production will have to be 70 by 2050 if 2.3 billion projected population is to be fed.

Although the easing of trade barriers and encouragement of free trade among nations was in theory supposed to improve economic conditions in all countries and bring their inhabitants at more comparable standard of living, in many cases these differences have been increased by international competition. In particular two kinds of problems are most alarming. Firstly, qualified professionals and highly educated people living in developing countries have migrated en masse to developed countries where they can earn better incomes for their skills. Secondly, the lack of implementation of rules against corporations in poorer countries has allowed many companies to run substandard operations like sweatshops and dangerous mines in those places.

These problems pose key challenges for many governments across the globe. In fact recent international forums for economic and social integration such as the Davos summit and the G-20 summit have seen developing countries finally teaming up to register their dissent towards many policies being propagated by developed nations. Some of the problems can only be addressed through concerted efforts by the international community, For example, poorer nations cannot afford many of the eco-friendly solutions that are required to reduce their adverse impact on the environment. These countries need financial assistance and expertise of other nations to address these matters. Some programs such as tradable carbon credits can only work if countries that responsible for the majority of the worlds industrial pollution like the USA and China can bind their corporations to actually buy these credits thereby holding them directly liable for their negative externalities.

Problems like brain drain from developing countries require holistic changes in the social and economic environments. Better education and more employment opportunities have to be generated so that qualified people have incentives to stay in their homelands. Better implementation of laws applying to minimum wage and working conditions is also crucial to avoid the exploitation of labor in these countries. National interests of nations that are dependant on international donor organizations and more prosperous countries can also be undermined because of certain policies that are thrust upon them. For example, conditions imposed on Pakistan by the International monetary fund have forced the countrys government to keep interest rates high and increase power tariffs at a time when the worlds economies are trying to boost growth by lowering the cost of borrowing. These restrictions have played havoc with that countrys industrial output which is still in its nascent phase. One of Pakistans leading newspapers recently quoted a local economist who said that, the conditions put on the loan provided by IMF is likely to cause up to three million job cuts in the different sectors and will put around 8 million people in to poverty. Countries in such conditions must abide by conditions set forth by international financiers and creditors to remain solvent and continue trading with the rest of the world. At the same time they must formulate contingent policies to minimize the negative impact on their domestic economies.

The roles of individual organizations have also been profoundly affected by globalization. News media companies, be they print, television, radio or online have all seen major changes in their roles and target audience, as well as the environment in which they operate. The worlds view is not limited to CNN, BBC and the New York Times anymore. People in every corner of the world have access to regional newspapers and news channels from distant places. People in all parts of the world also have a much greater interest in happenings from across the world now.

Resultantly, news media everywhere has to cater a much wider range of news and updates for their audience. When reporting on these events and issues they cannot afford to simply be sensitive towards one single kind of point of view. The news organization of today has to be much more aware of the sensitivities of a much broader audience. Similarly, they cannot report on all matters of national interest in the same way either. Many topics can undermine the international image of the country or even compromise certain clandestine state matters. So these organizations can face repercussions from that end to. For example, the bombing of Al-Jazeeras Baghdad bureau by US forces during the Iraq war was a carried out because that agencys coverage agenda was in stark defiance of the claims of US military during the offensive.

Even when such organizations claim to cater to a limited region, such as the Middle East, they still have to be mindful of the fact that many different kinds of cultures and value systems exist there, from the extremely conservative Saudi Arabia to the much more liberal and westernized United Arab Emirates. When airing transmissions to these territories they have to assure none of their customs and values are unduly undermined. Conversely, news agencies and companies are now much better poised to present an accurate and comprehensive depiction of their countries r regions to the rest of the world.

The rise of globalization has seen hiccups along the way. Rising tensions between economic superpowers like USA and Iran the spread of diseases and dissemination of nuclear weapons among rogue states are all very pressing concerns for the nations of the world. The ever increasing inter-dependence of countries also means that they cannot afford to ignore international problems with the excuse that they are not indigenous concerns. For example the spread of religious extremism across many parts of the world can only be combated if many countries take comprehensive and coordinated steps against them. Whether the problems that arise are economic, political, social or environmental globalization will continue in these areas just as it is continuing in positive terms. What will be crucial in determining the overall impact of this increased collusion between the peoples of the world is how different governments and nations join together to avail this mixed blessing.