In his TED talk, Goldin presented some
problems that arose due to rapid globalization. He states that the
deterioration of biodiversity and ecosystem, climate change, financial crisis
and the widening gap in social equality are the major problems faced by the
world today. Globalisation is the growing interconnectedness of people and
places through converging processes of economic, political and cultural
changes. It has caused countries to become increasingly integrated among one
another because of the advances in technology. In my opinion, the most
significant problem is the environmental impact due to large-scale human
activities.
The world we live in today has adopted
the capitalist ideology, which promotes the growth of a consumerist and
materialistic society. This in turn results in unnecessary wastage and
overconsumption as well as exploitation of natural resources as the majority of
the nations would exploit the advantages nature has to offer in order to ensure
progress. Thus, biodiversity and the ecosystem are deteriorating due to over
exploitation and the large demand for resources. Human activities such as
deforestation, agricultural processes, and vehicle exhaustion had increased the
carbon emissions into the atmosphere, further contributing to global warming.
At the same time, harmful chemicals released are polluting the environment,
destroying natural habitats and endangering the ecosystem. Hence, in an attempt
to mitigate the problem, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have come
together to resolve the environmental issues. The United Nations Environmental
Programme (UNEP) is one example of such NGOs as it assists countries in
implementing environmentally sound policies and practices, and promotes the
wise use and sustainable development of the global environment.
To enforce the importance of ecosystem
management, international organisations pressured countries to limit economic
activites that may be harmful to the environment. By doing so, countries will
have no choice but to obey the demands of these NGOs to prevent loss of
potential trade partners. An example of political pressure was showed during
the 2008 Beijing Olympics whereby China received tremendous global pressure to
reduce carbon emissions and pollutants as the particles in the air could be
deadly to athletes (Soos, 2012). China was listed as the largest carbon dioxide
emitter, overtaking the United States since 2007 (Rosenthal, 2008). However,
intimidating countries may not be effective enough to significantly reduce the
impact on the deteriorating environment. China did not rectify the Kyoto
Protocol even though it was faced with much global pressure. China is still the
largest carbon dioxide emitter followed by the United States today. Hence,
international influence on the country may be effective to a limited extent, as
some countries do not want to dampen their local economic growth by reducing
industrialization. Due to the nature of the world today, economic success has
become the main focus of every country. In order to no lose out in the global
market, countries tend to place a larger emphasis on profit instead of
protecting the environment. Therefore, international organisations may not be
able to achieve its ideal impact on protecting the environment.
Another solution to resolve
environmental degradation is to pump in large amounts of funds to remove the
pollutants in the natural environment. Governments would fund projects that
help to preserve endangered habitats and clean polluted ecosystems. In many
less developed countries, there is a lack in monetary power for proper disposal
of waste material. Unregulated dumping of sewage and industrial waste polluted
many water sources. Sewage can also
carry potent human pathogens as well as toxic chemicals. The Suzhou Creek
Rehabilitation Project was implemented in 1999 to improve water quality,
strengthen water resources management, and improve flood control (ADB, 2005).
The first phase of the plan has successfully completed in 2003. It was able to
alleviate the odor and pathogens from the sewage and realised social,
environmental, and economic benefits. This shows that cleaning up the
environment by the government is effective. However, it might be unfair to less
developed countries, as they do not have the necessary resources to mitigate
the problems they face. In order to maintain the ecosystem, large amounts of
money are required to fund the costly projects to clear up waste. These
countries may often be in monetary debt and thus unable to produce the funds to
maintain the environment. At the same time, poorer countries would tend to
disregard environmental issues as they focus on economic growth.
In conclusion, globalisation can be a
boon or bane for countries. The impact on the environment due to human
activities can be alleviated with political influence and large government
funded projects. However, we should protect the environment from the smallest
of actions by recycling and reducing waste. We are after all, ‘caretakers’ of
the planet as the most intelligent species on Earth.
Literature cited:
Asian Development Bank, 2005. Suzhou
Creek Rehabilitation Project (Loan 1692-PRC) In the People’s Republic of China.
Retrived from http://www2.adb.org/Documents/PCRs/PRC/pcr-prc-32121.pdf
Goldin, Ian. 2009. Navigating our global future. Retrieved
from http://www.ted.com/talks/ian_goldin_navigating_our_global_future.html
Ghose, Tia. 2013. Global carbon emissions to reach record
level. Retrived from http://www.livescience.com/41326-2013-carbon-emissions-record-levels.html
Rosenthal, Elisabeth. 2008. China
Increases Lead as Biggest Carbon Dioxide Emitter. The New York Times. Retrieved
from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/14/world/asia/14china.html?_r=0
Soos, Andy. 2012. Beijing 2008 Olympics
Air Quality. Retrieved from http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/44710
Zarco, T. H. (2014). The Influence of
Materialism on Consumer Preferences: A Conjoint Analysis Approach. Philippine Management Review, 21.
