Over the past years, critics often
debate the controversial benefits and drawbacks of globalization with no
conclusive outcome of which is more dominant. The impacts whether negative or
positive, are definitely far reaching and manifest in many forms. While the
magnitude of its influence varies amongst the different nations, it is undisputable
that globalization indeed affects each country in one way or another. To narrow
the broad implications of globalization, the essay seeks to focus on global
warming as the key problematic area and its influence on the society. In
addition, two measures namely the development of green technology and the
Montreal Protocol will be examined to evaluate the effectiveness to improve the
current environmental situation.
Globalization spurs the emergence of
open economies and international trade. Hence, the rapid growth of
industrialisation in developing countries and heavy reliance on fossil fuels
(Francesob, 2010) are the underlying contributors to global warming.
Furthermore, greater interconnectivity among countries due to globalization
fuel the surge of transportation networks, thus resulting in the rise of carbon
emissions. The detrimental effects of climate change occurs on a wide spectrum.
On one end, the natural ecosystem is destroyed and melting ice in the Artic
lead to increased sea levels. NCSE (2012) observed that ‘the ocean has risen
10-20cm globally over the last hundred years.’ On the other end of the
spectrum, humans are also directly affected by climate change. For example,
changes in weather patterns cause natural disasters such as droughts, floods
and hurricanes in different parts of the world today. As a result, homes are
destroyed leading to the relocation of people and lives are lost. Other than
costly social consequences, climate change also impacts the economic activities
of nations such as tourism.
The devastating environmental
consequences caused by globalization are increasingly seen and felt by the
global community. It is a pressing issue that warrants attention and timely
intervention to prevent the exacerbation of the situation. Firstly,
multinational companies have been developing green technology in an effort to
minimize human impacts on the environment. For example, hybrid cars utilize
solar energy thus greater fuel economy is achieved and carbon emissions are
significantly reduced. Apple also launched a ‘green’ MacBook which is built
from ‘using materials that are highly recyclable and free of many of the
harmful substances present in other computers.’ (Francesob, 2010) While such developments are definitely
commendable, the market for such products are relatively small. This could be
caused by the lack of public awareness for such environmentally products or
simply, they do not understand the significant contributions on their part as
consumers of such products. Hence, educating the public and promoting awareness
in such areas may encourage larger consumer base for these ‘green’ products.
Secondly, the Montreal Protocol was
established in 1987 and enforced in 1989 (United Nations, n.d.). It is an
international treaty which aim to protect the depleting ozone layer by the
concerted efforts of nations to gradually ease the production of various
substances believed to be the cause of thinning ozone layer. Since its
enactment, the Montreal Protocol proves its effectiveness in combating global
warming. This is supported by concrete statistics for example, the Party to the
Protocol had phased out 98% of all the chemicals controlled by the Protocol and
scientists predict that there is a possibility of the ozone layer to return to
pre-1980 levels by the middle of the century (United Nations, n.d.). However,
the continued success of this protocol depend very much on the joint commitment
and active participation of global governments.
In conclusion, globalization
contributes largely to global warming which have detrimental effects on the
world today. While the implementation of Montreal Protocol and the development
of green technology are useful interventions to curb environmental degradation,
success could not be sustained in the long run without the support and efforts
of the public. If more are not done to address and mitigate the pressing issue
of climate change, countries could suffer far more severe consequences in the
future. Hence, the responsibilities rest on every single member of the global
community to unite and combat the common threat.
References
Climate Impacts
on Society . (n.d.). Retrieved from United States Environmental
Protection Agency :
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/society.html
Francesob. (2010,
July 13). The effects of globalization on the environment. Retrieved
from Allvoices :
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/6301040-the-effects-of-globalization-on-the-environment
How Will Climate
Change Affect the World and Society? (2012, January 16).
Retrieved from National Center for Science Education : http://ncse.com/climate/climate-change-101/how-climate-change-affects-world-society
Mander, J.
(2011). Economic Globalization and the Environment. Retrieved from
Tikkun:
https://www.tikkun.org/nextgen/economic-globalization-and-the-environment
