GLOBAL WARMING VIA GLOBALISATION

SANJAY .K II SEMESTER MBA

 

Introduction

Globalisation is a reason for global warming. Globalisation means a global market. It introduces indigenous products of a country to new global market. Theexchange of such goods including the goods which cause global warming. This in turn promotes the usage of such chemicals. But the advantage is that goods & services which help in preserving our world can also be introduced across the globe. For eg: non-pollutingvehicles. This is the same for water pollution. Since all types’ goods and services are marketed globalisation promotes the usage of goods that cause global warming and water pollution. Polluting water in turn creates water scarcity. Globalisation will also promote the fuels and machines that cause less pollution. So buyers will be more for such items which will create a competition between industries to produce less polluting goods so that consumers would buy more.Globalisation is often referred to when discussing things such as trade, travel or large international companies and people think that it has nothing to do with them. No matter where people live in the world, however, they can be affected by globalisation on environment, an individual, local, national and global scale.

Learning Objectives:

1.     To know what is global warming

2.     To understand the effects of globalisation on environment

3.     To recognize the advantage and drawback of globalisation

4.     To realise how the globalisation affects global warming

1.     Globalization and Environment

Globalization is altering the global environment. Some perceive the net ecological impact of globalization as positive, as a force of progress and better lives. It fosters economic growth and cooperative institutions, both necessary in the long run to manage the global environment. Others see the net impact as negative, as a force sinking the globe into a bog of ecological decay. It is accelerating the destructive process of too many people consuming too many natural resources without any concern for equality or justice.

The main negative impact of globalisation on the environment is the impact of export-orientated destruction. The overuse of natural resources due to increased demand and also the removal of ecosystems due to population growth have had a large negative impact on the environment. Extensive deforestation has occurred world-wide with the logging industry being fuelled by the need for disposable products. 11 million acres a year are cut for commercial and property industries. Deforestation whether it is for an increase in demand or for expansion is causing a loss of biological diversity on the planet.Environmental pollution is also a negative impact of this.

Global warming and Greenhouse effect

After 150 Years of Industrialization, Climate Change is Unavoidable. Global warming-also called climate change-refers to the worldwide rise in temperatures as the result of “greenhouse effect”. Greenhouse gases are released by activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, land clearing, and agriculture.

v How Do Humans Contribute to the Greenhouse Effect?

While the greenhouse effect is an essential environmental prerequisite for life on Earth, there really can be too much of a good thing.

The problems begin when human activities distort and accelerate the natural process by creating more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than are necessary to warm the planet to an ideal temperature.

• Burning natural gas, coal and oil -including gasoline for automobile engines-raises the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

• Some farming practices and land-use changes increase the levels of methane and nitrous oxide.

• Many factories produce long-lasting industrial gases that do not occur naturally, yet contribute significantly to the enhanced greenhouse effect and “global warming” that is currently under way.

• Deforestation also contributes to global warming. Trees use carbon dioxide and give off oxygen in its place, which helps to create the optimal balance of gases in the atmosphere. As more forests are logged for timber or cut down to make way for farming, however, there are fewer trees to perform this critical function.

• Population growth is another factor in global warming, because as more people use fossil fuels for heat, transportation and manufacturing the level of greenhouse gases continues to increase.

• Technological factor including, over usage of vehicles, refrigerators, air-conditions etc.

2.     Individuals

Globalisation affects every aspect of an individual's life including, religion, food, transport, language, music and clothing. It affects each individual differently however, depending on a diverse number of factors such as location, education and income.

While globalisation is said to unite the world, it has often been criticised for widening the gap between the rich and poor. People from developing nations are disadvantaged to an even greater extent than the poor from developed nations. Aside from being exploited as cheap labour, many are also without access to technology.

For those who do have access, many are unable to use the internet owing to their inability to read and write, or to communicate in English which has become the dominant language in the new global world. People from poorer nations are said to also be exposed to more pollution.

 This pollution is suggested to have resulted from globalisation which places importance on international travel and trade, as well as industry.

3.     Local or Resident level

On a local level, globalisation has dramatically changed the nature of business. Many smaller, local companies have been pushed out of business by their competitors. It is often a result of consumers turning to the cheaper retail prices which they can offer, owing to many having manufactured products using cheap foreign labour. In response, campaigns have been initiated to promote local markets being restored and the return of locally produced goods and services. The food industry is often referred to when making the point of just how much we import, how far it has to come and the impact that this is having on the environment. Increasing the local production of food would mean that less packaging and less transport would have a noticeable benefit to the environment. Local cultures have also been affected by globalisation. Traditional customs and rituals are being replaced with the popular culture. Local communities are now likely to have fast food chains such as McDonald's or restaurants with foreign dishes.

4.     National

Globalisation, which is often dominated by finance, economics and business, has naturally had a significant effect on a national level. While nations have prospered from the wealth created by globalisation, the circumstances of poor nations may have actually become worse. The problem is that for many poorer nations, the situation will continue to worsen. Their citizens are often less likely to be educated, or have the skills to assist in improving the economy of their country. For those who do have the education and skills, they are often granted visas to move to developed, wealthier nations for the chance of a better standard of living.

5.     Global

Globalisation has resulted in almost every aspect of life existing on an increasingly international scale. A global economy is emerging owing to companies and countries expanding their international trade through improvements in technology. People are travelling to foreign countries more and cultures are being exchanged to form a shared global identity. The fact that humans all share the same global environment means that they are dependent on each other being able to protect it. The effects of globalisation on the environment have come under heavy criticism in the past. It is thought that globalisation is a major contributor to global warming, due to its emphasis on international travel and trade, as well as industry

How globalization causes global warming

Globalisation has also had a negative impact on the environment through global warming which is due to greenhouse gas emissions which are caused by a growth of industrialisation in the developing world and by a heavy dependence on fossil fuels. Carbon release into the atmosphere which has caused global warming has resulted in increases of sea levels as ice sheets and glaciers melt which has an extensive impact on biodiversity and weather systems. Average global temperatures have risen approximately 0.6°C since the late 19th century due to humanity’s emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. Due to globalisation, transportation and the gases produced has become a large contributor to global warming.

Around the world, this summer was different; Oil companies are relishing the prospect of getting at oil beneath the Arctic Ocean, as its ice cap melts more rapidly than anyone anticipated a few years ago.The inability to solve global warming, the most serious environmental problem facing the world, is symbolic of the failures of globalization.

What happens if you release carbon dioxide and certain other gases into the atmosphere in larger amounts?

The gases act like a greenhouse, capturing solar energy in the atmosphere, and gradually the Earth warms up. Ocean currents are altered, ocean levels rise, rainfall patterns change, and storms become more intense. We need an implementation mechanism to prevent the countries that refuses to cut back emissions from inflicting harm on the rest of the world.

About one half of the forests that covered the Earth are gone. Each year, another 16 million hectares disappear. Deforestation is expanding and accelerating into the remaining areas of undisturbed forest.

Over-fishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level and this leads to resource depletion.

The challenges the world confronts in managing with global warming parallel those in the other areas of globalization, an unfair global trade rule that delays development, an unstable global financial system that results in crisis after crisis, with poor countries repeatedly finding themselves with debt burdens beyond their ability to pay, and a global intellectual property rule which rejects access to reasonable lifesaving drugs, even as the AIDS widespreadovercomes so much of the developing world.