The Other Side.

“Globalization could be the answer to many of the world’s seemingly intractable problems. But this requires strong democratic foundations based on a political will to ensure equity and justice.” – Sharan Burrow, President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU)

We all tend to hear the term ‘globalization’ and think solely of the economics that it encases, but hardly do we ever venture past this realm of thought. While it’s true that economics is a major part of globalization and that part of what makes globalization so controversial are the economics that lay behind it, in reality, globalization is much more than just the intertwining of the economies of different countries. Globalization also encompasses things such as politics, socialization, culture and the environment in particular. It is here that I will to tend to focus as trying to tackle all of the aspects of globalization would not work out so well.

I find it bad enough we do not know much about problems as enormous as those associated with the environment as a whole, but, on top of that, we choose to ignore them. It is no secret that there are issues embedded in globalization as a whole, and yet, we tend to avert our eyes from said problems when they annoyingly stare us in the face. The situation gets worse when these problems are ignored on a global scale.

 

Take, for example, President Bush who has stated that he is a strong supporter of globalization in the form of a free trade agreement among the Americas. Although he recognizes the economic and political aspects behind globalization, he refuses to acknowledge the environmental issues globalization could help stop. According to an article in May 2001 by the David Suzuki Foundation, a foundation focused on stopping Global Warming, “President Bush is a firm opponent of globalization in the form of the Kyoto Protocol—the international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.”

President Bush rejects the agreement because addressing global warming could hurt the U.S. coal and oil industry and, potentially, the U.S. economy—this being cited as his reason although global warming is estimated to have tremendous negative environmental, social, and economic impacts on the entire world. While economic globalization can actually be a threat to the world economy in the near future, environmental globalization is advocated as the only true solution to the global problem that is climate change.

Possible methods of doing away with global warming can be enacted—but only on a global level. An article by the San Francisco Chronicle in 2006 stressed that the first step to stopping global warming was a global environmental tax on greenhouse gas emissions. In order for this to happen, however, it is assumed that most, if not all, the countries of the world are on boat with the idea. When it comes to reality, on the other hand, it’s a different story. With many developing countries clearly not interested in partaking in the Kyoto Protocol without the participation of the U.S., realizing the project may prove much more difficult than it does on paper.

Why do these developing countries refuse to join the fun and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions? Simply because they feel it is unfair that countries such as the U.S are allowed to pollute more per capita. Likewise, corporal United States also sees it unfair to reduce their greenhouse emissions when the developing countries don’t do the same.

In comes the global tax that, ironically, resolves its own problem. Said tax would make everyone pay equally for the social cost that is required for every greenhouse gas emission—theoeretically that is.

Even though everything may look as if it could be resolved as simply as is implied, the truth is that a great amount of work will be needed to put the notion suggested above—and many others—into place to solve our environmental issues. In fact, the world has its work cut out for it…and it will need the collaborative efforts of an “environmentally globalized” world to lessen the load.