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Deforestation problems 2018
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The welfare of humanity is currently in jeopardy as a result of re-occurring environmental predicaments that are happening across the globe. This includes Global warming, deforestation; extinction and toxic waste have captured the attention of many across the world. Environmental catastrophes are unfairly blamed on the Global South. Firstly many of these underdeveloped nations do not have strict environmental laws. Secondly the concept of sustainability for transnational corporations has proven to not be seen as proficient way to limit the growth of production in order to sustain a better ecosystem. This allowing poor marginalized factions in the Global South to be deceitfully accused although these nations carry the burden due to developed countries taking advantage of underdeveloped nations. Thirdly it is the poor and marginalized in the global south who must suffer. Water wars and power have placed the marginalized and poor in a position that is difficult to overcome. Power and inequality allows countries to point the finger to those who are least responsible for environmental impacts. The depletion of the earth’s natural resources and the damages that have impacted the environment is caused by the methods used by established nation-states; due to their over consumption of resources. The rapid overexploitation of these resources are caused by places such as America and parts of Europe, they are taking advantage of underdeveloped nations such as Nigeria in order to sustain their high consumptions of resources and abundant lifestyle. The issues highlighted above, is in fact the main contributors to the current environmental crisis. Author Deborah Sick and Maggie Black make strong arguments on how and why the global south should ...
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...rnments should aid in replenishing natural resources instead of industrializing. Projects should take place in isolated areas so it does not impact the poor and marginalized people the reason being: effects on their health, agriculture, land, and livelihood would not be displaced or harmed.
It has become clear that the underdeveloped world have been unfairly blamed for the current environment crises that are both caused by developed and developing nations. The global south are carrying the blame for their issues when in fact they are the ones being the most impacted by what first world nations are forcing upon them. The power of the developed nations allows them to turn a blind eye to those they are inflicting pain on. Based on all of the research, facts are pointing to developed nations as the culprits of environmental distress on the global south.
Generational conflicts, political strife, environmental regulations, stakeholders in big oil, and many more hurdles affect the push to fully sustainable economies around the world and even here in America. In a world where coal, oil, and natural gas are limited, countries are gobbling it all up as fast as they can before other poorer countries come on the grid. Even though America and other countries gobble up these resources the life of the people is still a struggle to meet basic needs. Sustainability is an intermingling of resource use and protection of the “quality of life”, it is met by using resources sparingly and by recycling or reducing the use of other non-renewable resources to provide for our immediate need, but also to conserve and protect the needs of the next generation and to improve the quality of all the lives to come.
Unlike the North – a term in vogue today, among others, for highlighting the difference between the rich, industrialised nations of mostly Western Europe, North America, Australasia, and the rudimentary economies of Latin America, Asia and Africa – underdevelopment, characterised by low income levels, poverty, low living standards and other socio-economic ills seem to be a defining feature of countries in these regions, collectively described as the Global South. Thomas (2003), Hershberg and Moreno-Brid(2003), and, Solimano(2005) suggest, for instance, that the socio - economic structure of most Latin American countries remains defined by vast inequalities in income and wealth distribution, poverty, volatile growth, high mortality rate and a high level of economic vulnerability. In Asia, a number of countries including the large economies of India and China have made improvements in the 21st century in terms of reducing poverty. Yet, 22% of the developing countries in Asia live on a dollar a day . The situation is bleaker in the South and Southeast Asia region where 38% leave on less than a dollar a day and over 48% of the population living below the regions individual country poverty line . Likewise, absolute poverty is on the rise in Africa - generally recognised as the world’s richest continent in terms of natural resources - despite a recorded decline in global poverty rates (Bhattacharyya: 2005).
People who live in slums usually are given the rest of the world’s waste to live near, which could be detrimental to their health if that waste consists of toxic or deadly materials. Mike Davis notes that “the world usually pays attention to such fatal admixtures of poverty and toxic industry only when they explode with mass casualties” (Davis 130). He also goes on to conclude that this century’s surplus humanity can only survive as long as the slum remains a franchised solution to the overflow of materials and waste created by the industrial society (Davis 201). Mike Davis concludes that “most of the deep thinkers at the big American and European policy think tanks and international relations institutes have yet to wrap their minds around the geopolitical implications of a “planet of slums” (Davis 202). Through labor migration, ecological and industrial consequences of urbanization, and global inequalities, it is clear to see the implications the widening gap of wealth inequality has on people.
The two essays by Michael Pollan and Curtis white talk about climate change in regards to the relationship between the environment and human beings. Although the two essays share the same topic, they take the subject and engage the readers in totally different points of views. Pollan’s essay talks about global and ecological responsibility being a personal virtue while Curtis discusses the socio-economic or political issues underlying sustainability (Pollan; White). These two essays are very different in terms of voice; however these pieces of writing are both important for people all over the world to read. Climate change and environmental disasters are a real issue. Just this year, there have been more storms, cyclones, earthquakes and typhoons all over the world. One cannot look at the state of many developing counties where the majority of the population is exposed and vulnerable to the effects of climate change. This issue on developing a viable solution for the problem of anthropogenic gases and global warming is long from being found. Not only this, many people do not want to hear about this issue since they do not think it is real. Unless people have tangible proof that their cars, thermostats and aerosol cans are contributing to climate change, they are not going to give up their lifestyles. By synthesizing the two essays, one can see that there is a need for change and that it is not an issue which should be dealt with in terms of ecological factors or even personal virtue. The social, economic and political factors affecting this problem and the move towards real sustainability should also be a topic that will raise awareness.
First of all, with rapid global demographic expansions after the invention of agriculture, poverty has long become a major cause and effect of global environmental issues. The limited natural resources like fossil fuels on earth could hardly satisfy the high demand of the growing population. Therefore the allocation of resources between rich and poor has been brought up to be a global concern. In the context of climate change, the developed countries always consume more natural resources than it’s needed and left the developing countries being the powerless victim of climate change. The inequality between rich and poor has correspondingly led to the consequence of imbalance in nature. To regain the balance and solve this inequality, the developed countries will have to control their use of resources and be willing to share and exchange their resources with the developing c...
The concept of ‘Just Sustainability’ incorporates not only environmental sustainability but also a need to strive towards social justice and equity. According to Agyeman sustainability is “the need to ensure a better quality of life for all, now and into the future, in a just and equitable manner, while living within the limits of supporting ecosystems.” (Agyeman et al. 2003 as cited in Agyeman 2005: 43) Both the desire for sustainability and development can be cause for many social justice and human equity issues, but in order to fulfil the idea of ‘Just Sustainability,’ all of these things need to be taken into account. (Agyeman 2005: 43) An example of how social justice and equity needs to be addressed alongside a sustainability plan for the environment is the deforestation of rainforests in Indonesia.
Southgate, Douglas DeWitt, and Morris D. Whitaker. Economic Progress and the Environment: One Developing Country's Policy Crisis. New York: Oxford UP, 1994. Print.
In an effort to create a sustainable global environment a significant area of focus needs to be on the interrelationships that contribute to this goal. As with the relationships associated with globalization our actions are interconnected with one another, one nations decisions in a particular geographical area can often times impact those in another geographical areas. The same cause and effect theory applies to environmental interrelationships. An area that this can be most prevalent...
According to Naess there were three great movements for global responsibility that occurred during the twentieth century. These great movements were social justice, environmental movements and peace (“The Three Great Movements”, Naess 2008). These different views became of interest of a great variety of people that held unique religions, nationalities, worldviews and cultures. The three great movements are all connected to one another in one form or another. For example, war and violence are not compatible with environmental responsibility, and destruction and degradation put on the environment do not coincide with social justice. Equality and liberty cannot be justified when there is violence and war and require respect and relationships that are civil through acts of peace. These three movements all require one central principle, social responsibility. During these movements the first to be initiated and recognized was the environmental movement. At first there was shallow and anthropocentric environmentalism, however environmental movements were supported and strengthened through peace movements and social justice (Naess 2008). Growth in the economy and increased consumption of natural resources are still the greatest value in our society and they are put first and before our environment.
...lations diminished production, those without the basic human needs of food, shelter, and clothing will be forced into still greater poverty. So the very debate about whether to curb production to save the environment is also a question of whose livelihoods we value more: present day poor or future populations.
In The Development of Environmental Regimes: Chemicals, Wastes, and Climate Change, the authors provide a simple framework to analyze the development of global environmental regimes (GER) which ultimately addresses why states sometimes agree to cooperate on global environmental issues despite divergent interests. The chapter is divided into five subsections but begins with an introduction to explain the five processes involved in the development of GERs. The authors address questions such as who forms GERs and how are they formulated. Next, they apply the processes involved in the development of GERs to four case studies that are linked to global environmental issues: ozone depletion, hazardous waste, toxic chemicals, and climate change, respectively. The authors conclude that states and non-state actors can come together to address global environmental issues but not without obstacles.
Political ecology also involves conflicts between people and institutions over resources, in both developed world and developing world contexts. The use of natural resources and the creation of a sustainable environment is a critical issue that must be observed from different perspectives. Does it permit sustainable resources? Is it a threat to local security? How is income distributed through societies, both gender and location wise? Who decides how these are to be classified? These are key problems in political ecology.
This persuasive speech was given in Rio de Janeiro, and was a plea to the individuals in attendance at the United Nations Earth Summit to recognize how they are contaminating the environment with hopes that these audience members will revise their future proposals.
Over the past few decades there have been discourses both in favor and against Globalization’s capacity to guarantee a sustainable future. Authors attest societies and businesses’ inability to account for ecological and environmental limits when dealing with economic growth, examples of this are some of the traditional business metrics used by most global companies, and nations’ measure of wealth (GDP); both sides heavily resting on economic factors, fail to account for societal and environmental concerns (Byrnea & Gloverb, 2002). Other researchers point at the intensive use of resources, especially by global corporations; such as the increasing and careless consumption of fossil fuels, water, precious metals, etc. leading to a rise in GHG (Starke, 2002) (United Nations Development Program (UNDP), 2000). Most fervent opponents go as far as to call ‘sustainable development’ an oxymoron (Ayres, 1995).
According to the International Institute for Sustainable Development, sustainable development is defined as development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. If we follow this definition, it becomes easy to see that the vast majority of the “developed” world has not, and is not developing sustainably. The idea of sustainable development requires us to consider how our action of developing will affect other countries, and future generations. Many people believe in “the butterfly effect”, where the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in one part of t...