MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OF REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

MOLDOVA STATE UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, POLITICAL AND
ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCE
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT

Report
“Globalization and the environment”

Author: Petrea Daniela, 203 RI

Scientific advisor: Cresniov Alexei , lecturer

CHISINAU 2019
 Globalization is the process by which all people and communities come to experience a
more and more common economic, social and cultural environment. By definition, the process
affects everyone around the world.

A more integrated global community brings benefits and problems to everyone; affects the
balance of economic, political and cultural power between nations, communities and individuals,
and can both increase and limit the freedoms and human rights. Social workers, through the nature
of their work, tend to meet those who are more likely to suffer the damaging consequences of some
aspects of globalization.

People live and develop their potential in social groups. Throughout recent history, the
ethnic group and national state have defined the characteristics of human society. Throughout the
twentieth century and the 21st century, people have been increasingly in a globalized world with
economic, social and cultural influences coming from many different sources. This process causes
human and social rights and has affected individual and social development. The national state and
the ideas of ethnicity and social cohesion have been challenged by these influences. This process
has become known as globalization.

People can not individually realize their individual potential and human rights; they need
supportive circumstances to express most of their rights and to realize their human potential. At
the most direct, these circumstances must recognize:

 the importance of peace and the avoidance of violent conflicts,

 the existence of a fair and equitable social order
 trust in a sustainable natural environment that sustains life 1

In recent decades, international connectivity has increased on many fronts, including the
flow of information, movements of people, trading patterns, the flow of capital, regulatory
systems, and cultural diffusion. These exponential increases in demographic, economic,
commercial, and environmental indexes have been labeled the Great Acceleration. Remarkably,
the resultant environmental effects are now altering major components of the Earth system. The
current geologic epoch is being called the Anthropocene (successor to the Holocene epoch) in

1
“Globalizarea si mediul “- https://www.ifsw.org/ro/globalisation-and-the-environment/

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recognition of the global force that Homo sapiens has become, pushing or distorting Earth's great
natural global systems beyond boundaries considered to be safe for continued human social and
biologic well-being. The loss of biodiversity, the greatly amplified global circulation of bioactive
nitrogen compounds, and human-induced climate change have already reached levels that are
apparently unsafe.

These changes pose fundamental threats to human well-being and health. For example, a
positive relationship has been observed between regional trends in climate (rising temperatures
and declining rainfall) and childhood stunting in Kenya since 1975, indicating that as projected
warming and drying continue to occur along with population growth, food yields and nutritional
health will be impaired. These human-induced climatic changes often act in concert with
environmental, demographic, and social stressors that variously influence regional food yields,
nutrition, and health. Furthermore, at the current level of global connectedness and
interdependence, the environmental impact of human activity has a wider geographic range,
although its influence may be offset somewhat by more effective global alerts and more rapid
distribution of food aid. The extreme heat and wildfires in western Russia in the summer of 2010
destroyed one third of that country's wheat yield, and the subsequent ban on exported grain
contributed to a rise in the price of wheat worldwide, exacerbating hunger in Russia (where flour
prices increased by 20%) and in low-income urban populations in countries such as Pakistan and
Egypt. On the economic front, the recent global financial crisis has underscored the domino-like
interdependence of national economies. 2

Globalization has had far-reaching effects on our lifestyle. It has led to faster access to
technology, improved communication and innovation. Apart from playing an important role in
bringing people of different cultures together, it has ushered a new era in the economic prosperity
and has opened up vast channels of development. However, globalization has also created some
areas of concern, and prominent among these is the impact that it has had on the environment.
Globalization has featured extensively in the debates on environmentalism, and green activists

2
“Globalization, Climate Change, and Human Health Anthony” J. McMichael, M.B., B.S., Ph.D. -
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmra1109341

2
have highlighted its far-reaching effects. Let us know about the impact of globalization on our
environment.

Activists have pointed out that globalization has led to an increase in the consumption of
products, which has impacted the ecological cycle. Increased consumption leads to an increase in
the production of goods, which in turn puts stress on the environment. Globalization has also led
to an increase in the transportation of raw materials and food from one place to another. Earlier,
people used to consume locally-grown food, but with globalization, people consume products that
have been developed in foreign countries. The amount of fuel that is consumed in transporting
these products has led to an increase in the pollution levels in the environment. It has also led to
several other environmental concerns such as noise pollution and landscape intrusion.
Transportation has also put a strain on the non-renewable sources of energy, such as gasoline. The
gases that are emitted from the aircraft have led to the depletion of the ozone layer apart from
increasing the greenhouse effect. The industrial waste that is generated as a result of production
has been laden on ships and dumped in oceans. This has killed many underwater organisms and
has deposited many harmful chemicals in the ocean. The damage caused to ecosystem from the oil
that spilled from one of the leaking containers of British Petroleum in 2010 is just one of the
examples of the threat globalization poses to the environment. 3

The increasing pace of globalization and how it affects the environment has been a major
global concern. Although the research has been fraught with contrasting results, there are many
who strongly believe that increased globalization has been harmful to the environment.

A large number of environmentalists who support this view base their arguments on the premise
that globalization leads to an increase in global demand, resulting in increased production. This
indirectly contributes to the exploitation of the environment and the depletion of natural resources.
Amid rising environmental concerns, an important question is whether deglobalization would have
the opposite impact on the environment. Put differently, if globalization is harmful, then should
we expect that the current deglobalization trend will be less harmful for the environment?

3
“Globalization and its impact on the Environment” - https://www.environment.co.za/environmental-
issues/globalization-and-its-impact-on-the-environment.html

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It’s an important question to ask right now considering the mounting anti-globalization sentiments
that have engulfed the Global North.

We have not only witnessed Brexit, the election of Donald Trump, the Belgian opposition
to the trade agreement between the European Union and Canada in the recent past, but more
recently, we have seen anti-globalization sentiments heating up even in the United States, once the
strongest architect and proponent of globalization in the world. This is resulting in uncertainty and
a near stalemate for NAFTA, steel and aluminium tariff hikes and the potential trade war with
China.

The adverse effect of globalization on the environment is supported by what’s known as

the race-to-the-bottom hypothesis. This school of thought argues that increased gains from
globalization are achieved at the expense of the environment because more open economies adopt
looser environmental standards.

Those who support this bleak view of globalization argue it creates global competition,
resulting in a boost in economic activities that deplete the environment and its natural resources.

The increased economic activity leads to greater emissions of industrial pollutants and
more environmental degradation. The pressure on international firms to remain competitive forces
them to adopt cost-saving production techniques that can be environmentally harmful.

But in fact, deglobalization may not necessarily translate into reduced emissions of harmful
gases such as CO₂, SO₂, NO₂, but could actually worsen it. Through what’s known as the technique
effect, we know globalization can trigger environmentally friendly technological innovations that
can be transferred from countries with strict environmental regulations to pollution havens.

Globalization doesn’t just entail the movement of manufactured goods, but also the transfer
of intermediate, capital goods and technologies. That means multinational corporations with clean
state-of-the-art technologies can transfer their green know-how to countries with low
environmental standards.

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 It’s widely recognized that multinational firms use cleaner types of energy than local firms,
and therefore have more energy-efficient production processes. Deglobalization could mean these
environmentally friendly technologies aren’t passed on to countries that are trying to go green.

The rise of anti-globalization forces also means less specialization in sectors in which
countries have comparative advantages.

This can create an inefficient allocation of resources that leads to the dissipation of scarce
economic and natural resources. If every country has to produce to meet its domestic demand, in
other words, it could result in duplication in production processes and therefore an increase in local
emissions. 4

It has made so many changes in our lives that reversing it is not possible at all. The solution
lies in developing effective mechanisms that can check the extent to which it can impact the
environment. Researchers are of the view that the answer to this problem lies in the problem itself,
that is, globalization itself can lend support to building a better structure which is economically
feasible and environment-friendly. Globalization is about competition, and if certain privately
owned companies can take the lead in being environment friendly, then it will encourage others to
follow suit.
It is important that we put in some efforts to maintain harmony with the environment. The
survival of human race on this planet is dependent on the environment to such a large extent that
we cannot afford to ignore the consequences of our own actions. While there is a lot of debate and
discussion on this issue, the need of the hour is to have effective policies in place, and
implementation of those policies. The people that we have chosen to represent us have the
responsibility of ensuring that the extent of damage on environment is curtailed, if not totally
prevented. We hope this article helped you in understanding globalization and its impact on the
environment and the importance of taking concrete actions against it.

4
“Globalization may actually be better for the environment” - http://theconversation.com/globalization-
may-actually-be-better-for-the-environment-95406

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 Bibliography

1. “Globalization may actually be better for the environment” -

http://theconversation.com/globalization-may-actually-be-better-for-the-environment-
95406
2. “Globalization and its impact on the Environment” -
https://www.environment.co.za/environmental-issues/globalization-and-its-impact-on-
the-environment.html
3. “Globalizarea si mediul “- https://www.ifsw.org/ro/globalisation-and-the-environment/
4. “Globalization, Climate Change, and Human Health Anthony” J. McMichael, M.B., B.S.,
Ph.D. - https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmra1109341