CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBALIZATION

Globalization is to blame.
Great Acceleration

- a process that led to rapid increases of socio-economic indicators, from GDP growth to
urbanization, that are causally linked to rising CO2 emissions and environmental deterioration.

The interaction between environmental problems like climate change and globalization is becoming
more and more obvious. Most of the time, we see globalization from economic aspect.

Economic Globalization

- is a multi-dimensional concept. In short, it can be defined as the use and distribution of goods
and services, people, knowledge and capital across national borders.

Proponents:

 Wide range of available consumer goods and services

 Efficiency gains due to product specialization
 Diffusion of technological progress On the other hand

Opponents:

 Increasing income inequality

 Destruction of jobs

Economic globalization is also seen as one of the factors responsible for climate change and
environmental issues. This negative impact of globalization on climate is mainly due to increased
greenhouse gas emissions.

Main direct sources of greenhouse gas emissions:

 Power supply
 Industrial production
 Transport

Globalization towards the 20th century gave rise to:

 Multiplication of transport networks in the form of road, rail, sea and air transport within and
across national borders.
 Growing international trade and investment have stimulated global industrial activity.

Initially, developed regions such as the US and Europe were the main polluters, but over time emerging
economies such as China have become the main emitters.
Economic globalization has led to many positive developments, but its negative contribution to the
climate problem is undeniable.

According to some economists,

 Globalization and climate change are incompatible.

 They claimed that there is no doubt that the production and transport of goods will have to be
done in a more sustainable way going forward.
 Agreements at the global level and monitored compliance are highly needed.
 The negative externalities of transport and production would be eliminated or compensated –
likely through pricing - without undoing the positive effects of international free trade.

However, the means through which such a system, or other options for combating climate change, could
be implemented have proven difficult to achieve.

Globalization can help.

On the other hand, globalization can also contribute to possible solutions to climate problems:

 Diffusion of green or climate-friendly technologies facilitated through global networks of

industry, capital flows and research and development.
 Rapid dissemination of technological improvements will also make it possible to better monitor
and report on all kinds of climate actions.
 Collaboration between public and private parties with cooperation platforms that cross national
borders will be necessary.

Globalization facilitates this process.

It is also important to take greater account of the distribution of the benefits and costs of economic
globalization. Many developing countries today are hardest hit by global warming while enjoying
relatively little of the benefits of globalization. After all, its positive effects worldwide are considerable.
The challenge, therefore, is to make globalization both economically and ecologically interesting. This is
not an obvious goal, but a necessary one.