Ho Chi Minh City University of Social, Science, and Humanities

THEME: ANALYZE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN GLOBALIZATION AND

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
Case study: How does economic globalization lead to global environmental problems in
Vietnam?

Class: DK_QHQT_K2_L2
Subject: Globalization
Lecturer: Trần Nguyên Khang
Student Name: Phạm Thúy Thanh
Student Number: 215LK70610
Number of Words: 1028
Table of content
I. Introduction
II. Content
1. What is globalization, economic globalization and global environmental
problems?
2. The connection between globalization and global environmental
problems
3. Case study: How does economic globalization lead to the environmental
problems in Vietnam?
III. Conclusion
IV. Reference
 I. Introduction
Today, globalization and the process of international economic integration have
become the trend of world economic development. All countries in the world in
general and Vietnam in particular are also actively establishing relations and
participating in economic organizations and forums in the region and the world. So
what are the characteristics of the globalized economy and what are its impacts on the
environment? This essay aims to analyze the connection between globalization,
especially economic globalization and the global environmental problems which
focus on the case study in Vietnam.
II. Content
1. Globalization, economic globalization and global environmental problems
Globalization is a global process of movements and exchanges of human beings,
goods, and services, technologies, or cultural practices all over the planet. According
to Manfred B. Steger, (2020) “Globalization is a spatial concept signifying a matrix
of social processes that is transforming our present social condition of conventional
nationality into one of globality”.1
Economic globalization is the rapid increase in economic activities that cross all
national and regional borders creating interdependence between economies in the
development movement towards a world economy of integration and unification. It
includes the fields of industry-urbanization, agriculture-forestry-fishery and other
services and all of them can lead to global environmental problems.
The effects of globalization will broaden and deepen over time. In addition to a large
number of implications that it leaves behind, it can be said that the most difficult are
the ones that threaten the environment.2 Moreover, the effect of economic
globalization can lead to global environmental problems which are the most complex
negative consequences of the environment. Various processes that can be said to
contribute to global environmental problems include pollution, global warming,
ozone depletion, acid rain, depletion of natural resources, overpopulation, waste
disposal, deforestation and loss of biodiversity.
2. The connection between globalization and global environmental problems

1 Manfred B. Steger, (2020), “Globalization A very short introduction” fifth edition, chapter 1.
2 Ilic, I., & Hafner, P. (2022). “Environmental Aspects Of The Process Of Globalization – Negative
Implications And Crisis”. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
 Globalization has had a deep impact on our lifestyle. It has led to a faster access to
technology, improving communication and innovation. In addition to playing an
important role in bringing people of different cultures together, it has opened up a
new era in economic prosperity and opened vast development channels.
Globalization is directed to an increase in the work of transporting raw materials and
food from one place to another. Before that, it was customary to develop the
beneficiary product locally, but with globalization the consumption of product that
has been developed externally. The amount of fuel consumed in transporting these
products has led to an increase in pollution levels in the environment. It has also led
to a number of other environmental problems such as noise pollution and landscape
intrusion. Traffic has also put a strain on non-renewable energy sources, such as
gasoline.
Imports are increasing causing climate change, organisms are increasingly destroyed,
toxic substances infiltrate into the organism and human body, causing diseases and
threatening human health.

3. How does economic globalization lead to the environmental problems in

Vietnam?
Economic globalization is a big challenge that has been affecting the environment,
especially in developing countries like Vietnam. Economic development and
industrialization in countries make natural resources increasingly depleted, forests are
destroyed, air and water sources are polluted.
First, In the field of industrialization and urbanization, industrial production is
increasing at a high rate of urbanization, causing more and more toxic emissions from
industrial parks, causing air pollution. In addition, it generates a large amount of
waste in which hazardous substances are increasing. It also degrades water resources,
land resources, and mineral resources. The expansion of urban space leads to the
occupation of agricultural land, affecting national food security and people's lives. In
addition, the explosion of motorized traffic causes serious air and noise pollution.
Urbanization increases the flow of people from rural to urban areas, causing
significant pressure on housing and sanitation.
Second, in the field of agroforestry, improper irrigation techniques lead to land
degradation. Deforestation causes salt intrusion and desertification. In addition, the
 soil and air environment in agriculture is increasingly at risk of serious pollution due
to the increase in domestic solid wastes, wastewater and emissions from cattle
ranches and drug abuse chemical fertilizer plant protection.
Besides, in the field of fishery-aquaculture, overexploitation activities deplete marine
resources. Untreated oil and grease, toxic waste directly into the sea during long-term
fishing, causes water pollution. Residues of materials used in farming such as
chemicals such as lime, dolomite, sulfur, etc. have been deposited to pollute large-
scale aquaculture land, increasing salinization in coastal areas.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, in the past 50 years,
Vietnam has lost about 80% of its mangrove area. The shrimp farming movement,
industrial park and urban development projects are among the prominent causes
leading to mangrove deforestation. The coastal areas of the Mekong River Delta,
Quang Ninh province, and Hai Phong city are the places with the most mangrove
loss. According to data from the Forest Investigation and Planning Institute, after 60
years (1943-2003), our country's mangroves have lost nearly four-fifths of their area.
The rate of mangrove loss due to production activities in the period 1985-2000 is
estimated at 15,000 ha/year. Due to the degradation, the productivity of extensive
shrimp farming in mangroves has decreased significantly, from 200 kg/ha/crop in
1980 to now only 80 kg/ha/crop.3
Globalization promotes foreign capitalists to invest in Vietnam, which inevitably
shifts industries or promotes technological and technical levels that require a lot of
labor and natural resources. As a result, these will cause heavy impacts on the
ecological environment of Vietnam: dust, emissions, waste from industrial parks,
factories, excessive exploitation of forests to serve export needs.
III. Conclusion
Vietnam is a developing country, with limited qualifications, so promoting industrial
innovation and dealing with environmental pollution is a big challenge and difficulty
for the country. For our country, which comes from an agricultural country that has
just entered industrialization, the environment is a precious source of land capital.

3 Biển đảo Việt Nam, (2016), “Tác động tiêu cực đối với hệ sinh thái vùng bờ biển”
When industrialization and urbanization enter the period of promotion while the
capital source for protection, remediation pollution and environmental degradation is
not large enough, the preservation of the environment is very important.
IV. Reference
Ilic, I., & Hafner, P. (2022). “Environmental Aspects Of The Process Of
Globalization – Negative Implications And Crisis”. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
Biển đảo Việt Nam, (2016), “Tác động tiêu cực đối với hệ sinh thái vùng bờ biển”
Manfred B. Steger, (2020), “Globalization A very short introduction” fifth edition,
chapter 1.
Quang Tuấn Nguyễn, “Tác động tiêu cực của toàn cầu hóa đến môi trường và chính
sách bảo vệ môi trường của Việt Nam”