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Globalization and Whales

 Humans and Whales
Humans and whales are mammals with a complex
relationship. Humans have hunted whales for food for
centuries, included them in art and culture, and admired their
traits. But sadly, with human interference and actions, whales
are now on the brink of extinction.

Recent news showed that Japanese people are petitioning of

legalizing whale hunting and planning to resume the activity
that they had stopped doing for decades already. We should be
aware that whales are also living creatures. They play a certain
role in balancing our ecosystem. A specific creature can
indeed affect our human world.

We could not just disregard the importance of those mammals

because disturbing the flow of their food chain creates an
impact not only in the animal kingdom but including us
humans. With the advancement of almost everything and
globalization we are affecting these mammals, and our
interactions with them create a domino effect that is
intertwined with humans.

 Globalization and the Environment Globalization also has played a role in environmental
challenges. It also generates negative effects on our
environment. As the economy is growing at its finest,
transportation activities also increase. Increased production
and transportation demand higher energy consumption
particularly as fossil fuels still dominate energy use.

Transportation requires infrastructure like roads and bridges.

This can lead to issues including pollution and habitat loss for
most living creatures. In the modern world, many cases of oil

 Globalization and Bodies of Water
 Global Warming and Marine Life
 Whales and Climate Change
spills were recorded as ships dominates the oceans in this peak
of Globalization, especially trade.
Globalization and trade transform the world as well as many
things associated with it. They also affect both water quantity
and quality.
Various manufacturing and agricultural production processes
contribute to water quality concerns. Various pollutants are
generated in the production of plastics, pesticides, detergents,
and other materials. These pollutants are a major threat to
human health as well as other living creatures. As the trade
increases its reach globally, there is also a widespread of toxic
waste from such products.
In an article I have read, the unpredictable change in the
climate is a concern to the overall health of the ocean and its
species dwelling. Global warming causes many negative
impacts to the ocean such as:
Depleted Growth of Phytoplankton and Destroyed Algae
(Both serve as food for many marine creatures and they also
carry out photosynthesis so it could grow in the ocean)
Destroyed Ideal Condition for Habitat of Marine Life
(Many move away from their habitat and search elsewhere for
a new one like the penguins in the Antarctic that are always in
search of a new place where they can live because the ice
keeps melting away)
Species Extinction and Altered Marine Life Reproduction
(When the marine species’ food webs and habitats are
disturbed, they might find it difficult or even impossible to
quickly adapt because of this, extinction is inevitable)
Negative Change in Marine Biodiversity
(Many marine species go somewhere else that can keep them
alive. The native species of the region will become threatened
by the invasive species)
.. to name a few.
There’s a big reason to protect whales because their very
existence contributes to the change of climate. Some people
argued that killing whales is a good thing for us human beings
because they thought that it boosts the food available for us to
eat. I bet you think the same way as what they are thinking.
On the contrary, as whales declined in numbers so did the
 numbers of other living creatures that belong in the same food
chain. You would surely think that their number rises as their
major predators disappeared. As a fact, it now turns out that
whales not only consume those animals but they also keep
them alive. They also help to sustain the entire living system
of the ocean taking a major role in the food chain.

Waste produced by whales is food for the phytoplankton,

which photosynthesizes and absorbs carbon dioxide before
dying, and as they sink to the bottom of the ocean, and helps
diminish green-house gases in the atmosphere. Whale bodies
store an enormous amount of carbon that can be sequestered
when they die.

 Globalization and Whales Globalization means trade and travel. More gigantic shipping
vessels travel around the globe every day that sometimes cross
into whale feeding grounds or migratory routes.

Whales no longer have the safety of exploring their waters.

Human elements that can harm them are just everywhere.
Huge human-operated ships are a threat to their lives. Even
fishing ships that have nothing to with them, can injure or kill
whales accidentally.

With Globalization and human actions, there is continuous

destruction of the environment, in which whales have had to
suffer. Their food chain is disturbed and food source has
become very scarce in some areas because other aquatic lives
were not able to survive. Due to global warming, their
migration patterns and even reproduction habits have been
altered which resulted in a decreasing number of their
population.

 Whale Hunting Humans are the enemies of whales and other ocean dwellers.
Without pollution, toxins, and human interference, they will
be just fine. Whale hunting is done for several reasons; killing
whales for meat, for-profit, and for sport.

In 1925, whales were being over-exploited due to the demand

for whale oil in munitions and waterproofing.
In 1982, the world’s nations banded together through
International Whaling Commission to stop commercial
 whaling by voting for a moratorium.
In 1986, the Global whale hunting ban came into effect.

Whaling has indeed been practiced internationally for over a

thousand years. However, by the late 20th century the whales
have been hunted to the brink of extinction and this issue
should be given emphasis and attention.

 Conclusion Globalization is a major turning point in almost everything.

There are changes in the environment and in our ways of
living. Whales are vulnerable to these changes and they cannot
do anything about it. Humans have the power and tools to help
them. Globalization aims for the betterment and advancement
of human lives, but we must bear in mind that we are not the
only living creature on this planet. We only take part in this
ecosystem.

Before great numbers were killed, it seems that whales might

have been responsible for removing a huge amount of carbon
from the atmosphere. They can contribute to climate change.
If the great whales are allowed to recover, it could undo some
of the damages we have done both to the living systems of the
sea and the atmosphere.

We can do something to protect the remaining numbers of

whales. We can contribute to a brighter change in the lives of
those living creatures of the sea as well as the above the
surface. We must tell others what we have learned. This
information may be not yet enough for them to realize the
worth of those great mammals. We need to dig deeper
information on the positive effects of their existence. We need
to have a great reason for whale hunters to stop hunting. Let us
educate others. Without our help and strict hunting laws, they
will be vanished.