Interconnectedness of Environmental Degradation to Global Risk, Consumption, and Empowerment

By Ws Hag

ABSTRACT

At present, global environmental problems are well demonstrated in different ways. These crisis issues are interrelated to various causes and their impact could result in global environment degradation to appalling degree. As long as the superfluous consumption of natural resources continues to take place, there is a global risk in the environment. In here, the role of awareness and mobilization is important in the process of cutting such increase in global consumption and in order to protect environmental degradation. The challenge, however, is in adjusting our establishments so as the force of such environmental degradation is channeled in to ways that contribute to sustainable development. To this end, the text will deliberate the issues of global risk, consumption and empowerment in relation to environmental degradation, as the impact or safety approach of one problem has an influence on the others as well.


Introduction

Human history has always been linked to the control, extraction and use of natural resources. However, the increase in resource consumption of the world and energy efficiency has accelerated the extent of environmental degradation. The general point here is that small changes can have momentous effects. Even the tiny variations in the initial parameters of a process may lead to major differences in the outcome.

Global climate change and other environmental issues demonstrate well that single states are unable, on their own, to regulate the conditions for human and habitat survival. This explains that in a steadily more interconnected world, the distance between cause and effect in environment is often enormous. In fact, it is this interconnectedness that is building a network for people across continents with both opportunities and constraints. In this regard, there is a need of global cooperation and strategy in order to overcome the serious threats and consequences the planet is facing.

Furthermore, many institutions recognize the importance of sustainable development. And their role in crafting awareness and assisting to define strategies could be vital in reducing such escalation of environmental degradation.

Global Risk

The vast majority of experts are now convinced that the earth’s climate is changing. The main causes can be described as the massive emission of green house gases from industry, private appliances and traffic. As a result, the global temperature is increasingly rising, icebergs and glaciers shrinking, and desertification mounting. On a global scale such aspect of environmental degradation may lead or result to an enormous consequences (e.g. El Nino like events are described as human-induced global warming effects).

The issue of cooperation among nations is a point that needs consideration. The reluctance of states to various proposals to agreement is one of the most unjustified causes for environmental degradation. Success in confronting climate change depends very heavily on how we make strategies and agree to implement them. The world today owes much to the nations that are still refusing to ratify international agreement (e.g. the United States to Kyoto Protocol). This unwillingness or little concern of some nations to become part in the global agreements to reduce global warming is assisting the problem at hand. Instead of aiming at a global level, some nations are giving more priority to their economic or other interests. Hence, the most polluters are becoming more hesitant to tackle the global problem. This is factual as such nations are benefiting from not making the deal and at the same time damaging the planet’s environment unequivocally. The benefits of applying similar standards on a global scale are obvious, and the risk of not doing could be so extreme.

Another point worth mentioning is the impact of huge corporations that have grown worldwide and are benefiting from globalization. Although these business sectors are the economic machines, they have crated havoc upon the global environment. Their input to greenhouse-gas emissions is growing and in a way becoming one of the major causes to global warming. And often such companies get access to participate in the destruction as a result of government policies (e.g. Brazilian government subsidies to logging companies). It is true that these business sectors are playing in a great role in maximizing the development of the economic division. However, it needs not to be at the cost of environmental degradation which in turn has an immense impact on the global natural ecosystems.

Although the extent of a given risk is difficult to estimate, many environmental risks and vulnerabilities are produced locally and thereby heighten in to global forms. Urbanization, though a prerequisite for development, can be described as one of the great increases in vulnerability to the poor parts of the world. It is becoming increasingly clear that the fastest, cheapest way to reduce emissions is to build more energy-efficient cities. It is highly recommended that with the taking place of new urbanization, a long-term consideration must be given to the causes that could contribute to environmental degradation. High population densities of cities make it easy in occupying unsafe land, construct risky habitations, and thus causing damage to the environment.

The unbalanced aspect of the environmental degradation is another point for global concern. This is to mean that the distribution of impact can be uneven and to that extent less developed areas are generally at greatest risk. Among the risks are reductions in food security, increased water stress and desertification; as a result there will be an exposure to disease and other health related perils. It is also true that there is also variable risk among the developed nations, especially the human settlements in Polar Regions.

In general, looking at the magnitude, timing, persistence, and other social as well as scientific factors, it can be reflected that there is a change in climate. Whether its effect is greater or smaller than welfare gains or losses needs a thorough study and assessment. However, smooth and gradual climate change may lead to damages that are considered harmful beyond a certain point (e.g. increase in sea-level).

Global Consumption

Today, global trade affects a broad range of social outcomes. As a result both individuals and governments are involved in multiple opportunities and constraints. It is factual that while trade affects global markets, it also determines what natural resources will be used and at what environmental costs. Furthermore, understanding the interaction between human and environmental systems is essential. Such consideration helps in developing appropriate strategies and innovations for achieving sustainability, equitable distribution of resources and wealth.

Governmental policies and consumption often promote one industry or sector at the expense of the others. The most visible effect occurs in one of the others, that is environment. However, such gains are one sided and consequential because of the impact occurring on the environmental distributions. Moreover, such situation creates a conflict among those of economic interests against other values of global environment and sustainable development agendas.

Currently, global inequalities in consumption are severe. The major cause of such global environmental deterioration is an unsustainable pattern of consumption and production. In particular, the industrialized countries are aggravating poverty and imbalances. The beginning of international conferences (Stockholm 1972) is a good indication on how such deterioration has an impact globally. This and other subsequent events are formed to look beyond scientific issues to broader political, social, and economic issues. This means that it becomes an international political agenda and thereby paved a way for intensified multilateral co-operations focusing on tackling unsustainable patterns of consumption.

Environmental degradation, as Martinez-Alier put it, is also caused by people “too poor to be green.” Poverty and pressure of population on resources can be mentioned as the main problems related to environment change. The problems are the result of economic activities causing pollution, the using up of scarce resources, disturbance of ecosystems, and destruction of habitats. These problems must be considered as important factors affecting in particular the potential for long term development, and in general to the global environment.

Consumption of resources is appropriated by world industrial centers with no much reflection to many environmental damages. The advanced industrialized countries produce around three quarters of total world carbon emissions. From this perspective, not only do they play a great role in environmental degradation but also in victimizing the less developed nations as a result of the inequalities and responsibility to take action. While improving their local environmental standards, and maintaining a high level of production and consumption, the burdens are shifting to the third world countries. Thus, it is an unsound and detrimental to global environment and sustainable development as it causes uneven growth and imbalance between nations of the world.

Global Empowerment

The contemporary world is a multi-centered place in which states, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, individuals and other international and local organizations partake as actors. These various institutions can be related to each other when it comes to the function they act upon in relation to environmental issues. Empowerment, thus, can be explained as the process of enhancing the capacity of individuals or groups to make choices and to transform those choices into desired actions and outcomes.

The initial trend is the growing role of information as a driving force in the global environment protection. Powered by the ability to reproduce and distribute it ever more quickly and cheaply by new technologies, the internationalization of such aspect can be achieved. Thus, empowering the information centers (such as media, TV, etc) with the ability to disseminate the consequences of climate change is playing an essential role. It creates awareness, not only at an individual level but also in a way to recognize such calamity with common knowledge everywhere. The awareness constructed by the global information has a massive influence in the maturity of the people and societies as a whole. Accordingly, the part of social responsibility to tackle various issues related to development will rise concurrently.

Social movements are an opening to mobilize people in a context of networking and cooperation to resist the crisis of environmental degradation. These movements may come up with different strategies, demands, groups, technologies, etc. It is true that several movements are combating such global concern by building a unity among them. This profound organizational link can be a form of authority to make their devotion a possible reality. Today, the international movement of environmentalist’s is becoming stronger with time where it is no longer possible to stop their demands. The individual nations are more under pressure to merely turn down the demands of such institutions in international arena. This is due to the growing global awareness and mobilization of individual people, organizations, and institutions

Furthermore, the establishment of different conferences, agreements, conventions, etc is open with the purpose advancing the concept of sustainable development in combination with economic policies (Rio, Kyoto, etc). I can state that recognition to the loss of environmental degradation is one of the motivations for the organization of such conferences and agreements. To this effect, many developing countries understand the need to integrate environment in to their development policies. This will help in cutting their wasteful consumption models, though it could be difficult to implement such policies in short period of time.

The position of NGOs, specially agricultural and humanitarian organizations can be explained as a means in appealing to such environment degradation. For instance many NGOs are concerned with that of attracting foreign direct investment, as the developing countries would appeal to eliminate or ignore environmental standards. The fear is that a host country may not have strict pollution standards, which in turn could have an impact on the ecosystems and development choices.

Conclusion

It can be stated as a concluding remark that environmental degradation is undeniably an increasing problem now days. This crisis is interconnected to the three overarching global issues, namely global risk, global consumption and global empowerment. Likewise, these global issues are interrelated to each other as the impact or safety strategy of one problem has an influence on the others as well.

As long as the unwarranted consumption of natural resources is taking place, there is a global risk in the environment. Equally, the risk is not confined only to the nature but also has a significant effect on human health, even to the extent of conflict over critical resources, as there is lack of safety measures. Thus the power assumed to influence the polluters primarily lies on the society and other varied and keen institutions. Empowering them could create awareness and mobilization in the process of cutting the increase in global consumption. It is true that governments could play a great role in here; however their reluctance or unwillingness needs to be taken in to account.

The big question here is can we overcome the global environmental degradation our planet is facing? And is it possible that the various groups, which are contributing to such global degradation, work in harmony with the pro-environmental individuals and institutions? The response to these issues could be, why not? As described in the deliberation of the text, it is an issue of taking responsibility in finding viable protection strategies, through awareness, mobilization, and alternative mechanisms, in order to share the benefits of sustainable development.

Therefore, the challenge is to adapt our institutions so as the force of such environmental degradation is channeled in to ways that contribute to sustainable development. Whether this situation advances or undermines sustainable development depends on how policies are crafted and linked case-by-case to get a win-win solution.