Globalization

Industrialization and Globalization

There can be little argument that globalization in its current form began in the post–Industrial Revolution period. The latter half of the 20th century has witnessed rapid changes in the global infrastructure, facilitated by technological advancements, notably in transportation and communications, and rapid increases in the global population. These changes have affected all facets of life, from the global to the local scales and in developed and developing countries alike. In fact, it is the continued integration of the global and local arenas that underpins the processes of globalization in contemporary society.

The world's economy has been characterized by growing globalization, which is spurring the increasing integration of the global economy through trade and financial flows and the greater integration of knowledge through the transfer of information, culture, and technology. Globalization raises both fears and expectations. Some suggest that increasing interdependence is good for cooperation, peace, and solving problems. Economic integration may offer dynamic benefits, such as higher productivity. The exchange of goods and services also helps to exchange ideas and knowledge. A relatively open economy is better for learning and adapting foreign, state-of-the-art technology than a closed economy. Others, however, argue that economic interdependence is destabilizing. Rapid flows of money in and out of the economy cause losses, increase inequality, and lower wages, which ultimately results in harm to the environment through a lack of accountability.

Environmental politics must directly consider the effect of globalized trade as it relates to the environment. When considering the environmental impact of trade, there are two overarching interpretations. The first perspective argues that the intensification of international trade through globalization produces an intensification of production and consumption of goods that have been produced in a resource-intensive manner in various countries. [Page 200]Ultimately, this results in a situation in which the consumers of these goods are so detached from the geographical, not to mention the cultural, site of production that it is extremely difficult to assess the environmental effect of the production of these goods. Moreover, international trade and the processes of globalization are said to enable the importing developed countries to obtain a disproportionate share of the world's natural resources. Such resources include the ownership of genetic information, intellectual property, and information. It is argued that as the world's economic market does not truly reflect the cost of the Earth's resources, through the globalization of trade these resources are exploited at an ever-increasing rate. Moreover, it is argued that the negative implications of globalization of trade are evident through the increased centralization of resources and wealth at the expense of large amounts of the world's populations. This article focuses on the environmental problems that may be considered under the heading of globalization.

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