Kayleigh O’Hora
Debate Paper #5
Is globalization a sustainability problem?
March 25, 2014
Word Count: 1689
Globalization is defined as “the process of international integration arising from the interchange
of world views, products, ideas, and other aspects of our culture (Globalization, 2014)”. Globalization
has had three main stages. Archaic globalization ranges from early civilizations until about 1600. This
period was characterized by eastern origins effecting the development of the western world. Cultural
exchanges were on a smaller scale and in closer proximity as states were less interdependent than they
are in modern times. The early modern stage of globalization followed lasting until about 1800. There
was an increase in trade links and cultural exchanges. During these 200 years was the rise of the
European Empires. Increasing technology and world awareness allowed for countries to gain power and
spread influence to other parts of the world. The last stage of globalization is the modern stage from
1800 to present day. The industrial revolution allowed for standardized production of goods for a
rapidly growing population. International transportation was now cheaper and more readily available.
Aviation became more popular around 1970, allowing for globalization to increase again (Globalization,
2014). When determining whether globalization is a sustainability issue, anyone and everyone is a
stakeholder. The world is not just about who we are individually, but how we can effect and be affected
by other people. However, some people hold more weight in the matter than others. For example,
governments control trade regulations and international relations between themselves and other
countries. Consumers around the world also are major stakeholders. Many of the goods and services
we rely on come from other parts of the world. Another major stakeholder is businesses that market
internationally. Some of these include oil companies, machine manufacturers, and electronics
companies such as Apple. There are also issues that need to be considered when determining if
globalization is a sustainability problem. One is where sustainability overlaps with globalization. The
meaning of sustainability also needs to be considered, and whether it is concerned specifically with the
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environment, or with worldwide resources. Lastly, patterns of globalization through the past, present
and future need to be taken into consideration.
An article by Jerry Mander titled Economic Globalization and the Environment supports
globalization as not being sustainable. Mander’s argument centers on the idea that globalization is not
the natural course of nature, but that modern globalization was designed by powerful men to benefit
powerful men. The main points used to argue these are a push toward a global monoculture, exportoriented production, and a loss of small farming culture around the world. Mander believes that the
inherent environmental harms of a globalized economy are built into its very design. He cites the birth
of modern globalization as the Bretton Woods meetings in 1944 after the end of World War II with the
plan to shift toward an interconnected world culture. However with this power shift away from
individual states and nations has arisen a global monoculture or a society where “everyplace is
becoming more and more like every place (Mander, 2001)”. The world is no longer what it once was,
companies hold patents and monopolize the agriculture industry, and biotech is enclosing the genetic
structures of our bodies. “All of these formerly free and public aspects of human life itself are being
rapidly privatized, enclosed, and commoditized as part of the globalization project, to bring even more
raw material, more territory (geographic and biological) into play for corporate access, investment,
development, and trade (Mander, 2001)”. As globalization continues to increase and spread, there is a
need for increased global infrastructure development so that goods can be shipped around the world as
efficiently as possible. This need for increased infrastructure profits companies that are contracted to
do the construction; however it is harmful to the environment. Highways, pipelines, airports, and other
structures involved in shipping are often built in wilderness or forested areas with relatively intact
biodiversity. This large scale construction in these areas harms and disrupts the natural ecosystems
inherent to them. Globalization is harmful to the environment in other ways as well. For example,
ocean shipping is responsible for 80% of the world’s international trade. This has caused a major
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increase in fossil fuel use, not to mention that the “Bunker C” fuel being used is even more polluting
than other fuels. Climate change is also directly tied to increasing climate change. The ozone depletion
from refrigerated shipping containers has been linked as a major climate change contributor. Increased
moving of goods has also caused an epidemic of bio invasions, and has caused the extinction of several
species. Lastly, globalization has caused depletion in small farming culture. Monoculture production by
monopolizing agricultural giants like Monsanto has disrupted the natural order of farming. This has also
caused environmental problems due to a loss of biodiversity. According to the UN, by 2001 75% of crop
diversity had been lost (Mander, 2001).
Mander’s reasoning on globalization as a sustainability issue is consistent and sound throughout
the article. However, modern globalization was already in progress before Bretton Woods in 1944. The
Industrial Revolution set it in motion, and it was only a matter of time before it was publically
addressed. In addition, the article skips over the desires of individuals in society. Mander faults
globalization for trying to make everywhere like everywhere else, however without the ability to
translate lifestyles, goods, and services around the world we would not live as comfortably and
conveniently as we do. There was also a lack of statistics on how globalization and international
transportation has contributed to climate change. It is fairly obvious that globalization is causing
environmental harm, but specific statistics would make the argument more compelling.
A blog post by L. Graham Smith poses the opposite view from Mander, claiming that
globalization is not a sustainability problem. With 30 plus years of experience in resource management
and expertise in globalization as well as sustainability and its implementations, Smith provides valuable
insight on this question. To Smith, “globalization means the world is not only more prosperous, it is also
more stable (Smith, 2007)”. He believes based on his research that the two main fairs associated with
whether globalization is sustainable, over population and over consumption, are farces. These myths
stem from the belief that the world was perfect and pristine before human beings. Globalization is not
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fundamentally perfect; however it does result in prosperity and stability. Regarding the environmental
concerns centered on globalization and climate change, Smith claims that “despite the global warming
hysteria, there are no global environmental limits threatening our survival. Economically and
environmentally we have the capability to be sustainable (Smith, 2007)”.
Although this article is a blog post, Smith has the experience and credentials to validate his
points. The post was informative and brought light to the other side of the question; however it had the
potential to be much more powerful and convincing. Statistics to back up over population and over
consumption as myths would have been a valuable addition to the argument. Also, more background
on why the author believes global warming is not an immediate threat should have been added. Lastly,
the article was poorly concluded with a movie reference. It did not fit the context of the discussion and
detracted from the overall argument.
An article from Our Planet magazine by Connie Hedegaard explains that there are two sides to
globalization. The first is that globalization is excellent for consumers because “in a globalized economy
people can acquire commodities produced at comparably low cost in a developing country. They can go
on holidays abroad much more cheaply than was possible just a few years ago, due to the relative
decrease in travel costs (Hedegaard, 2007)”. However on the flip side are the major environmental
consequences and complications tied to globalization. The actions of people are depleting Earth’s
natural resources and putting strain on the environment to a point where ecosystems will no longer be
able to sustain future generations. Governments around the world need to step up and work to
decouple environmental degradation from economic growth. Hedegaard claims that “globalization also
entails a number of benefits particularly relevant to the sustainable management of natural resources
and ecosystems, not least the potential of the successful and effective sharing, take-up and deployment
of more environmentally sound technologies and practices (Hedegaard, 2007)” and that already existing
green technology options need to be implemented into the process to ensure that it is effectively
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sustainable. This article challenges Mander’s beliefs that globalization is a huge issue for sustainability
by not completely condemning globalization, but by showing that society is moving toward green
actions to better the process. It also challenges Smith by claiming that resources are indeed being
depleted, maybe not to an Earth shattering extent but at least to a point.
My perspective best aligns with Hedegaard’s belief that globalization has two sides, and that the
move toward greener technologies in the globalization process needs to be taken before it is too late for
the planet. Globalization is a necessary evil in the world; it has the positive side of making our lives
cheaper and more convenient, but at the price of increased climate change and damage to ecosystems
and loss of biodiversity. At this point in time, modern globalization is in full swing and cannot be
reversed. However, by raising awareness and pushing the government, greener fuels and technology
can be adapted into the existing system. With global infrastructure as vast and complex as it is, an
incremental approach should be taken to protect the environment from the dangers of globalization. I
think it is essential for the ocean shipping industry to switch to greener fuels for their ships. With
biofuels becoming more popular, perhaps the ships can be modified to accept the cleaner fuel. In
addition, better attention needs to be paid to where highways, airports, and pipelines are built. Many of
the areas in which they are built have diverse eco systems that are being damaged by their construction.
Overall, globalization cannot be denied to be a sustainability issue. It touches everyone everywhere,
and we must take action if we are to sustain both the environment and the world wide economy.
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Bibliography
Globalization. (2014, March 23). Retrieved from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization#History
Hedegaard, C. (2007, February). Brinkmanship Needed. Our Planet, pp. 10-11.
Mander, J. (2001, September/October). Economic Globalization and the Environment. Retrieved from
Tikkun: http://www.tikkun.org/nextgen/economic-globalization-and-the-environment
Smith, L. G. (2007, February 26). Globalization and Sustainability. Retrieved from Ecomyths:
http://ecomythsmith.blogspot.com/2007/02/globalization-and-sustainability.html