environmental globalization

• World War II sped up the development of plastic technology
• The Allied Forces needed plastics to make their fighting machines more efficient, and used plastics as substitute to metal, steel, copper, aluminum, and zinc, given that these materials were in short supply during the war, and Japan (part of the Axis Powers) occupied majority of the Southeast Asian Nations (producers of rubber – natural material used in making plastics)
• Plastics became the substitute for the aforesaid traditional manufacturing materials
• To cope up with the demands of wartime


  1. Petrochemical companies built massive plants turning crude oil into plastic

  2. Plastics were used for tanks, planes, gearwheels, parachutes, and ropes
• Plastics contributed greatly to the success of the Allied Forces
• With Germany beaten, the United States started its mass production of plastics, owning two-thirds of the world's manufacturing capacity
• Plastic Revolution (1940s to 1960s)


  The mass production of plastics and goods made out of plastics
• Examples of the Plastic Revolution

  • In 1945, most people had never heard of a television. By 1949, as plastic makes TVs cheaper, Americans buy 100,000 TVs per week
  • Between 1955 to 1965, 42% of Americans rely on condoms for birth control
  • In 1965, the plastic bag was invented – later, this becomes the symbol of plastic. At present, the world uses about 500 billion plastic bags a year (one million per minute!)
  • In 1950, the world produces 1.5 million tons of plastic. In 1960s, production has rocketed to about 25 million tons. In the 1970s, it reached about 50 million tons (same weight of 140 Empire State Buildings!)
• It was only during the 1980s that people started to realize the environmental catastrophe brought upon by plastics
• Problem with plastics


  • Plastics are so cheap that we use it for almost anything – it is easy to throw away because it is cheap
  • It is also almost impossible to destroy! Scientists estimate that it will take around 450 years for one plastic bottle to break down naturally
• Coke and Pepsi wanted to cut their costs on glass bottles, so they shifted to PET bottles in the 1970s. It soon becomes the most popular form of packaging
• Starting in the 90s, our daily living is shaped by plastics. Housing, plumbing, furniture, lighting, technologies like television, computer, and phones are all made out of plastics
• In the field of medicine, syringe, blood bags, and other hospital equipment are made of plastics - new technologies related to surgery such as plastic joints, cartilage, pace makers, hearing aids, etc. are made of plastics
• In the field of transportation, cars, boats, ships, and planes are made mostly of plastics
• Without plastics, there is no modern world
• Environmental globalization


  Refers to the internationally coordinated practices and regulations (often in the form of international treaties) regarding environmental protection
• Environmental globalization is a more recent phenomena; it begun in earnest only in the latter half of the 20th century
• It was around the 1980s that environmental movement started to organize on the international scale to focus on the global dimension of the issues
• Examples of environmental globalization movements in the 20th century


  • Earth Day - an annual event celebrated around the world on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection, first celebrated in the 1970, at present includes events coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network in more than 193 countries
  • Recycling - to solve the growing plastic problem, recycling began, in 1988 the three recycling plastic arrows began to appear
• Environmental Globalization is usually supported by non-governmental organizations and governments of developed countries, but opposed by governments of developing countries which see pro-environmental initiatives as hindering their economic development
• Environmental Globalization aims to protect the environment and is against exploitation of natural resources
• Developing countries are against the idea that they are being prevented to exploit the natural environment for this will impede their growth and development
• Economic Globalization


  Encouraging trade
• Environmental Globalization


  Promoting pro-environment initiatives that are an impediment to trade
• Environmental activist might be opposed to economic globalization, but advocate environmental globalization
• While economic globalization has environmental impacts, those impacts should not be confused with the concept of environmental globalization
• In 2015 alone, the world produces 322 million tons of plastic. It has been estimated that we have produced 7.8 billion tons of plastic waste (as of 2015 data)
• Earth Hour, an activity conducted worldwide in support of Earth Day has been found to be actually detrimental to the environment. According to Lomborg, Earth Hour is a colossal waste of time and energy as turning energy off for one hour actually increases CO2 emissions when turned back on afterwards!
• Advantages of recycling

  • 19 PET bottles save enough fiber to make one big T-Shirt
  • Recycling 1 ton of plastic saves over 1000 gallons of gas
  • It creates jobs! In the US, over 700,000 people work in the recycling business
  • Plastics can be converted to another plastic material. It takes 88% less energy to make plastics using recycled plastics than using raw materials
• Only 19.9% of the plastics thrown globally is recycled
• Plastic remains as an addiction in the modern world
• Globalization has had far-reaching effects on our lifestyle. It has led to faster access to technology, improved communication, and innovation
• Globalization has also created some areas of concern, and prominent among these is the impact that it has had on the environment
• Negative Environmental Impacts of Globalization


  Globalization has led to an increase in the consumption of

  products, which has impacted the ecological cycle. Increased consumption leads to an increase in the production of goods, which in turn puts stress on the environment
• Negative Environmental Impacts of Globalization

  Globalization alters the food production process to make the goods more attractive to the market, hence, the production and consumption of artificially and/or chemically bombarded product
• Negative Environmental Impacts of Globalization Globalization has led to an increase in the transportation of raw materials and food from one place to another. With globalization, people consume products that have been developed in foreign countries
• Negative Environmental Impacts of Globalization

  The amount of fuel that is consumed in transportation has

  led to an increase in the pollution levels in the environment.
• Negative Environmental Impacts of Globalization 


  The industrial waste that is generated as a result of

  production has been laden on ships and dumped in

  oceans. This has killed many underwater organisms and

  has deposited many harmful chemicals in the ocean.
• Negative Environmental Impacts of Globalization 


  Plastic is one of the major toxic pollutants, as it is a non-

  biodegradable product. However, plastic is of immense use

  when it comes to packaging and preserving goods. This has

  led to increased use of plastic, causing widespread environmental pollution.
• Negative Enviromental Impacts of Globalization


  In various parts of the world, mountains are being cut to make way for a passing tunnel or a

  highway. Vast lands have been encroached upon to pave way for new buildings.