Lesson 7: Environmental Globalization

• Plastics are the main contributor of pollution
• Key events that included plastics


  • 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!)
• Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) soda bottle


  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
• It was only during the 1980s that people started to realize the environmental catastrophe brought upon by plastics
• Plastics


  • They 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! (because it is not natural. It was made by science. That is why it is called biodegradable)
  • Scientists estimate that it will take around 450 years for one plastic bottle to break down naturally
• Starting in the 90s, our daily living is shaped by plastics
• We definitely cannot live without plastics, but can we live with them?
• Environmental globalization


  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
• Environmental globalization movements in the 20th century


  • EARTH DAY - First celebrated in the 1970. At present, it 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
• Environmental globalization is in direct opposition to economic globalization
• Economic globalization


  Encouraging trade
• Environmental globalization


  Promoting pro-environment initiatives that are an impediment to trade
• It is impossible to promote economic development without having to eventually exploit your resources or environment
• 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
• Only 19.9% of the plastics thrown globally is recycled
• Plastic remains as an addiction in the modern world
• Environmental impacts of globalization

  • Globalization 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


  • Increased consumption leads to an increase in the production of goods, which in turn puts stress on the environment
  • 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 products
  • Increase in the transportation of raw materials and food from one place to another, which consumes a lot of fuel and leads to pollution
  • Industrial waste that is generated as a result of production has been laden on ships and dumped in oceans, killing many underwater organisms and depositing harmful chemicals
  • Mountains being cut and vast lands being encroached upon to pave way for new buildings
  • Increased use of plastic, causing widespread environmental pollution
  • Haphazard creation of environmental–friendly laws can be detrimental to the environment
  • Microplastics have been found in human waste, with no studies yet proving that it is detrimental to the human body
• Positive environmental impacts of globalization


  • If a developing country imports goods from a more environmentally-efficient country, their overall emissions relative to GDP tend to be lower
  • Globalization allows the transfer of knowledge and information on safety and proper waste disposal from developed to developing countries
  • Specialization in sectors in which countries have comparative advantages can create an efficient allocation of resources that leads to the better utilization of scarce economic and natural resources
  • Globalization has been at the forefront of creating public awareness about labor and environmental standards through the platforms of international activities such as fair trade and eco labels
• On-going research in developing enzymes that can break down and eat plastics
• On-going research with algae in developing a new biodegradable type of plastic