The Impacts Of Globalization In The Environment

Humanity is heading to the progress of globalization. Thanks to globalization, it is possible to find products from all over the world on the shelves. However, consumerism is affecting the environment. There are situations in which the products were discarded inappropriately and they have been damaging the environment. It is not only affecting by polluting, but it is endangering the biodiversity of the planet. It is biodiversity, which is "the number and types of plants and animals that exist in a particular area or in the world generally, or the problem of protecting this" (Cambridge Dictionary n.

d.). It has been difficult to keep the biodiversity balanced, with the environment under risk, some animals and plants are becoming extinct. Even though consumers have been gained in the quality of the products or services, they are losing in the quality of life by the fact that industries assault the environment. This essay will describe globalization as harmful to the environment. First, show how globalization has been influencing consumerism, and then clarify about deforestation and climate change and finally display about air pollution.

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Nowadays, globalization motivates consumerism and people have connected consumerism to happiness and satisfaction. For this reason, people constantly go shopping, and usually, they feel happy buying what they want and also for being a good quality product. For example, mobile phone industries, create mobile phones constantly. As a result, it is very common for people to buy the newest mobile phones every year. However, there is a little concern from people and the governments on how to discard, or recycle mobile phone waste appropriately.

The disposal of mobile phone batteries can be harmful to the environment and consequently in people's lives. Mobile phone batteries are extremely toxic. According to Metson (n.d.). about 15% of mobile phones and mobile phone batteries are recycled in the UK. This is a small amount because it is estimated that the United Kingdom discards 48 million tons of electronic waste every year. All this quantity of electronic waste is going to affect the environment and people’s health.

On one hand, globalization has been helping people with the progress of technology. Thanks to air conditioning and heater, people can deal with the world's climate. However, globalization has been contributing to deforestation and, as a result, there is climate change. As the years pass by, more trees are been cutting down. Simultaneously, people are unaware of how dangerous this may be and how unpredictable can be in the future. It is important to make people conscious of what is happening in the world. There is a necessity to plant more trees to balance the world's climate. An example of the climate change that is perfectly remarkable is the deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. Nunez (2019) writes that "about 17 percent of the Amazonian rainforest has been destroyed over the past 50 years, and losses recently have been on the rise" (para. 2). This is worrying because Amazon is known on the whole planet for being as the lung of the world, this percentage is worrying because of the short period of time. In Amazon, it has been deforested because of cattle ranch and farms, especially for soy plantations. The more is tree cut, the more climate change is going to be worse, not only in Brazil but in the whole world.

Globalization is also responsible for providing better salaries and also helped people to chase for greater professional opportunities. Due to this, they are purchasing more expensive products, and therefore, those products can affect people and the environment's health. A clear example of those expensive products are more cars on the streets, and thus, contributing to air pollution. As a consequence, air pollution may cause respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis. To illustrate this, the Union Concerned Scientists (2014) explains that "the health risks of air pollution are extremely serious. Poor air quality increases respiratory ailments like asthma and bronchitis, heightens the risk of life-threatening conditions like cancer, and burdens our health care system with substantial medical costs. Particulate matter is singlehandedly responsible for up to 30,000 premature deaths each year” (para.1). This number is very high. Besides, it is not only causing deaths but also keeping people with respiratory problems for the rest of their lives. In addition, asthma has no cure so far. Other expensive products that people are buying nowadays are new houses, which are also responsible for harming the environment. Building or renovations generate a significant amount of carbon emissions, which also results in climate change and consequently more damage to the environment.

In conclusion, it is noticeable that globalization can offer benefits such as good quality products to human beings nowadays. Globalization also brings disadvantages; people are getting sick as the environment as well. The purpose of this essay was to show that modern life is easier thanks to globalization. However, there are consequences in the environment and people's quality of life. It is perceptible that globalization has been bringing easier lives to societies; contributing to the progress of machines and helping them to have easier lives. This can be noticed by the practicality of mobile phones, for the convenience of air conditioning and heaters, car mobility, and the comfort that better houses can bring. It is to be hoped that societies, industries, and the governments will treat the environment respectfully and recycle effectively their waste and discard them properly. Thus, the environment will improve if everyone collaborates. Globalization can continue progressing, but it needs to respect and develop eco-friendly products.

References

Eco-Friendly Link. Batteries and their effects on the environment. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ecofriendlylink.com/blog/batteries-and-the-environment/How do buildings affect the environment? (2017, August 22). Retrieved from
https://multicomfort.saint-gobain.co.uk/how-do-buildings-affect-the-environment/ Hugging Post UK. More Than 48 Million Tonnes Of Gadgets Thrown Away Every
Year. (2013, December 17). Retrieved from
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/12/17/electronic-waste-total_n_44578 84.htmlNunez, C. (2019, February 7). Deforestation explained. Retrieved from
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation/#close Union Concerned Scientists. Vehicles, Air, Pollution and Human Health. (2014, July
18). Retrieved from
https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/vehicles-air-pollution-human-health