UNIT 1 ENVIRONMENTAL DIMENSIONS OF GLOBALISATION
Environmental Dimensions of Globalisation
Structure 1.1
Introduction Objectives
1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6
Globalisation and Change in its Scenario Globalisation and Environment Global Environmental Interventions Summary Terminal Questions
1.1
INTRODUCTION
Of the several overwhelming issues that have come to the fore during the last two decades of the Twentieth Century, the two issues that stand out are globalisation and global change. Globalisation seems to be one of the most widely used words these days. It has several connotations. Globalisation in general terms is a much wider phenomenon encompassing all aspects of global spread ranging from culinary skills, cultural practices, languages, political ideas, and ideologies, to migration of people, flow of technology, trade, labour and investments as well. Globalisation literally means affecting the whole world and has been in vogue for centuries. But, we are concerned with its specific form and usage in the current phase. We are more concerned with ‘economic globalisation’ that has been underway since 1980s. It has been a process of globalisation of production and rapid liberalisation of trade and investment flows. The present phase of economic globalisation has certain dimensions fraught with environmental implications which we shall discuss in this unit. ‘Global Change’ refers to certain environmental changes that are global in nature. For instance, climate change can no longer be seen as a national or a regional problem; it is a global phenomenon. The underlying causes of climate change, like greenhouse gas emissions, are as much related to national energy policies as to the process of economic globalisation. But the solutions ought to be found through global institutional interventions. These aspects shall be dealt with in the last part of this unit. Objectives After studying this unit, you should be able to: • • •
1.2
explain the nature and process of present economic globalisation as well as global environmental change; discuss the impact of the present phase of globalisation on the environment; and articulate the need for appropriate global environmental interventions.
GLOBALISATION AND CHANGE IN ITS SCENARIO
Economic globalisation is associated with worldwide expansion of capital as an integral part of the capitalist development. There are evidently epochs of more rapid global expansion and extension of capital. These epochs are termed as ‘globalisation’. For instance, we can identify two such epochs: (i) past globalisation of 1860 – 1914, the widely acknowledged imperialist-colonialist phase, and (ii) the present globalisation since 1980. We deal here with the latter part of the epoch. 7