What is Globalisation:

Globalisation is a process where an increased

proportion of economic, social and cultural activity is
carried out across national borders. The process of globalisation has significant
economic, business and social implications.
Lets look at two more definitions of globalisation: First, from the OCED
The geographic dispersion of industrial and service activities, for example research and
development, sourcing of inputs, production and distribution, and the cross-border
networking of companies, for example through joint ventures and the sharing of assets
And here from the International Monetary Fund:
The process through which an increasingly free flow of ideas, people, goods, services
and capital leads to the integration of economies and societies
Globalisation is perhaps best thought of as a process that results in some significant
changes for markets and businesses to address: for example
An expansion of trade in goods and services between countries
An increase in transfers of financial capital across national boundaries including
foreign direct investment (FDI) by multi-national companies and the investments by
sovereign wealth funds
The internationalisation of products and services and the development of global
brands
Shifts in production and consumption e.g. the expansion of outsourcing and
offshoring of production and support services
Increased levels of labour migration
The entry of countries into the global trading system including China and the former
countries of the Soviet bloc
A key result of globalisation is the increasing inter-dependence of economies. For
example:
Most of the worlds countries are dependent on each other for their macroeconomic
health
Many of the newly industrialising countries are winning a growing share of world trade
and their economies are growing faster than in richer developed nations
All countries have been affected by the credit crunch and decline in world trade, but
many emerging market countries have slowed down rather than fall into a full-blown
recession.


The Environment and Globalization
Fears that globalization necessarily hurts the environment are not
well-founded. A survey reveals little statistical evidence, on average
across countries, that openness to international trade undermines
national attempts at environmental regulation through a race to the
bottom' effect. If anything, favorable gains from trade' effects
dominate on average, for measures of air pollution such as SO2
concentrations. Perceptions that WTO panel rulings have interfered
with the ability of individual countries to pursue environmental goals
are also poorly informed. Recent rulings have in fact confirmed that
countries can enact environmental measures, even if they affect trade
and even if they concern others' Processes and Production Methods
(PPMs), provided the measures do not discriminate among producer
countries. People care about both the environment and the economy.
As real incomes rise, their demand for environmental quality rises.
This translates into environmental progress under the right conditions
-- democracy, effective regulation, and externalities that are largely
confined within national borders and are therefore amenable to
national regulation. Increasingly, however, environmental problems
spill across borders. Global externalities include climate change and
ozone depletion. Economic growth alone will not address such
problems, in a system where each country acts individually, due to
the free rider problem. Multilateral institutions are needed, and
national sovereignty is the obstacle, not the other way around.



The effects of globalization on the environment

Globalisation has had a positive impact on the environment to some extent but there are still
some crucial negative impacts of globalization in play. The negative impacts are mainly export-
orientated destruction on the environment whilst the positive impacts are increase awareness
and multinational corporations research into eco-friendly technology.The main positive impact
that globalisation has on the environment are that there is improvements in the use of resources
and awareness and that due to globalisation research is being conducted that creates greener
technology. Globalisation has assisted in improving the use of resources and saving the
environment by promoting growth through development, improving education and incomes.
These questions have arisen mainly as a result of increased economic integration, but globalization has
also meant an important conceptual change in the way we think about the environment. Many of us
now see environmental problems as being of international concern, not just national interestsuch as
protection of the oceans and the atmosphere from pollution. The environment is now considered the
common heritage of mankind, and environmental problems are increasingly the subject of
international efforts because of their cross-border effects and the impossibility that just one or a few
nations can solve these problems on their own .
The main negative impact of globalisation on the environment is the impact of export-orientated
destruction. The overuse of natural resources due to increased demand and also the removal of
ecosystems due to population growth have had a large negative impact on the
environment. Deforestation whether it is for an increase in demand or for expansion is causing
a loss of biological diversity on the planet. Globalisation has also had a negative impact on the
environment through global warming which is due to greenhouse gas emissions which are
caused by a growth of industrialisation in the developing world and by a heavy reliance on fossil
fuels. Carbon release into the atmosphere which has caused global warming has resulted in
increases of sea levels as ice sheets and glaciers melt which has an extensive impact on
biodiversity and weather systems.
In the case of globalization the negative impacts on the environment far out weigh the positives.
Globalisation has a positive impact on the environment because it causes increased awareness
and encourages multinational corporations to take steps in protecting the environment. The
negative impacts of globalisation are mainly based around export-orientated destruction but also
on carbon and greenhouse gas emissions.

The green house effect:
While the greenhouse effect is an essential
environmental prerequisite for life on Earth, there really can be too much of a good thing.
The problems begin when human activities distort and accelerate the natural process by
creating
more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than are necessary to warm the planet to an ideal
temperature.
Burning natural gas, coal and oil -including gasoline for automobile engines-raises the
level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Some farming practices and land-use changes increase the levels of methane and nitrous
oxide.
Many factories produce long-lasting industrial gases that do not occur naturally, yet
contribute significantly to the enhanced greenhouse effect and global warming that is
currently under way.
Deforestation also contributes to global warming. Trees use carbon dioxide and give off
oxygen in its place, which helps to create the optimal balance of gases in the atmosphere. As
more forests are logged for timber or cut down to make way for farming, however, there are
fewer trees to perform this critical function.
Population growth is another factor in global warming, because as more people use fossil
fuels for heat, transportation and manufacturing the level of greenhouse gases continues to
increase. As more farming occurs to feed millions of new people, more greenhouse gases
enter the atmosphere.


Can globalisation reduce pollution in developing countries?
A recent study has analysed the impact on pollution-efficiency of
different forms of linksbetween developed and developing
countries. Developing countries receive environmental benefits by
importing goods from more pollution-efficient countries, but not by
exporting theirgoods, from inward foreign direct investment (FDI)
or from telecommunications linkages.
Globalisation can help spread the positive effects of
environmentally friendly technologies and practices from
developed to developing countries. This can reduce pollution in
developing countries through, for example, importing greener
technologies or developing better environmental regulations and
standards. However, there is debate about how far it is possible to
generalise the positive impacts of globalisation on helping
developing countries become more pollution-efficient, that is to
generate fewer emissions relative to gross domestic product
(GDP).In this study, the researchers explored four different forms
of transnational linkages: imports of machinery and manufactured
goods, exports of machinery and manufactured goods, inward
foreign direct investment (FDI) (all sectors) and
telecommunications (specifically telephone calls).The effects that
these linkages had on lowering domestic carbon dioxide (CO2)
and sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions in developing countries
were examined using statistical techniques. These techniques
allowed the researchers to capture the degree of linkage between
developing countries and all other countries, as well as the level
ofenvironmental-efficiency in the other countries to which
developing countries are connected.


The results suggest that imports of machinery and manufactured
goods from countries that are more pollution-efficient
have a significant and positive effect on domestic pollution-
efficiency for CO2 and SO2. Put differently, if a developing
country imports goods from a more environmentally-efficient
country, their overall emissions relative to GDP tend to be
lower. This may be because products from the developed world
tend to be more energy-efficient.

On the other hand, exports of machinery and manufactured goods
from developing countries to countries with higher
levels of CO2 or SO2-efficiency do not appear to improve
domestic CO2 or SO2-efficiency for the exporting country.
This may be because developing countries typically export low-
value goods.

Inward FDI is often thought to influence environmental
performance through transnational corporations investing in
developing countries using the latest environmentally-efficient
technologies. However, this study found that FDI from
countries with higher levels of pollution-efficiencies does not
reduce CO2 and SO2 pollution-efficiency in developing
countries. This contrasts with previous studies which have
suggested that inward FDI from more pollution-efficient
countries produces higher levels of CO2-efficiency in developing
countries. Different methods of study may partly
explain these differences in results. The study suggest that the
methods used and assumptions made by different
researchers when investigating globalisation can significantly
affect the interpretation of the impacts of globalisation on
global environmental change.

Environmental technology: (envirotech), green technology (greentech) or clean
technology (cleantech) is the application of one or more of environmental science, green
chemistry, environmental monitoring and electronic devices to monitor, model and
conserve the natural environment and resources, and to curb the negative impacts of
human involvement. The term is also used to describe sustainable energy generation
technologies such as photovoltaics, wind turbines, bioreactors, etc.Sustainable
development is the core of environmental technologies. The term environmental
technologies is also used to describe a class of electronic devices that can promote
sustainable management of resources.

Recycling
Renewable energy



Renewable energy is energy that can be replenished easily. For years we have
been using sources like wood, sun, water, etc. for means for producing energy.
Energy that can be produced by natural objects like wood, sun, wind, etc. is
considered to be renewable.
[2]

Water purification
Water purification: The whole idea/concept of having dirt/germ/pollution free
water flowing throughout the environment. Many other phenomena lead from this
concept of purification of water. Water pollution is the main enemy of this
concept, and various campaigns and activists have been organized around the
world to help purify water.
[3]

Air purification
Air purification: Basic and common green plants can be grown indoors to keep
air fresh because all plants remove CO
2
and convert it into oxygen. The best
examples are: Dypsis lutescens, Sansevieria trifasciata, and Epipremnum
aureum.

Sewage treatment
Sewage treatment is conceptually similar to water purification. Sewage
treatments are very important as they purify water per levels of its pollution. The
more polluted water is not used for anything, and the least polluted water is
supplied to places where water is used affluently. It may lead to various other
concepts of environmental protection, sustainability etc.
Environmental remediation
Environmental remediation is the removal of pollutants or contaminants for the
general protection of the environment. This is accomplished by various chemical,
biological, and bulk movements. (encyclopedia of medical concepts)

Solid waste management


Net Zero Court zero emissions office building prototype in St. Louis, Missouri
Solid waste management is the purification, consumption, reuse, disposal and
treatment of solid waste that is undertaken by the government or the ruling
bodies of a city/town.
eGain forecasting:
Egain forecasting is a method using forecasting technology to predict the
future weather's impact on a building By adjusting the heat based on the weather
forecast, the system eliminates redundant use of heat, thus reducing the energy
consumption and the emission of greenhouse gases.
Energy conservation
Energy conservation is the utilization of devices that require smaller amounts of
energy in order to reduce the consumption of electricity. Reducing the use of
electricity causes less fossil fuels to be burned to provide that electricity.