Globalization & Environment 2

1. Globalization & Environment 2

2. Environmental regimes: most important MEAs • Int. Whaling Convention 1946 • Convention on Int. Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, 1973 • Montreal Protocol on the Ozone Layer, 1987 • Basel Convention on hazardous waste, 1989 • UN-Framework Convention on Climate Change, Rio 1992 • Convention on Biological diversity, Rio 1992 • Convention on Desertification, 1995 • Kyoto Protocolo 1997 • Rotterdam Convention on PIC, 1998 • Stockholm Convention on POPs, 2000

3. Assessment according to ”Guide to World Resources” by UNDP, UNEP, WB & WWI • Little effectfull • Single issue approach • Not framed with relation to Eco-systems • Lack of specific targets, timetables and enforcement provisions • Financing a perennial problem

4. Sach’s interpretation of the Rio-conventions: Climate convention: ”Who should have the right to continued accumulation at the expense of the carrying capacity of the Earth ?” Biodiversity convention: ”Which actors, national or international, should have the right to exploit the biological and genetic resources of the South ?”

5. Human society and nature solar energy Heat-loss Eco-system The illusion of unlimited sources and sinks The limited ressource-base and resilience of the planet Economic system, built-in accumulation waste resources Tecno-system (technology, science & infrastructure) Production & consumption in society - needs, interests & actors Values & institutions politics ! ! influence

6. Flows of matter In the natural ecosystems matter is continouosly circulating, powered by solar energy, e.g. carbon & phosphorus-circuits. In the industrialized world the flows are straight • At one end resources (”raw-materials”) are mobilised at increasing speed and volume, leaving mountains of waste and destroyed eco-systems • After treatment, transport, manufacture and consumption, implying pollution • Matter is piled up at the other end – what is known as waste

7. The global eco-system (Meadows) Solar Energy High-quality energy Sources of The planet Raw- Materials & fossil fuels Economic Subsystem (population & Capital) Low-quality energy Waste & pollution Sinks of The planet Heatloss J. O’Connors: ”The second contradiction of capitalism

8. Sustainable development An ”unholy alliance” between developers and environmentalists - an ”Oxymoron” "We have in the past been concerned about the impacts of economic growth upon the environment. We are now forced to concern ourselves with the impacts of ecological stress upon our economic prospects." (Brundtland Report, 1987) N. Carter: “A bridging concept” “A ‘Meta-fix’ to unite all - “but chameleon characteristics”

9. The logic of ”Developers” • Environmental problems are real and barriers to growth • Humans are enemies of nature and poverty leads to environmental degradation • So more development to eliminate poverty “Development”, i.e. economic growth, as the disease as well as the cure! Passwords: • Rational planning • Environmental management • Pollution control • Genetic engineering • Executive and engineering skills to manage eco-systems and increase the productivity of nature

10. Prerequisites & characteristics of economic globalisation • Technological development in: - Production technology - Transport technology - Telecommunication technology • Deregulation • Transnationalisation of production (GDLP) • (The fall of the Sovjet empire speeding up the process)

11. The history of the Intergovernmental Organisations and Institutions ENVIRONMENT &TRADEFINANCE/ DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC SYSTEM 1945- 1970 1971 1972 1973 1980s 1986 1992 1995 1999 2001 2002 2003 UN Earth Day Stockholm-conference Bruntland-report Rio Earth Summit UN’s ”millenium goals” Johannesburg summit UNCTAD GATT Oil crisis Deregulation of trade Marrakech, WTO Seattle-meeting of WTO Doha-meeting, WTO Cancun-meeting, WTO OECD, World Bank, IMF End of Bretton Woods System 3rd World loans ”Washington Consensus” SAPs Liberalisation of finance-flows Steep increase in FDI Financial crisis in East Asia Monterrey-meeting

12. The ”Rio-bargain” very short: • Southern elites taking environment as hostage for economic concessions from the North: trade, aid and technology transfer • The North not giving in on any changes in production and consumption patterns, ( ”American lifestyle not for discussion”) but with promises on economic assistance driving the South to the deal

13. Resources for affluent consumption and production in the North Profits & Cheap products Barriers to human beings Efficient internat. economic institutions Protection of Intellectual property rights Unequal exchange Good allies in the local elites Capital flows: finance capital, loans Foreign Direct Investments Global sourcing & marketing Localisation of polluting & ressource -intensive production in the South The global factory Cheap labour, energy and natural resources Lax or no requirements to production and extraction Markets for agricultual products ”All the world in your hands”(Mastercard)The expansionist narrative Tax- and tariff-free export zones The neoliberal project!

14. East Asia crisis

15. THE DOGMA THAT DEVELOPMENT EQUALS ECONOMIC GROWTH MEANS THAT IN THE 3RD WORLD: An outdated model of development is globalised - Commodities produced by unpaid resources - Prices not reflecting environmental costs - Extension of the market thus implies environmental degradation independent of increases in productivity The pressure to open markets has forced/allowed 2. and 3. World countries to intensify exploitation of natural resources- Liberalisation paved the way for exploiters - Infrastructure for the pirats (Plan Puebla Panamá) - Debt has forced to the sell out of "family silver“: "Race to the bottom" or “stuck at the bottom” to attract foreign capital - Removal of requirements to environment, health, social standards - Exemption from tax, tolls and tariffs - Provision of land, buildings, infrastructure, security, training, etc.

16. FDI IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES CONCENTRATE IN: 1. Primary resources, including location of resource-intensive industry- Overall resource-flow from poor to rich countries (except from grain-products)- Most poor countries dependent on primary resources in their exports- Little added value in the poor, resource-rich countries – the “curse of resources” (J. Sachs)2. Export-zone industry, “Sweat-shops” (labour-magazines)- No added value to host country - No spin-off effects or transfer of technology - No upgrading of workforce - No/few rules to protect exploitation of (wo)man power - No unions 3. Transport, Infrastructure and Service - To serve“the global factory” (energy, transport, roads, air travel, finance insurance, shipping, telecommunication, accommodation, office-facilities etc.) - To profit from privatised public services, Expanding into Public Common Goods (pension, telecomm., energy, water and sanitation, education, health)i.e. new monopolies formed without state supervision or public participation

17. Increased polarisation, ”Fort Europe” Global climate changes Oil-depletion Migrants/refugees/nihilism? Unemployment Social desintegration Loss of cultural base Loss of means of subsistence Conflicts on scarce water/land Famine and environemtally based diseases Abolishment of traditional livelihood-forms Price out of small farming Loss of access to natural resources Chemical agriculture Local climate changes Pollution of water, soil, food Loss of biodiversity Environmental & social vulnerability Droughts, desertification, erosion, floods, landslides, collapse of eco-systems The finiteness of the planet’s sources and sinksThe ecological - and social facts Sustainable development?

18. The global middle class ”The globalised rich” (Z. Baumann) 80 % affluent Share of ressource use: 80 % North 20 % of w. population 20 % marginalised South 20 % rich 20 % 80 % of World pop.: 80 % poor ”The localised poor” World Watch 2003-report: ”Global consumer class of 1.7 billion, while 2.8 billion live in absolute poverty”

19. ”The ecological distribution conflict”(Martinez-Alier) Parallels between what happened in the developed countries 100-200 years ago during industrialisation and in the 3. World after 1950 - The enclosure of the commons - Forced rural migration to feed mines and new industries with labour - Small farmers fighting against cattle ranching & big farming - Transformation of land, agricultural products & workers into commodities - Workers forming unions and political parties to protect health and reproduction - Organisation of societies of paid workers and consumers everywhere In the history of the West the inherent social and ecological conflicts were overcome through class-reconcillience, Bismarck’s ”Social-State”, economic growth (a bigger cake) and abundant resources from the South. In the South the distribution conflicts are unsolved

20. Zizek: • ”The explosive growth of the slum in the megacities of the 3rd world from Latinamerica to Africa, India, China, the Philippines and Indonesia is perhaps the most important geopolitical fact of our time.”

21. Meadows 3 (2004): • Global grain-production peaked in the 80’s • Catch from ocean-fishing is decreasing • Costs connected with natural disasters are increasing • More frequent and violent conflicts on the distribution of scarce resources, especially fresh water and fossil fuels ”If growth continues resource exhaustion is unavoidable. First industrial production will decrease, then the volume of food and next lifetime and population. A collapse beginning within a decade.”

22. Johannesburg: Privatization of Sustainable development