Global Problems not being Solved by Globalization
by Chris H. Lewis, Ph.D.
- The Global Environmental Crisis is accelerating and global
ecosystems are in decline.
- Economic Inequality is increasing within countries and
between countries.
- Increasing volatility of global markets could cause a "Great
Depression" style economic collapse. (See the 97-98 Asian
Meltdown, the 2001-2002 Market Crash, and the 2008 global
financial meltdown
).
- Increasing levels of local and national violence, especially in the
Third World. This leads to terrorism, failed states, genocide, and
criminal violence and mad gunmen.
- Globalization is weakening democracy at the local, national, and
global levels of governance.
- Increasing national debt in both First and Third Worlds that could
also lead to a "Great Depression" style economic collapse caused
by nations defaulting on their debt.
- Increasing national governments borrowing from their children's
economic and environmental future in order to support their
unsupportably high standards of living and material consumption.
- Transnational Corporations are growing in economic and political power.
These global corporations have grown more powerful than many nations.
- Increasing growth of global organized crime syndicates and drug
smuggling and money laundering.
- Increasing size of global arms sales and increasing death and
destruction caused by the wars that result.
- Increasing chemical and genetic pollution (GMOs) of our local,
national, and global environments.
- The "Race to the Bottom" between countries is only worsening
global labor, work safety, environmental, and public health standards.
- Creation of global oligopolies in farming, electronics, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, soft drinks, fast-foods, and marketing ( see Wal-Mart).
- Increasing ability of Global Corporations and the Wealthy to hide their
money in offshore accounts in order to avoid local and national taxes.
- Increasing ability of science and technology to create global health and
environmental problems.
- Increasing global spread of drug-resistant viruses and diseases.
- Increasing growth of child poverty and child sex trade.
- Increasing spread of the AIDs pandemic from Africa and Asia to
Latin America and to the rest of the World.
- Increasing rate of global species extinction and loss of global biodiversity.
- Increasing levels of Global Warming gases and increasing global temperatures.
- Increasing inequality in the standard of living and health between the
First and Third Worlds.
- Increasing standardization of global culture and ways of life.
- Increasing loss of democratic control over Transnational Corporations
and the Wealthy.
- Increasing levels of global population and global material consumption.
- Increasing loss of faith in social, economic, and political institutions to
solve the problems created by Globalization and the growth of a
global market economy.
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