Multi-national Corporations: Are they at the heart of many Environmental problems facing the Global South?.
Introduction .
The worlds changing perception of the environment and the further development of globalisation throughout our planet is having a profound effect on our ability to maintain a balance between development and the environment. Globalisation is taking over and it is the opinion of many that multi-national corporations are gaining more power in areas of politics and economy while damaging the environment in the process.
However, it is unfair to say that only multinational corporations (hereafter referred to as MNCs) are the cause of environmental problems in the world. It is feasible that the phenomenon of Globalisation and the development of so many MNCs are only speeding up a process we as a society began so long ago. It is also arguable that the cooperation (or corruption many would argue) of many state governments, in a combined effort with MNCs in many countries is having an adverse effect on the environment. This is an issue that I will try to shed more light on in the course of this essay and really depict what should be done about our natural environment and its destruction by the globalisation of the world. .
Sustainable development is a hot topic today in politics, law and environmental agencies. It is defined by the Bruntland commission as follows.
"Sustainable development that meets the needs of the present.
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet.
their own needs."1.
(World Commission on Environment & Development 1987 p43).
The definition although vague, does reflect the fact that we should be looking after our planet for our future generations. The Rio convention added to this that we could only reach sustainable development through the "integration"2 of the environment with development.
Introduction Globalization is a term often used in today's modern context. Yet not many people are sentient of the implications that come with globalization. Many people are still unquestioning about the sugar-coated truths of globalization, swallowing facts with blind faith. What my essay seeks to...
Additionally, most multinationals generate profits at the expense of environmental conservation. As developing countries intensely compete to attract overseas investments, the countries dangerously lower their environmental standards. ... Rivers in cities that house MNCs is a clear evidence of this insensitive dumping. Apparently, the multinationals are outsourcing to developed countries merely to evade the strict environmental regulations in their home countries. ... Despite increased environmental awareness and the massive resources that developing countries have invested in environmental co...
Thus, they wanted to establish if labor standards of MNCs countries of origin resulted in higher wages in host countries. ... They also assessed how MNCs would affect the governance of labor related standards and practices of MNCs could be transferred from countries of origin to host and the extent in which labor related practices of MNCs could be traced to the characterstics of the national business system from which they originated. ... Mechanisms in which MNCs diffuse Labor standards MNCs facilitate transfer of labor practices from countries of origin to host for efficiency reasons, prefer ...
Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.1 In spite of significant improvements of environmental protection by environmental justice activists, over the years many people worldwide still live in unsafe and unhealthy environments. ... In order to understand environmental justice issues, one has to consider the environmental justice movement from the larger dynamics of society that produ...
When an MNC enters a less developed country the Government in that country has set regulatory environment for businesses forming an ambiguous business-government relationship, may further propel the corruption. One such popular example is Daewoo, according to Luo(1997) whereby the founder and Chairman, Kim Woo-Chong, became a fugitive for alleged bribery shortly after the company's failure.(5) The problem is that once such MNCs enter the country they find corruption money as a cost to the company they only worsen the problem. ... According to Joseph LaPalombara (Report No.767) "The ...
For MNCs which want to open business in Philippine, a huge amount of labor force is waiting to be hired. 3. ... About the legal system, there are many aspects, and for the MNCs, the investments law, the intellectual property law and the environmental law are the three main laws that MNCs must care about. ... MNCs will be required to surrender their certificates of registration, and they may be required to refund all capital equipment incentives availed of. ... The third law is the Environmental Law. In this law, it identifies three types of environmentally critical projects; the environmentall...
This model will be based on three core threads mentioned in literature surrounding environmental education with a bid to use complimentary learning processes. ... Recently speculations about dropping climate change from the National Curriculum have put Environmental Education back in the spotlight. ... This question arises as there are numerous definitions associated with the term 'environmental education.' ... Environmental education also entails practice in decision making and self-formulation of a code of behaviour about issues concerning environmental quality.' ... There ...
Environmental racism is the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on people of color (3). Environmental racism, sadly, still goes on today. ... The movement's response environmental racism is "environmental justice.... While the governments answer to Environmental Justice is Environmental Equity: poison all people equally (3). ... Throughout the years, the Environmental Movement gave birth to other movements, such as the Sustainability Movement and Environmental Justice. ...