Global and regional environmental Essay

People across the globe are being affected by global and regional environmental changes. The drastic environmental problems such ozone layer depletion and climate change are as a result of over consumption, unsustainable life styles and unhealthy patterns of development (Harris, 47). Environmental problems are likely to hit the marginalized and the poor first often with drastic consequences but latter they will also affect the privileged. Unless these environmental problems are curbed they are threatening to cause havoc to the life support systems and the ecosystems. This will therefore lead to an immense and unprecedented crisis for the whole humanity. To achieve sustainable development and the health of the environment it requires drastic changes in the current global order and formulation of the alternative ways of thinking. Within environmental movements there are huge wealth of experiences, ideas and visions of what an alternative environmental sustainable and people oriented societies can look like. Environmental destruction has always been part of the human history (Harris, 48). Throughout time the problems of the environment have been important factors affecting the health of people both at regional and global level. The pressure on the environment has increased enormously as a result of changing scales of the human society increases and development of the technology. This problem is fuelled by the runaway global economic systems which have created over consumption (unprecedented affluence) and enormous level of poverty. The environmental problems now threaten to cause irreversible harm to the ecosystems and increase inequalities on a global scale (Pickering & Owen, 117). Some of the environmental problems are immediate local problems whose their causes can be known and their solutions be identified. On the other hand other environmental problems are incredibly complex and they are often complex to handle. Such environmental problems involve much uncertainty and affect the whole globe and are the result of combined human behavior. These problems are maintained and embedded on the societal structures (Harris, 50). Some critics argue that environmental problems are as a result of the present day population growth especially in the third world countries and natural resources depletion in the highly industrialized countries (Harris, 50). Alarmist argue that the explosive population growth in less developed countries and overexploitation of the non renewable resources by the highly industrialized countries are combining to produce sets of condition which cannot be sustained in the long-run by our finite world. The population problems of third world countries constitute an impediment to social economic development and can pose a threat to depletion of natural resources. However relatively low crude population densities in many third world countries with exception of some few areas they do not produce population pressure on the natural resources (Harris, 52). Most of the third worlds countries have an even population distribution and few urban centers are becoming overcrowded. High rates of population growth in third world countries is as a result of high and constant fertility that have possibilities of reducing mortality due to the improved health facilities. Because of high proportion of children and high patterns of fertility heavy dependence burden is produced within the populations in most third world countries. The heavy dependence implies large expenditures of provision of employment and education for the growing population (Pickering & Owen, 134). Most bureaucrats, economists and political leaders in third world countries especially in Africa argue that third world countries in Africa have abundant resources which have not yet been tapped. They also argue that large area in Africa have not been inhabited and therefore the political question that population growth put pressure on the limited natural resources should not be taken seriously (Harris, 53). There is need for the political leaders, economist and bureaucrats to know the prospect of the third world countries in terms of the resources base that can absorb the population problems of the third world countries (Harris, 54). In comparison to other industrialized countries for example Europe nations the land under cultivation in third world African countries is three times higher per capita, the livestock per capita is two times higher, the grazing land per each unit of livestock is a bout seven times higher while the mineral resources out put of third worlds countries in Africa constitute one tenth of the mineral output of the whole world (Harris, 54). The primary energy resources of the third world countries are enormous which are comprised of natural gas and petroleum product coal and hydro power for example 32 percent of world hydro power which can be exploited, 12 percent of reserves of uranium and 60 percent of thorium reserves are found in Africa third world countries. Despite the abundant resources of the third world countries most countries in Africa are under developed (Harris, 57). It would be a weak argument to suggest that the high population growth in the third world countries is the root cause of their underdevelopment. However the high population growth of the third world countries is an important factor that impedes development. The rapid population growth constitutes pressure on the arable land. Several million hectares of land are being degraded in third world countries (Pickering & Owen, 204). The degradation of land can be linked to population pressure and poverty, values and attitude of people weak tenure systems and land management and drought which often results in over exploitation of the natural resources such as the trees used for fuel wood, overgrazing deforestation and unsustainable agricultural activities. Degradation has decreased land productivity, increased desertification and causes loss of arable land in most third world countries (Pickering & Owen, 206). As a result of degradation in the third world countries there is less food than can be produced in degraded lands and also the availability of biomass is greatly reduced. Land degradation also makes the ecosystems to be less resilient and increases chances of malnutrition and susceptibility of diseases in the local populations. Third world countries like china, Ethiopia, Brazil, Nepal, India and most African countries have caused much of environmental degradation. In recent time the respective government has began to introduce policies to minimize the extensive environmental degradation that their countries are facing (Pickering & Owen, 213). The environmental policies have been developed soon after formation of and applying pressure by several activist groups in the field of environment. Initially before the activist groups applied pressure the governments in the third world countries did not see any needs to develop environmental policies. Environmental degradation is only the problem of the third world countries and most often thirds world countries have make do with what they owns and usually they compete with large populations (Pickering & Owen, 208). Once a natural resource for example water is degraded it become of little use to the people. On the other hand western or industrialized countries have a higher standard of living than third world countries or less developed countries. In developed countries the communities have access to electricity, clean water, housing, employment, refrigeration, clothing, food, heating, hospital, schools, medicines, machinery, manufacturing, communication and road thus in the process they consume much of the resources (Pickering & Owen, 209). The communities of the third world poor countries do not have access to these things and they rely on what they can hunt, gather or grow. People in the third world countries acquire other things if they have surplus produce to sell and therefore are disadvantaged to gain access to power supply, telecommunication, railways and roads thus becomes difficult to access the few schools hospitals etc and therefore third world countries are not degrading the environment as much as the developed nations (Pickering & Owen, 210).