environmental problmes by MNC

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 wo

The traditional means of survival for the local area, fishing and farming, have been destroyed and lost forever because of the exploration and extraction of oil, polluting marine crops, soil and water sources. The positive side of the introduction of MNCs such as Chevron and Mobil is that they have given Nigeria great foreign exchange earnings, but at the cost of the environment, health and well being of local residents.12 The question is how far governments will go to develop their country at the cost of its environment and people.

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.3 Governments in many developing countries such as Nigeria and Peru are keen to attract new industry into their country to achieve sustainability through a better economy. This in theory would increase the number of jobs available to locals, bringing in more people from out with the area, introducing new technologies to the area; the flow of capital would begin to increase and start to give local people a better quality of life. But in reality, what may seem like an immediate solution for a developing country to enter into the economic market, in the long term, can cause many environmental and socio economic problems. A perfect example of this kind of problem caused by MNCs is the development of the oil industry in the Niger Delta.

Environmental problems throughout the world are caused by a number of elements; MNCs along poor waste management policies and environmental protection from local government is a main contributor to many problems. Simple processes such as recycling should be implemented into MNCs policies as well as local government policy. 20 Not only would this reduce the effects of pollution it would also give MNCs a better reputation for upholding good environmental practise. Since MNCs are at the forefront of business and technology, they should set a high level of standard for environmental protection that smaller businesses and companies could work toward. The key is better waste management and also better information to the public of how they can contribute to saving what natural environment we still have. Socio-nature maybe the main policy towards a sustainable future; however, MNCs need to realise that nature will fight back and almost always wins over societies and development

Nigeria is the largest crude oil petroleum producer in Africa and is one of the largest producers in the world.4 This would suggest it to be a well established and rich country on the road to development, however organizations such a Greenpeace, say that big name corporations such as Shell, Mobil, and Chevron to name but a few, have left Nigeria as one of the poorest countries in Africa through their inadequate and immoral modes of practice.

Another example of environmental problems caused as an indirect result of MNCs investing and occupying an area is the boom of the Irish economy with the introduction and investment of MNCs in pharmaceuticals and IT. The Irish economy has been described as the “fastest growing economy in the world” in the early 1990s. The investment into Ireland was for a number of reasons one being the low tax rate and another being the excellent access to a European market. With this sudden increase in economy came again an increase in population leading to a huge amount of do

Some topics in this essay:
Climate Change, Earth Socio-nature, South Introduction, Waste Management, World Bank, Niger Delta, Nigeria Peru, United Nations, Mobil Chevron, Environment Development, niger delta, landfill sites, waste management, greenhouse gases, natural environment, environmental protection, local government, environmental damage, global warming, damage mncs, exploration extraction oil, causing global warming, damage mncs causing,