Pros and Cons of Globalization Essay Example
Globalization, although a major part of our everyday lives, increases consumerism throughout the world and puts an unnecessary amount of stress on the environment. First of all, Americans live in a consumerist culture, which has created many problems associated with waste. (CultureTrav). People with accessibility to a disposable income no longer limit their purchases to basic necessities, but have expanded their spending habits in a wasteful manner. Globalization has given people more access to buy products they do not need for a cheap price, therefore yielding poor working conditions and low wages for the workers making the products.
On a broader perspective, CultureTrav states, “40 percent of America’s food supply is tossed on a daily basis.” (CutureTrav). Globalization has increased the variety and reduced the cost of many products in grocery stores, especially produce. Global trade has resulted in an oversupply of product, which isn’t consumed before it goes bad, therefore yielding an abundance of waste. In addition, the wasteful habits globalization has instilled on the world have greatly affected the environment, the only home to the human race: “Increased consumption leads to an increase in the production of goods, which in turn puts stress on the environment.” (Editor).
Globalization has also caused a major amount of pollution. While the idea of shipping goods from continent to continent sounds like a simple and effective way for more goods to be available to more people, the amount of fuel used to transport products across the world makes global trade an extremely unattractive concept, no matter how efficient it may be. (Editor) In conclusion, while a cheap price tag might be appealing to some people, there needs to be a general understanding that the low price they see does not come without drawbacks. Stopping the amount of waste in the world and strengthening the environment should be viewed as more valuable than spending the least amount of money possible.
