THE GLOBALIZATION: THREATS AND RESPONSES – PART-2”

“WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (WTO)” >>

Globalization of Media MCM404

Lesson 27

THE GLOBALIZATION: THREATS AND RESPONSES PART-2"

Regulating Earth -- nature as life support:

While the value of most of these products can be fairly easily calculated, any other services of nature do not

appear on conventional balance sheets, but they are equally essential for the survival of modern economies.

Their true worth is often appreciated only when they are lost.

Returning to that apparently worthless swamp, for example, wetlands perform a wide range of functions of

great value to people -- from acting as a natural pollution filter and preventing floods by storing water during

heavy rains to supporting wildlife and recreation.

Forests help regulate air quality, the flow of water, and the climate itself. Although their relationship with the

atmosphere is more complex than the common description as "lungs of the earth," forests store large

quantities of carbon that would add to the greenhouse effect if released into the air.

Natural systems provide protection from a range of catastrophic events that can devastate human

communities -- vegetation helps prevent soil erosion and reduce the likelihood of landslides, while coral

reefs and mangrove forests act as barriers against coastal storms and even tidal waves.

Interference with living systems can also promote the sudden emergence of human diseases and crop pests,

causing great suffering and economic damage. In attempting to assess the importance of nature to our lives,

we should not lose sight of the value placed on the variety of life on Earth for its own sake: this is even more

difficult to put a price on, but nonetheless of deep concern to people of all cultures.

Whether it is the uplifting sound of birdsong in a city part, the reverence for local species in many indigenous

belief systems, or the wonder of a child watching wildlife in a zoo or even on television, appreciation of the

natural world is an important part of what makes us human. Even if our material needs could be met with a

much narrower range of species and landscapes, many people would regard this loss as a significant threat to

their overall well-being.

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