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Effects Of Globalization In South Africa
Effects Of Globalization In South Africa
Globalization involves “shrinking” or reduction of the world as well as an increased consciousness in regards to the world as a whole. Globalization is a term which is used in the description of changes in societies and the economy of the world which results in a dramatic increase in investment, cross border trade s well as cultural exchange. Globalization is dominated by nation states, economies of national and the cultural identities of nations. Globalization creates an interconnected world with a global mass culture which is commonly referred to as a global village (Egnatz, 2011).
South Africa is integrated highly into the world economy. South Africa is the strongest African economy and has attained positions like being a member of g8 .All these are as a result of globalization. Globalization has had an impact on the economy, the government and social nature resulting to some effects. The paper will look at how globalization has affected South Africa under several categories. It will also give an explanation on the actions of successful global business leaders on improving conditions that have been worsened by globalization.
Equality
Whether inequality is measured in terms of disparities between social groups, per capita income or gross domestic product or even by poverty and wealth levels in terms of accessing food or health care South Africa can be termed as a grossly unequal country. Globalization has brought about inequality in many sectors within South Africa. First of all gender inequality is quite rampant as man and women are not treated same. The relative status of women and men and the patterns of gender relationships that exist in South Africa are to some degree influenced by processes which are now on a global scope. However there has been market liberalization which has generated an increase in demand for labor from women that has given women access to resources and income hence reducing on inequality among women in South Africa (Egnatz, 2011.
Globalization has led to the facilitation of disease control in South Africa through an increase in speed of communication and efficiency when it comes to the dissemination of knowledge. However there are income disparities among the citizens of South Africa. The income inequality has a significant impact on control of diseases even if a solution exists. This therefore creates an inequality in the health sector. Research indicates that the more unequal a society is the unhealthier it is. Through the generation of an increase in unemployment, poverty, globalization adds on health problems creating a demand on the health services which are already stretched. Therefore globalization has greatly led to an increase in inequality in South Africa. A major form of inequality in South Africa is poverty. About half of the population in South Africa (22million) is people who are living in poverty (Poverties.org, 2012).This inequality is as a result of unequal distribution of wealth due to globalization. This creates social stratification where there are people who are living in extreme poverty while others are very wealthy.Government
The government of South Africa has benefited from globalization in so many ways. Through globalization there is exchange of ideas from other governments and hence the government uses these ideas to come up withy better policies of governing the nation. Globalization has also enabled the government to build relations with key policy making bodies like national policy making bodies, international monetary fund and academic economists. This has led to a rise in the living standards among the people in South Africa. The dynamic structure of a global economy due to globalization has had an influence on macroeconomic policies in the South Africa government towards realizing great benefits of globalization for the country. The South Africa government has had to adjust to demands of the forces of globalization and cope with the country’s status as an emerging market. The government has implemented policies that have enhanced economic globalization at international and national levels through allowing liberalization in investment trade and financeLabor conditions
Globalization has greatly impacted the labor conditions in South Africa in both positive and negative ways. The positive effects occur as a result of the increase in the capacity in South Africa to create new opportunities for production and work. Globalization has led to opening up of new opportunities in South Africa and therefore the labor market in the country is open with new opportunities for people. There is a lot of employment created in South Africa but it all depends on the investments made, type of technology that has been adopted, and South Africa’s ability to master the technology that has been imported and adapt to its needs.
The negative effects of the labor conditions in South Africa as a result of globalization are large scale technological developments by many companies in the country. These technologies have led to the reduction of unskilled labor in the companies. Foreign investment in the country does not care much about the cheap labor but only cares about the highly skilled labor. This has resulted to an increase of unemployment rates which are between 25-30% (The Levin Institute, 2013).The nature of work traditionally known by South Africans might disappear as a result of the rapid technological advancements .this might at the same time create new and innovative occupations that are in favor of the skilled and specialized professionals in South Africa.
Culture and community
Through the advancement of technology, transport channels and communication there has been the enhancement of globalization. People are continuously being brought together as a result of these advancements. These networks have resulted to the transfer of cultural images and ideas from different parts of the world to South Africa. The contact between different cultures in the world creates the need for the establishment of a global culture which can rise above racial, ethnic, and religious conditions of people who are in contact. In South Africa there are different cultural groups as a result of globalization. The different cultural groups are on the basis of ethnicity, race religion and language (Kasongo, 2010).In South Africa 12.73% of the population comprises of white people while 76.3% is black people, 8.5% is colored population and 2.5% is Asian. The highest spoken language is Zulu while the common religion is Christianity. An interaction of these languages, religions and ethnicities brings about a clash in practices and cultural beliefs. For example there is a conflict between the traditional beliefs of African Bantu speakers and the U.S secular individualism culture (Sotshangane, 2010).
Environmental sustainability
As a result of globalization South Africa has developed into a country striving for environmental sustainability. Through globalization, economic and environmental experts come up with ideas on the perspectives to be taken on the issue of environmental sustainability. Environmental sustainability in South Africa has led to the identification of course of action for using natural resources which support life on the land without their availability being limited in future. South Africa is now inclined towards green business practices as the country is protecting its lands and the planet from degradation which is irreversible. Globalization has also influenced the approach that South Africa takes when trying to solve issues that are critical like global warming, production of food, production of energy. In South Africa policies on environmental sustainability have now become key.
On the other hand globalization has also had some negative implications on environmental sustainability in South Africa. This is through cross border pollution; impact global goods have on South Africa, loss of scenic beauty and extinction of some species. There are direct environmental impacts which are a result of using new technologies for production in agriculture and energy industries and release of substances into the environment. New technologies particularly in the field of biotechnology have a potential of bringing significant implications to the environment these changes have a significant effect on the environmental sustainability in South Africa.
Actions taken by organizations to improve conditions worsened by globalization
There is an enormous upsurge of many people protesting against multilateral institutions which are designed to implement capitalist globalization. There have been actions taken by global organizations in order to try and reduce the conditions which have been worsened by globalization (Engler, 2007). There are anti-globalization movements whose participants are in opposition of multi-national corporations being given political power usually unregulated, and is exercised through trade agreements as well as the deregulation of financial markets. In South Africa there have been wide ranges of anti-capitalist forces .these forces act together with Anti-privatization forums of Cape Town and Johannesburg. Liberalization and the opening up of South Africa market has not led to creation of more jobs instead it has resulted to too many people loosing their jobs. It has also led to the favoritism for the people with better education. Therefore, organizations such as International Monetary Fund give out social grants to the poor people. An example of such grant programs is social welfare grant which is just like a retirement pension which enables a person lift his household from poverty. This enables a person to access education, telecommunications, health and so on. This is often referred to as a universal basic income grant as it enables individuals to be able to pay for their basic needs (Poverties.org, 2012).
References
Egnatz, N. (2011).Globalization and South Africa. Retrieved May 10, 2013 fromhttp://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/3395Engler, M. (2007). Defining the Anti-Globalization Movement. Retrieved May 10, 2013 from http://www.democracyuprising.com/2007/04/anti-globalization-movement/Kasongo, A. (2010).Impact of Globalization on Traditional African Religion and cultural conflict. Retrieved May 10, 2013 from http://www.academia.edu/297040/Impact_of_Globalization_on_African_Religion_and_Cultural_ConflictPoverties.org. (2012). Poverty in South Africa Taming Globalization & Inequalities. Retrieved May 10, 2013 from http://www.poverties.org/poverty-in-south-africa.htmlSotshangane, N. (2010).What impact Globalization has on cultural diversity. Retrieved May 10, http://www.alternativesjournal.net/volume1/number4/sotsh.htmThe Levin Institute. (2013). What South Africa Thinks about Globalization. Retrieved May 10, 2013 from http://www.globalization101.org/what-south-africa-thinks-about-globalization-2/
Effects of global warming on human health
GLOBAL WARMING
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Global warming is a sustained rise in the temperature on the earth’s surface caused by an imbalance in the dissipation of heat absorbed from the sun. The ozone layer fails to allow excess sunlight to be reflected outside of the atmosphere and back into space due to the presence of contaminants in the atmosphere. These contaminants are referred to as greenhouse agents or simply greenhouse gases.
Effects of global warming on human health
The ambient temperatures of the earth’s atmosphere impact on human health in many ways. The average planet planetary temperatures have been observed to be on a steady increase for the last half century and the effects of intolerable heat within the globe have started being manifested through heat waves. A number of people have been killed by these heat waves in some parts of Asia and Australia.
Temperature influences climatic conditions in a big way. So much that extreme temperature changes caused by global warming is affecting the normal precipitation cycles and forming more intense weather phenomena (Baer & Singer, 2009). Scientists have observed a correlation between global warming and extreme weather phenomena that have harmful effects on human health. This is evidenced through reduced clean water after storms and tsunamis, pollution of fresh water via mixing with sewerage effluent during adverse weather conditions leading to gastrointestinal illnesses.
Global warming has been blamed for the presence of lower level ozone in the atmosphere. As a component of smog, especially in urban areas, this pollutant is directly associated with increased chest and upper respiratory tract infections. The effect of sunlight on fine particles of naturally occurring gaseous material in the environment such as sulfur dioxide turns them into more harmful components that seriously compromise human health especially in terms of the chest, eyes and upper respiratory tract.
In terms of the proliferation of disease causing vectors, global warming has a direct relationship with increased salmonella outbreaks during periods of high temperatures. In addition, when flooding has taken place, and fresh water becomes polluted, giardia and Cryptosporidium are observed to thrive causing increased tummy illnesses.
Effects of global warming on agriculture and food supply
The temperature effects of global warming have a direct effect on crop production leading to destruction of vast fields of agricultural produce due to temperature ranges that exceed the crop’s optimum survival range.
In addition, droughts and famine could affect the livestock farmer’s ability to produce enough animal products for human consumption. Certain areas in the US have reported thousands of animal losses through famine, heat waves and inadequate pastures to feed their animals.
Alternative source of human food and agriculture too are not spared. Fisheries in many parts of the world dry up during the dry seasons and famine caused or increased by global warming. Bee keeping, which is particularly sensitive to ambient temperature range and flowers during the rainy season, suffers due to global warming (Mendelsohn & Dinar, 2009).
Effects of global warming on forests
Global warming ironically seems to favor forest growth and spread. Carbon dioxide, an important component of the plant’s photosynthetic process is on the increase due to global warming and given the right amount of rain, nutrients and time, this greenhouse gas could increase the forest’s growth rate.
Global warming seems to affect the geography of tree cover due to rises in global temperature negating the range some species are used to grow. Casper (2010), reports the “loss of some pine species climatic confinement to the tropical region” (pg. 64). This is also getting affected by the amount of precipitation falling which has changed drastically over the course of the last half century. Snow melts earlier leading to more rain and even flooding affecting the forests’ natural patterns of regenerations.
Effects of global warming such as wild fires, insect outbreaks and storms area direct danger to forests as evidenced by the numerous instances these impacts of global warming have decimated large tracts of forest cover.
Effects of global warming on adaptation
Adaptation, which is the collective effort of a society in preparing for any unexpected climatic eventuality, has not escaped the wrath of global warming. More tolerable food and cash crops are currently bio-engineered. Additionally, immense structures are being constricted at major urban centers as well as more efforts to stow away food for the people.
Normal human adaptive processes have in light of global warming been interrupted by more resilient and inclusive activities. A good example would be the adoption of more resilient crop species as due to the increases observed in ambient temperatures, rainfall patterns and diseased or animal impact on their numbers.
The ecosystem is also more reactive to global warming effects currently than ever before. We can find sign of this in the hydrological cycle’s assumption of more energy-efficient channels of drainage to avoid the loss of kinetic energy that stagnates water causing its freezing. Some neighboring ecosystems migrate much later to take advantage of food, shelter, water, and weather condition as much as possible.
References
Baer, H. A., & Singer, M. (2009). Global warming and the political ecology of health: Emerging crises and systemic solutions. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.
Casper, J. K. (2010). Impact of forests. In Changing ecosystems: Effects of global warming (p. 64). New York: Facts on File.
Mendelsohn, R. O., & Dinar, A. (2009). Climate change and agriculture: An economic analysis of global impacts, adaptation and distributional effects. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.
Flint Water Crisis What Can Be Done
Gilianne Rangel
Professor Almanza
ENGL 1301.359
25 September 2019
Flint Water Crisis: What Can Be Done
The town of Flint in Michigan suffered one of the worst public health crises in the country. In the year 2014, the town administration decided to stop supplying the city with water from the Detroit system, choosing instead to get water from the Flint River. The river water turned out to be unsafe, leading to lead levels far above the acceptable levels as per public health regulations. The informative article titled, “We Still Haven’t Made Things Right in Flint” by Irwin Redlener published in the Washington Post gives insight into the deplorable condition of the water in Flint. It is unfortunate that the children of Flint have to suffer severe consequences from lead poisoning in the twenty-first century. Most of the families in the city are poor and vulnerable, and as such, they can hardly afford to take the necessary steps to mitigate the effects of lead poisoning. Redlener effectively employs his argument using the rhetorical appeals of logos and pathos by using statistical evidence and appeals to emotion.
Throughout this article, Redlener uses logos to apprise his audience that the issues with the water supply in Flint, Michigan, have not been secured. The author cites statistics to bring a clear picture to the readers of the article. The first example of this is, “The highest lead level recorded in Flint was 13,000 parts per billion (ppb) in 2015. This was more than 866 times the federal guideline of 15 ppb” (Redlener Par.3). This statement shows the high level of negligence and irresponsibility of Flint’s leadership, as well as the serious effects of the high levels of lead in the water. The second example of the use of logos is, “The state subsidies to help poor families pay for water- not granted until 2016 and unfortunately revoked in 2017” (Redlener Par.13). From this statement, it is clear that the city’s administration remains uncommitted to solving the water supply crisis. The subsidy hardly lasted for a year, despite the challenges that low-income families face in trying to get safe drinking water. The third instance of logos is found in the fourth paragraph of the article, “To date, 15 Michigan officials have been indicted over the scandal. But that won’t help the estimated up to 12,000 children exposed to excessive lead, most of them from Flint’s poorest families” (Redlener Par.4) The numbers quoted shows the gravity of the situation, more than 12000 children will suffer grave effects of lead exposure. The 15 officials indicted shows that the irresponsible decisions of a few people stand to affect so many people.
As well as the use of logos, Redlener uses pathos to express his emotions towards this occurring tragedy. Pathos uses emotional appeals to reinforce the author’s argument further. One example of pathos is, “Pipes from main lines to some 6,200 homes have been replaced. Sadly, that still leaves more than 12,000 homes where, after nearly four years of stalling and fighting for dollars, the pipes still need replacing” (Redlener Par.7). A significant number of homes still need pipes replaced, and the city has done very little towards solving the serious crisis. The article also emphasizes the high risk and severe health and developmental consequences to which the water supply exposes the children. “Still, the biggest worry is what this disaster means for the future of Flint’s most vulnerable children” (Redlener Par.11). Most families in Flint are poor and are unable to do much to get safe drinking water. They rely on the city water supply. To further emphasize the point, the author questions the commitment of charitable organizations. “How about some of the United States’ great charitable organizations committing to providing bottled water to any family that feels insecure with the safety of their public water system” (Redlener Par. 13). This question asks the charitable organizations to step up their efforts in support of some of the most vulnerable and helpless populations of Flint.
In conclusion, Redlener reports on the situation in Flint accurately using both logos and pathos. The use of logos uses facts and figures, lending credence to the article. The use of pathos helps the reader to sympathize with the people of Flint. The children of the city are most affected by the exposure to lead, threatening their future and the future of the country in general. The article highlights the blatant disregard for the residents of Flint, as well as the need for urgent action to mitigate the water crisis in the city.
Works Cited
Redlener, Irwin. “We Still Haven’t Made Things Right in Flint.” The Washington Post. 8 March 2018. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/we-still-havent-made-things-right-in-flint/2018/03/07/5c700692-2211-11e8-badd-7c9f29a55815_story.html