if people in Third World countries know that they are considered the "Third World?" Do
they use that term in reference to themselves? Do they have any perception of the
comparison, judgment and bias that goes into that statement? I'd like to think that they
don't. In the film about the Ladack people that we watched in class, it was mentioned
that they didn't have a word for poverty. No such word even existed in their language.
But that was before. It was before the invasion of other cultures, and it was before they
had anything to compare themselves to. And in comparison, they saw that, materially, they
had less. And in that knowledge, they believed that they, as a people, were less.
In this essay, I will examine third world communities and the relationship between
technological development and environmental degradation. I will look first at the way in
which development occurred in the South, and the reason it happened the way that it did.
From there, I will show how these methods of development proceeded to eventually cause
widespread environmental damage and it's effect on the local people. .
DEVELOPMENT: "WESTERN" STYLE
When I refer to "the environment", I mean not only the habitat that humans, plants and
animals inhabit, but also the physical, emotional and psychological attitudes that are
encompassed by these in their daily existence. Development, by my definition, will
consequently refer to the technological advancement of a community as well as the
improved status of humans and other species. This is my definition, and one that others
employ frequently now. However, the model I will be examining first is the development
theory based on the economic - political system. "A
typical western (read: economic) definition of development would be ' an ambiguous term
for a multidimensional process involving material, social and organizational change,
accelerated economic growth, [and] the reduction of absolute poverty and inequality.'"
(1) The key emphasis in this statement is the phrase "economic growth." In Europe and
North America, development politics has revolved around the economic aspect of producing
surplus, and gaining capital. Because of our relatively rich land resource base, our
method of technological development has been quite successful. Statistics show us as high
wage earners, wealthy in public services such as health care and education, low infant
mortality rate, long lifespan, and high GNP per person. Because of the comfort that our
economic development has brought us, we have omitted the aspect of development in regard
to human psychological well-being and the preservation of our natural surroundings that
should be concurrent with technological development. With ours as the only current model
of successful development, newly industrializing countries such as South and Central
America, and Africa (and up until quite recently many Asian countries) attempted to
achieve results in the same way. The problem that ensued for these countries was that
instead of working slowly towards their goals, they sold themselves to get ahead
economically. Instead of recognizing the problems that this method was causing and
stopping them, governments and the wealthy private sector, took control of the industry
and continued to exploit it. With the rich in control, the poorer classes had little
choice but to follow, and the downward spiral of poverty and instability began.
HOW IT HAPPENED
As the Third World nations struggled to become "developed," the rich countries became
involved in their affairs. Interest in the countries arose primarily because of the trade
resources that these lands provided. The potential for profit became evident because the
new countries were struggling with their economy. They were experiencing internal unrest
between their members and they needed money and resources to get started. Before they had
a stable internal economy, they were bounding into the international market and selling
their resources for a quick profit. Cash-cropping became a way to enter the international
arena of market and trade, but the damage to the land took only a few short years to be
discovered, and by that time luxuries had become "necessities." People wanted the cash
flow to continue and instead of finding ways to use their land sustainable, they
continued poor resource management regardless of the consequences. Deforestation became
another common practice because of the demand for wood overseas. Export, although a
seemingly beneficial development strategy, became detrimental to third world countries
because it catered to the demand for certain items. Coffee beans are a large export item
in South and Central America. With the rising demand for coffee in North America, land
that was previously used for agriculture was taken over and used for growing coffee
beans. The consequences of this were twofold; local people were suffering from lack of
land to use for food production, and the potential land was useless because of the
cash-crops.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESULTS OF TECHNOLOGY :TODAY
A more current example of the technological development that is resulting in
environmental degradation is the misuse of resources. In Africa, industrial water
pollution has become a widespread problem. Third World communities don't often have the
awareness that the
South has about sustainable techniques and the importance of employing them. Most people
in North America live in cities and have their water purified to a certain health
standard and brought to them. People in the Third World use the river for washing,
drinking and bathing. Unclean water leads not only to damage of the ecosystems but also
to the health of those who use it. Another problem is that countries from the South have
based their industry in developing countries because they have lower environmental
standards. With the benefits of jobs and money that these companies bring, the host
country will rarely challenge the damaging techniques that they use. "Pollution forms
another major set of environmental problems in the region. It used to be said that
pollution is a problem of the rich countries, and that for the developing countries,
development must come first and we can worry about the environment later. Pollution and
the deteriorating quality of life caused by environmental degradation in our region has
shown how fallacious this argument is." (2) We no longer have a choice but to address the
problems that man is creating in nature and the environment. The excuse of development
will no longer hold.
"(we, the) people.. in Latin America are using our best resources for the benefit of the
rich countries - exporting to them our energy, our fish, our raw materials and using our
labor resources to extract and export these materials and all at low prices and poor
terms of trade." (3) While our technology is helping the third world countries in areas
such as health and education, our own desire for goods and profit prevent us from
allowing them their full potential. We create an economy where we will do whatever it
takes to get what we want. As an example, we of the developed nations tell the third
world that they should stop environmental damage, while it is our companies that are
taking advantage of their low standards. We tell them to stop cash-cropping,
but we buy their coffee beans at any price. With these hypocritical standards, we will
never influence them to turn their economy around. As we our economically motivated in
our own interest, they too need economic motivation to change their destructive habits.
Especially since with us, their products are primarily "extras," while for them, their
trade of the product is negatively influencing their economy and affecting their people.
In Asia and the Pacific, urbanization, modernization, and technology are creating
different environmental problems. It is the problem of human need. Thousands of people
have been displaced from farms because the government or the private sector expropriates
them for industrial use. Rich foodlands are being destroyed and turned into highways,
airports or dams.With no where to go and no jobs, the people are migrating to the city in
search of homes and employment. Slums and squatter dwellings result with problems of
rising crime and unhygenic living conditions. This puts terrible strain on both the human
and physical environment, creating a situation with little hope for a successful future.
SOLUTIONS
To combat these crisis, we must adopt some new behaviors. Our current model of
development is showing some obvious flaws and it is evident that it is the impact of
technology that has resulted in. environmental damage. But technology is not the only
factor at fault. It is the influence of technology combined with human greed that has
presented these complex human and environmental problems. Laws monitoring pollution of
the environment must be enforced, and followed equally in all countries. With the
knowledge that we now possess of the global chaos that is at hand, we have no excuse but
to do so.
The hypocrisy that exists between the systems must also be stopped. Considering not only
ourselves, but the endangered lives of others is essential to the continuation of our
species as a whole. Our fortunate position in a developed nation does not give us the
right to create a hierarchy of our existence as more important than the life of another.
Possibly, the only way that we are going to combat any of these problems is by
education. It will take more than a few dedicated people to change the world, but with
the influence of many, anything is possible
|