A summary of “Poverty and Environmental Degradation” by Akin L. Mabogunje
Jon/Feb. 2002

Akin L. Mabogunje want in his article explain the relationship between globalization, poverty and environment. He believes that there is some negative and positive effect. Globalization is vital in progressing, and to rise up the poverty of the world today, it is also the outcome of advanced technology which connected people all over the countries, creating the great global relationships among them. It mentioned that capitalism is essential in this kind of field, because people have the capacity to share a large amount of money in order to make business run smoothly and prosper. Through the transformation technology and manufacturing organization, it encouraged the growth of foreign trade. Farther more, nation-states give an opportunity in every country to share their roles, exchange the riches of countries and other competitor in the economy. With the help of information technology, globalization makes the communications of financial resources faster to go from one place around the world, because of current transfer of great economic resources it might have the possibility to produce or to interrupt the economic fortunes of country, and changes the lives and employment status of many citizens. On the other hand, nation-states should exert more strength to compete for foreign investment, and accomplished and maintain the economic, social and political stability. Consequently, others believe that globalization increases the poverty in some areas of countries, it might be also the equal possibilities to stop poverty. In spite of restriction of globalization on economic growth, human population explosion continued to increase. It says that urban have a greater population and poverty, compared to the rural areas, based in United Nations, usually they cannot afford their basics necessities for shelter, water and health. Poverty is linked to the degradation of the environment in seven ways. First, deforestation is a result of cutting and burning bush, trees, from land and forest that may ruin the areas. Second, desertification is a consequence of over-cultivation and overgrazing of land often found in hot and semi-hot regions, like deserts. Third, biodiversity loss means careless usage of ecosystem, that may affect and putting animals, plants and other species into endangered. Forth, erosion is a result of over farming and removing trees from forest, that devastated the areas of land, that erosion may occur and widespread among countries, like Ethiopia, West Africa and South Nigeria. Fifth, urban pollution is a migration and living of poor people in the cities, their difficulty in finding their own shelter, spreading of squatter, that led them to poor health and sanitation. Air pollution is also one of the problems. Sixth, water pollution comes from contaminated drinking water that can cause deceases, such as diarrhea, typhoid and cholera. Squatters are the most affected area, due to lack of sanitation services. Not only that, fertilizers and pesticides which is the farmer used in agriculture it also contaminated the sources of ground water. Seventh, climate changes by destroying the ecosystem, caused by the human nature, the earth’s climate is already affected, and already experienced the result, like frequent drought and floods. The author concludes that the changes in the environmental mostly affect the poor.