Opinion Editorial | |
Environmental Wastelands: Seven Countries on the Brink of Environmental DisasterH. Sterling BurnettA shorter version of this article appeared in the January 15, 1997 edition of World & I. |
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Introduction |
Despite the recent attention paid to global environmental problems (e.g., global climate change, ozone thinning and the rapid loss of biodiversity), for most people environmental problems are local. The quality and length of their and their children's lives depends on solving local environmental problems.
The causes and consequences of human-created environmental problems are not evenly distributed over the earth. Some countries face a greater range of and more severe environmental difficulties than others. Unsurprisingly, the countries facing the direst environmental threats are poor. Unlike wealthy nations, the nations facing the worst environmental problems usually don't have the resources or institutional capacity necessary to improve their environmental situation. Countries on the verge of environmental disaster are handicapped by poverty, and this poverty is partly the result of and partly a factor in the institutional incapacity to deal with environmental problems. Almost none of the countries facing the most pressing environmental problems have stable political/social/economic structures. Those that aren't currently undergoing civil strife have only recently emerged from periods of substantial civil unrest and political change, and their fledgling governments face uncertain futures. All of the countries analyzed below face a myriad of environmental woes. In most of them, the sheer number of problems and the extent of environmental degradation threaten both current human well-being and the ability of inhabitants to use the local environment sustainably in the long term. This article examines several countries that are among the worst representative examples of environmental crises facing entire regions. Some people might expect Russia to appear on any list of countries facing severe environmental crises, however it is not analyzed here. Though Russia does have serious pollution problems, they are not as severe as those in other former Soviet bloc countries. In addition, it has vast natural resource reserves and a very low population growth rate- so Russia doesn't have to exploit these resources in an unsustainable manner simply to feed a burgeoning population. Also, relative to other former Eastern bloc countries and Soviet republics, Russia has a high per capita gross national product (GNP). Finally, unlike its attitude toward many other countries in the throes of environmental crisis, the developed world has a substantial interest in seeing Russia's government remain stable, its economy improve and its environmental problems subside. As long as Russia's experiment with democracy continues, in all likelihood, it should be able to solve its environmental problems. Home | Support Us | All Issues | Social Security Debate Central | Contact Us |