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The Gini coefficient is a measure used to detect the degree of inequality that prevails in the income or wealth distribution of a country. The method was developed by Corrado Gini, an Italian statistician. He published a paper titled “Variability and Mutability", in the year 1912, in which he proposed this measure that calculates the inequality of income distribution through a scale between zero and one. If the Gini coefficient is zero, it implies that the citizens of the particular country/region have a similar level of income. On the other hand, if it is one that means that the country has an acute degree of inequality, like one person having all the income.
Inequality in income distribution can be a cause of profound social and economic problems in any nation. It will prevent inclusive growth of the economy, with people who are stuck in the middle and lower part of the distribution graph, being excluded from the benefits derived from the overall economic growth of the nation. Also, high unemployment rates, which usually accompany unequal income distribution, would hamper the long-term economic progress of a nation. Inequality robs people off purchasing power, and thus reduces the demand for the goods produced, which in turn affects the economy. It also has serious social implications like poverty, social tension and conflicts.
Globalization today has brought with it many changes, such as growth in international trade, technological development, and labor migration. While these changes have created new opportunities for economic growth in developed nations, they have affected the labor force in these nations adversely. The global labor force has expanded, and the availability of skilled labors far exceeds their demand. Thus, the average labor’s wages in the developed nation have not grown in proportionate to the productivity. So, while the capitalists and the executives have witnessed a growth in income, the labor force, in fact, has witnessed negative growth. For example, in America, since 2001 the wages of a typical worker have been stuck.
Paradoxically, while globalization has increased the inequality among the citizens of the developed world, it has decreased the inequality that existed between developing and developed countries. Wealth is today, flowing from the developed nations to the developing world, thus, bridging the gap in the economic prosperity that existed between these regions in the past centuries. For example, many American companies outsource their manufacturing functions to China and back office functions to India and other south Asian countries, thus, facilitating the flow of income from the US to these parts.
The earth’s climate has always been subjected to periods of transformation, throughout the history. In the last 650,000 years, there have been close to seven cycles of glacial advances and retreats. However, the interconnectedness and economic intensity of a global scale caused by globalization has no precedence in history. There are many environmental implications of globalization, like many industries from developed countries moving to developing nations, to avoid strict environmental regulations. As a result of this increased trade activities, the atmosphere surrounding earth is today polluted by industrial emissions (greenhouse gases). With these gas clouds becoming denser day by day, the earth’s climate is undergoing a change. This gradual warming of the atmosphere is popularly denoted by the term ‘global warming’.
The reason behind this global climate change is the emission of the greenhouse gases that happen, due to the increased industrial activity and transportation, and also due to agricultural and consumer practices. It is important to understand the dynamics of global change because scientific assessments show beyond doubt that the earth’s climate is changing, and it would have serious repercussions on mankind. The drastic climate change may result in events such as, increased famines and floods, earthquakes, rising sea-levels, and extreme temperature levels.
The world countries should come together to devise a solution to this problem. It is an interesting fact that the industrialized nations, which form about twenty percent of the world’s population, are responsible for ninety percent of the greenhouse gas emissions. With the developing nations also joining in the race of industrialization, the situation today has worsened. There have been many environmental summits that have taken place in the recent years, like the Rio Earth Summit of 1992. However, except countries like the UK and Germany others have failed to curb the gas emissions from their industries. Strict adherence to environmental protocols and having environmentally friendly policies is the only way ahead, to combat the global climate change.
Biological diversity or biodiversity, as it is popularly known, refers to the various varieties of fauna and flora and other living organisms in a particular region. To be more precise, biodiversity denotes the number or abundance of various varieties of living species in an area. It is an ecosystem inhabited by a community of animals, plants, and other living beings. Biodiversity stresses on the importance of planning human activities so that the various kinds of living things in a particular physical environment are allowed to sustain.
Biodiversity is significant for the balance of the earth. Each species on earth has its own role in the natural world, and plays its part in the circle of life. Plants, animals, insects, microorganisms, and every such group have its own role in the sustenance of life in the planet. They offer food, shelter, soil enrichment, climatic control, oxygen, and various other functions that are necessary for life to thrive on earth. Unfortunately, human activities have directly or indirectly led to extinction/near-extinction of many species. To put it in a nutshell, endangering biodiversity of the earth is endangering humanity.
Hywel Williams and Tim Lenton define rebel organisms as life forms that have an altogether new metabolism, which disrupts the ecological order established by the incumbent species. In this process, the rebel organisms create a new ecological order that suits their lifestyle. For example, the Cyanobacteria species, some 2.4 billion years ago, used large amount of water and carbon dioxide in their metabolic process, and, as a result, polluted the earth creating a toxic byproduct –oxygen. This event gave birth to the great oxidation event, and the then dominative species of anaerobic organisms were relegated to a marginal existence. Cyanobacteria are example of rebel organisms.
On earth, the waste of one species becomes the lifeline for the other, and the sustenance of the earth depends on this cross feeding model. Rebel organisms can disrupt this model and nutrient recycling. They can cause the collapse of the existing ecosystem, and can lead to the extinction of one or more species. The environmental changes, such as increased use of fossil fuel for industrial and farming needs and acidification of seawater, are examples of event which could cause the birth of rebel organisms. Human beings, like rebel organisms, are shifting the ecosystem from the established order, and we are already witnessing many species being pushed to the brink of extinction. So, there is an immediate need for us to take stock of our industrial practices, and put some systems in place, which will ensure responsible environmental practices being followed by businesses and communities.
Bibliography
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). Climate change: How do we know? 2014. Web. <http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/>. 2 July 2014.
The Economist. Rich man, poor man. 8 January 2007. http://www.economist.com/node/8554819. 2 July 2014.
Williams, Hywel and Tim Lenton. Rebels with a cause. 30 November 2009. Web. <http://planetearth.nerc.ac.uk/features/story.aspx?id=578>. 2 July 2014.
