Four Visions for a Healthy Global Environment

Introduction 

Clapp and Dauvergne (2005) explore the different paths that can lead to a green world. The four visions explored in the chapter include market-liberal vision, institutionalist vision, bioenvironmentalist vision, and social green vision. Notably, the key to a healthy global environment is to ensure the world is free from environmental hazards such as impure water and air pollution. Whenever a given population is faced with disabilities and diseases emanating from polluted environment, the result is slowed economic development. In the ensuing discussion, the focus is on supporting the best vision out of the four, which has the better approach towards addressing environmental challenges, and the need for fusing the visions together in a sort of ‘super-vision.’ 

Summary of the Visions 

Market-Liberal vision believes that, ideal environmentalists should seek globalization from an economic, political, and cultural perspective. Their vision should be geared towards realizing a world with less governance and more consumption, trade, investments and development assistance (Clapp and Dauvergne, 2005). 

In their context, institutionalists appear to support the suggestions by market liberals that include the need to facilitate trade, embrace globalization, financing, and raising per capita national incomes. They concur that the only way the world can achieve better global environmental management is through technology transfers, voluntary corporate greening, and free markets (Clapp and Dauvergne, 2005). 

Supporters of bioenvironmentalist vision believe that, humans are the major cause of problems facing ecology. Most humans tend to serve their selfish personal interests. They have taken up every available ecological space, and as such, the ecosystem is overburdened (Clapp and Dauvergne, 2005). In fact, there is need for new policies, norms, and attitudes in a bid to address the ecological crisis. 

Proponents of social green vision desire a world that strives to achieve social and environmental justice. They are of the view that, in the absence of justice, the eventual global ecological impasse will rock the entire universe. Social greens concur with bio-environmentalists that the world should adopt a new global ethic, and discard the overconsumption culture (Clapp and Dauvergne, 2005). 

Vision with a Better Approach towards Addressing Environmental Challenges 

In view of the four visions, it becomes clear that, the world is currently undergoing a globalization era. This is a process touching on social, cultural, environmental, and political aspects, and as such, the most appropriate and better vision is one that attempts to address the environmental challenges (Clapp and Dauvergne, 2005). In that sense, bioenvironmentalist vision is the most ideal considering it is geared towards preventing more damage to the environment in the future. It recognizes that, humans are the major problem facing earth ecology (Clapp and Dauvergne, 2005). They have taken up every ecological space available, and as such, there is need to deal with today’s crisis. The earth has been pushed beyond its capacity, and intelligent leaders have no choice but to act immediately. The vision is effective and viable because it advocates for a new global political economy that respect the biological limits of the planet earth. To deal with the current and future problems, new attitudes, policies, and norms are needed. In fact, early bioenvironmentalists such as Paul Ehrlich were vocal in calling for a stern measures in to ensure the world population does not go overboard (Clapp and Dauvergne, 2005). He advocated for policies compelling people to have fewer children. His idea continue receiving backing, amidst criticism and opposition that such a move amounts to violating human rights. The call by bioenviromentalist emanates from the argument that, with population control, there will be a reduction in economic growth and consumption. 

Visions Fuse Together in a Sort of ‘Super-Vision’ 

Notably, the four visions market-liberal, institutionalist, bioenvironmentalist, and social greens can come together to form an alliance that will result into a ‘super-vision’. Considering that the four views are geared towards achieving a better environment, integrating them would lead to a global solution to environmental problems (Clapp and Dauvergne, 2005). In their context, market liberals look at a globalization from a positive perspective, considering it promotes global integration and economic growth. They observe that, as countries across the world pursue economic growth, deterioration is witnessed in terms of water and air quality. However, once the nation attains wealth, it raises the environmental standards. According to experts dealing with global patterns, in nations that economic growth has happened, the environment becomes healthier and cleaner (Clapp and Dauvergne, 2005). In contrast, poor countries continue to experience pollution of both water and air, considering they lack the financial capacity to enforce policies of improving the environment. Institutionalists back this line of thinking by liberalists, making an observation that, in order to conquer world problems, local and global institutions should be empowered towards achieving collective norms and goals (Clapp and Dauvergne, 2005). Organizations should come together and sign global-level environmental agreements. Just as liberalists, institutionalists believe that, cooperative norms and strong global institutions can work magic if their capacity is enhanced to manage environmental resources. Such a move can only happen when nations come together and pull resources (Clapp and Dauvergne, 2005). In such a case, the major beneficiaries are wealthy nations, as they have the capacity to transfer knowledge, technology, and finances. However, the situation has been made possible to all nations, thanks to organizations such as United Nations Environment Programme and the World Bank. 

Indeed, the observation made by bioenvironmentalists is in close relationship with the arguments by liberalists and institutionalists. The planet is fragile and as such, it can only support life up to a certain extent mostly referred to as ‘carrying capacity.’ Just as liberalists observe, humans are always willing to achieve economic development. As a result, they become selfish and consume too much of earth’s resources such as water and air, beyond the capacity the earth can handle. In that sense, it becomes vital to implement the idea by institutionalists, of ensuring institutions mandated with protecting the environment come up with policies to prevent further ecological calamity (Clapp and Dauvergne, 2005). Indeed, by these visions fusing together, they will result into a sort of ‘Super-Vision’, which will achieve a healthy global environment. Even so, the social greens hold a different view from the rest, because they believe population control policies are geared towards undermining self-determination of the minority such as the poor and women (Clapp and Dauvergne, 2005). Social greens hold the view that, economic globalization is to blame for the many wrongs seen in the global system. It opens up to environmentally destruction and in the process; many injustices are propagated towards the poor in terms of exploitation. It leads to domination that is synonymous to patriarchal and capitalism. For that reason, while a combination of the three visions is likely to lead to a ‘Super-Vision’, the social green proponents think otherwise. 

Conclusion 

In overall, the world continues to witness calls towards achieving a healthy global environment. Clapp and Dauvergne (2005) explore four visions that include market-liberal vision, institutionalist vision, bioenvironmentalist vision, and social green vision. Each of the four outlines the approaches that the world can employ in a bid to mitigate the rampant abuse on global environment. Notably, a combination of the four visions is likely to bring forth a super vision that will ensure a health global environment is realized. 

References 

Clapp, J. and P. Dauvergne. (2005). Paths to a Green World? Four Visions for a Healthy Global Environment