Critical Reflective Writing Paper 2

Discuss the challenges and opportunities of

globalization in the Pacific region in relation
to the environment.

Name: Pravinayal Pranit Ram

Student ID: S11186082
Campus: Laucala Campus
Yogita Vaka One
Globalization is a term that portrays the idea on how the world has seen the economic and social
change through technology and trading with so making the entire world to be interdependent and
connected. Globalization has brought in many changes to the Pacific Island Countries like Fiji,
Vanuatu and many other Island nations. Globalization is categorized into three major
components of which are: economic, political and cultural globalization and this changes have
brought in challenges and as well opportunities. Globalization helps out countries to produce
goods that are cheaper by its natural resources with low labor cost and the finished item could be
sold to many parts of the world. Thus, this reflective paper will critically discuss the challenges
and the opportunities that were brought in by globalization into the Pacific Island region in
regards to the environment.

Firstly, a challenge that is brought in by globalization into the Pacific Island Countries in regards
to environment is deforestation. Globalization has brought up many challenges and one of which
is related to environmental issues. Deforestation is referred to cutting down of tress purposefully
to clear out a certain area on which construction or buildings will be made and this has altered
the landscaped all over the world (Yameogo, 2021). Fiji and other Pacific Island Countries have
been faced with the deforestation challenge as many Pacific Island countries have become a
developing country for the past century. A recent example of deforestation in Fiji was held out in
Labasa, Vanua Levu (northern part of Fiji) where a great trees was cleared from few acers of
land that is going to be used to develop Damodar City Mall (Naidu, 2021). Thus, this
development will be made to cater shops and a cinema, shops will be selling imported goods
from all over the world. Such acts of cutting forestry areas brings in destruction to many habitats
of creatures and there are increments in the chances of carbon dioxide releases. As kids, we are
thought in our academic life on the advantages and disadvantages of deforestation and
afforestation but as we grow up we then tend to realize that it is important for such developments
and those require such actions as cutting trees and clearing land due to the massive increase in
population. There are also companies that take in timbers and make them into finished goods
with the use of technology and labor and such companies are like logging, sawmill and paper
manufactures that use forestry raw materials for the company’s and customer’s beneficiary
purposes with the intension of harming the environment. As I have personally noticed, when I
was a kid I was brought up in a village livelihood (interior nausori) where it used to be
blossomed with trees and the beauty of nature but as I grow old in that same environment, it then
become populated and is filled up with developed buildings with less trace of natural resources
and later I was moved to a urban area and I realize that people tend to develop areas for
beneficiary purposes that brings about destruction to things that they might not bother to consider
such as the habitat destruction which led to many animals in the pacific to become extinct and
many are now endangered.

Moving on, another challenge that is brought in by globalization into the Pacific Island Countries
in regards to environment is natural disasters. There are several natural disasters that affect the
Pacific Islands in globalization actions and such disasters that are included in the Pacific region
are earthquakes, floods, tsunami and cyclones. The most common natural disasters are listed
above and bring about massive destruction to the nature and people living into those areas
(Alexander, 1993). Fiji and the other Pacific Island Countries are quiet largely known for its
warm tropical climate and natural beauty which brings in tourist attracts from all parts of the
world. There is an increase in natural disasters from man-kind activities such has pollutions,
overpopulation and burning down of fossil fuels that has a certain level of impact that contributes
to the natural disasters. There are human activities that also contribute to earthquakes. For
example, in Fiji for the past two years (2021 and 2022) there has been an increase amounts of
earthquakes hitting and many suggestions conclude to the increased development that are
recently taking place such as the building of the WG Friendship Plaza and the intensive mining
being done at the Vatukoula mine (Abbany, 2021). From my personal experience, I believe
certain climatic and disastrous changes are altering due to the modification/globalization of the
environment around, like the pollution that’s leading to marine and atmospheric destruction
which then impacts the people with their health and surroundings. This certain changes that
people are doing now for building up new building, creating new jobs and trading goods all
around the globe will bring up massive impacts in the upcoming years.

Furthermore, now considering that there are also opportunities that are provided through
globalization amongst the Pacific region in regards to environment. A major opportunity that
comes up to my interest is the spread of newer technologies and innovations that are being
invented that does not harm the environment with the help of the greatest minds of people and
innovative ideas (Skare, 2021). Upon noticing the effects that the technology had brought in over
the years to the environment, people then started to invent new innovative products and
technology that did little to no harm to the environment compared to the previous technology.
For instance, such new eco-friendly technology like solar panels and electric cars are designed in
ways that will not bring harm to the environment with the use of it. They are specifically
designed to do certain activities that the old technology was doing but without harm. Solar
powered products are new technological products that is used to provide electricity by
conserving energy from the sun and storing it in the battery. Under my personal experience, I
believe that there is a major step taking into considering the health of the environment and with
so people are building up technology and not breaking the cycle of production but using eco-
friendly technology to keep everything going and at the same time not bringing any source of
harm with the inventions. My perception on the solar power invention is that it is a good
invention as it is not must costly to us customers, I have a solar panel system and I would rather
have to use the solar panel system and give it maintenance every 6-7 months rather than have to
pay electricity bills monthly.

In addition, another opportunity that globalization has brought in to the environment is the
reduction in pollutions in the Pacific Island Countries. Pollution has become of the biggest
factors that is harming the environment around us. Certain percentage of pollution is created and
altered by human activities, these human activities are such as the factory pollution (releasing of
harmful gases and dumbing waste materials into rivers and seas), waste land, oil spill at wharfs
and waste/dumb land (Zhang, 2022). These pollution acts are now high factors that needs to be
considered, so experts then consider into improving on things like building new technology and
innovations as mentioned in the previous paragraph and receiving imported goods from pollution
efficient countries rather using their own county resources. From my experience, I believe that
globalization has brought in an opportunity for people to improve on things they can which
harms the environment and the people in it also. For instance, companies of Fiji have banned the
use of plastic bags because as companies like supermarket used to let out grocery’s to be held in
it but it was the bring harm to the environment because the people did not reuse or disposed it
properly. And later is was banned due to it and companies used a better approach with using
reusable bags that did no harm to the environment.
To conclude, it could be said that globalization brings the good and also bad to the environment
and impact the people around it. Globalization has brought effects of it on the developing
countries of Pacific Region and embarked it with great changes. Globalization impacts lives of
people and the future generation. This makes things easier for people as such inventing
machineries that helps companies into getting work done with less labor needed. Thus, this
reflective paper has discussed two challenges (deforestation and natural disasters) and two
opportunities (new innovation and technology and reduced pollution) of globalization in the
Pacific Island Countries with the regards to environment.

(1434 Words)

References

 Abbany, Z., 2021. Why are earthquakes common in the Pacific Ring of Fire?. [Online]
Available at: https://www.dw.com/en/why-are-earthquakes-common-in-the-pacific-ring-
of-fire/a-36676363 [Accessed 18 June 2022].
 Alexander, D., 1993. Natural Disasters. 1st ed. London: Routledge.
 Naidu, S., 2021. Construction On Hold At Damodar City Labasa, Suva: Fiji Sun.
 Skare, M., 2021. How globalization is changing digital technology adoption: An
international perspective. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 6(4), pp. 222-233.
 Yameogo, C. E. W., 2021. Globalization, urbanization, and deforestation linkage in
Burkina Faso. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Volume 28, pp. 22011-
22021.
 Zhang, L., 2022. Globalization, Green Economy and Environmental Challenges: State of
the Art Review for Practical Implications. [Online] Available at:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.870271/full [Accessed 16 June
2022].