Environmental Malpractices In Europe, North America, And Asia And How It Has Affected Socio-Economic Standards In The Least Developed Countries In Africa And Southeast Asia
Throughout history, our planet has experienced multiple environmental changes that various ecological processes have influenced, but during the recent past, our world as we know it has changed drastically. We are now dealing with extreme weather conditions such as rising temperature levels, excessive rainfall, and waste management. These challenges have impacted the social and economic standards of least developed regions worldwide. In 2019, North America, Asia-Pacific, and Europe combined produced 24.39 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions. These are the same participants competing since the eras of the Industrial Revolution, the space race, and the current digital/information age.
Industrialization, The Space Race, and Digital Competition put tremendous pressure on natural resources. Industrial Competition was enormous and continues to be even today. As a result, various regions have had to bear these activities’ incredible impact. Agriculture was and remained to be the backbone of developing economies in Africa and Southeast Asia. Agriculture is the industry that environmental impact has hit the worst. Due to failing rains and competition from genetically modified crops, farmers have been forced to down their tools in these regions. These areas’ economic standards face difficult hurdles that hinder their social and economic status. Significant levels of social conflicts have been reported in developing countries in Africa and Southeast Asia. Food and water security, human health, and socio-economic advancements have fallen to alarming levels in most parts of East and Central Africa. Industrial waste is another disaster; countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand spend millions of dollars dealing with industrial waste that never gets away.
Industrial waste is critical; if not correctly handled, it causes diseases and results in the emergence of slums, as seen in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. Europe, Asia, and North America are the largest producers, and together they contribute the most industrial waste in the world. Managing this waste is another challenge facing our world today. Southeast Asia, a dumping site for China and other European countries, lacks proper infrastructure to deal with industrial waste. The ever-increasing population and lack of enough support from developed countries add insult to this injury. Urbanization in Southeast Asia has forced the semi-skilled and unskilled population to migrate to rural areas where formal employment is almost non-existent. In Myanmar, for instance, most people are forced to buy and sell plastics and metal waste as a source of income. These jobs attract little and limited pay. The revenue they get from these activities cannot keep up with their daily demands. Therefore, they are forced to live around dumping sites with vast amounts of plastic and metal waste. As a result, there has been a constant development of slums in Burma, Philippines, Vietnam, and most Southeast Asia coastlines. Most of the waste in these coastlines comes from China, Europe, and North America. These regions used to export their waste to China, but they are now dumping in Malaysia, a country considered by many as the world’s number one dumping ground. It is a preferred destination for plastic waste due to relaxed laws and cartels.
Garbage collection in Southeast Asia has created criminal gangs that operate illegally. There have been organized crime reports that smuggle recyclable plastic from Europe into Southeast Asia. The social discipline that has existed in this region has been affected enormously. Most young men and women are attracted to quick cash offered through criminal gangs. They are forced to abandon their legal, economic activities and engage in garbage collection. Plastic has created an illegal industry that feeds slum areas in this region. Residents here no longer engage in agriculture or fishing like before. It is rather strange to see how the development of Europe, Asia, and America has disrupted the lives of people in Southeast Asia.
In Africa, agriculture has seen its worst performance for decades. Families are forced to migrate to urban areas to look for formal employment and improve their living standards. Most of them are abandoning agriculture, an industry that offers no promise. The rains no longer follow specific patterns as they used to. Farmers now engage in risky activities in regions that are prone to landslides. Mining has impacted Africa severely. It has led to deforestation and the destruction of roads formerly used to transport agricultural goods. Workers in mining companies complain of poor pay, poor working conditions, and lack of insurance cover. Almost all of these mining companies are owned by European and American firms. They are responsible for most carbon emissions in Africa. Activities of these mining companies have also created border disputes, and discrimination cases have been reported. These developing countries in Africa are yet to benefit from mining activities. The profit margin made by these companies does not reflect on the lives of these workers. Broken families, inequality, and diseases are among the issues left for these regions to deal with. According to a recent report by the United Nations, the areas affected most by climate change are countries with the most diminutive carbon footprint. Rivers in these developing regions in Africa are at their lowest; wildlife is diminishing, a precious resource that has given these countries billions of dollars in tourism.
Although Europe, Asia, and North America are taking steps to ensure carbon emissions are lowered, there is still a long way. They need to add compensation to their policy. Developing countries in Africa like Kenya, Gabon, Ghana, and Nigeria have lost so much due to the impact of climate change. The adverse effects of industrialization are being experienced even today. These regions need urgent help, and it is evident that the effects of climate change overburden them. It is unfair that they are forced to deal with climate change’s multiple impacts. They do not have the resources required to deal with plastic waste disposal and management. A top-down approach will be meaningful if waste management is to be dealt with effectively.