http://www.businessinsider.com/r-mexico-unveils-national-strategy-ahead-of-paris-climate-talks-2015-3
Mexico declared a strategy to cap its greenhouse emissions by 2026. Mexico formally declared their strategy way ahead of the United Nations Key Climate Summit that will be held December 2015 in Paris. Their plan is to reduce their green house emissions by 2026, with a 22 percent reduction of their usual levels by 2030. After Mexico announced their new strategy to combat climate change the United States President Barrack Obama announced a new joint climate change policy task force with Mexico. The United States is praising Mexico for setting an example. Mexican Foreign Minister José Antonio Meade hopes that the future summit will help reach the United Nations goal to prevent a 2 degree celsius rise in temperatures. The United Nations also hopes this will motivate other nations to submit strategy plans to help combat against climate change.
Although states have been part of the problem in the causes of environmental degradations, they need to be part of the solution to combat the effects on the globalized world and with creating a new set of global environmental norms. The United Nations Key Climate Summit in December and the joint policy between Mexico and the United States shows the emergence of a possible new transnational identity. The multitude of environmental problems blend and challenge rules on what is domestic and international through the convergence of international policies around the world. Is the continuance of globalization actually a bad thing with the newfound cooperation to combat climate change? Is globalization necessary to advance processes in the future for global sustainability as a whole?
Friday, March 27, 2015
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Chinese, Go home!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hazel-guardado/nicaraguas-proposed-inter_b_6083274.html
On the forefront on Latin America's environmental issues is the new construction of the Nicaragua canal that will link the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific ocean. Wang Jing lawyer is paving the way for Hong Kong Based Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Co LTD (HKND) to build this canal. Pro arguments include helping to lift the country out of poverty by creating over 50,000 jobs during the construction and 200,000 more once the construction is complete. Additionally, they are predicting the canal to cause economic growth within the country of up to 14% per year.
As we already know, globalization has been linked to environmental dilemmas including global warming. Similarly, the Nicaraguan people are not content with a Chinese investor stepping into their country and harming their environment. Additionally, "the project was granted to the HKND without any current environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies. Furthermore, rather than conducting these studies itself, the government will rely on the HKND to do so. " The new canal project is set to displace multiple indigenous people, harm the wetlands, remove forests and destroy natural habitats. The indigenous people have been left with no resort but to bring their case forth to the Inter-American court, claiming violations of international labour standards. Overall, it brings us back to the same question. Do the benefits outweigh the means and is globalization truly a good thing?
On the forefront on Latin America's environmental issues is the new construction of the Nicaragua canal that will link the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific ocean. Wang Jing lawyer is paving the way for Hong Kong Based Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Co LTD (HKND) to build this canal. Pro arguments include helping to lift the country out of poverty by creating over 50,000 jobs during the construction and 200,000 more once the construction is complete. Additionally, they are predicting the canal to cause economic growth within the country of up to 14% per year.
As we already know, globalization has been linked to environmental dilemmas including global warming. Similarly, the Nicaraguan people are not content with a Chinese investor stepping into their country and harming their environment. Additionally, "the project was granted to the HKND without any current environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies. Furthermore, rather than conducting these studies itself, the government will rely on the HKND to do so. " The new canal project is set to displace multiple indigenous people, harm the wetlands, remove forests and destroy natural habitats. The indigenous people have been left with no resort but to bring their case forth to the Inter-American court, claiming violations of international labour standards. Overall, it brings us back to the same question. Do the benefits outweigh the means and is globalization truly a good thing?
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
International cooperation: Can it really solve climate change?
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/11/us-china-joint-announcement-climate-change
In November, the White House announced that the leaders of the United States and China were working together to create a protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2025. More importantly, the potential agreement would carry enforceable legal ramifications if one party were to break the protocol. An enforcement mechanism has long been the sticking point of the Chinese government (and to a degree the United States) that has stalled meaningful change in global environmental policy. Enforcement was generally considered the reason the Kyoto protocol failed.
While many blame globalization and capitalism for global warming, international research has put environmental issues in the forefront of international politics. As part of the US-China agreement the two states have started the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center and U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group to research way in which industries can reduce emission. While these organizations maybe more political than scientific, international research into climate change is the reason these organizations exist. The proliferation of information across the globe has not only discovered the pitfalls of climate change, but technological innovations from inventors all over the world have led to an increase of technologies that reduce emissions. Part of the press release issued by the White House is the commitment to increase information of technologies between the US and China in an effort to reduce greenhouse gasses. Only time will tell if these new commitments by the US and China are real or just more political posturing.
In November, the White House announced that the leaders of the United States and China were working together to create a protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2025. More importantly, the potential agreement would carry enforceable legal ramifications if one party were to break the protocol. An enforcement mechanism has long been the sticking point of the Chinese government (and to a degree the United States) that has stalled meaningful change in global environmental policy. Enforcement was generally considered the reason the Kyoto protocol failed.
While many blame globalization and capitalism for global warming, international research has put environmental issues in the forefront of international politics. As part of the US-China agreement the two states have started the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center and U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group to research way in which industries can reduce emission. While these organizations maybe more political than scientific, international research into climate change is the reason these organizations exist. The proliferation of information across the globe has not only discovered the pitfalls of climate change, but technological innovations from inventors all over the world have led to an increase of technologies that reduce emissions. Part of the press release issued by the White House is the commitment to increase information of technologies between the US and China in an effort to reduce greenhouse gasses. Only time will tell if these new commitments by the US and China are real or just more political posturing.
Friday, March 13, 2015
The E.U. Experiment Has Failed
The E.U. Experiment Has Failed
This article by Bruce Thornton on the Hoover Institution website that discusses the issues with the EU and how it has failed. The article begins by listing different statistics such as that compare the United States to the EU as both groups recovered from the Great Recession of 2008. Overall based on the statistics it is clear that the EU has recovered much slower than the United States and links it to the different believes that each individual state in the EU has a different view on how to solve the issues that have arose.
While the recession has caused issues, Thornton brings up how the EU will only continue to slow growth. He cites that by 2030, 25% of Europeans will be age 65 or older which would not be such a large issue if the birth rate in Europe had been at each woman having 2.1 children after the 1970s. Europe's birth rate in 2014 was 1.6 while 2.1 is the standard that is needed to refresh the population. Because of this aging of the EU, younger people will be overused for the economies to be as productive as the United States or other countries. In addition to aging, the EU is also dealing with issues of more immigrants coming in that do not share similar beliefs to the countries that they are attempting to move into. This is causing more nationalism to arise in European countries which directly counters the larger state mentality that the EU has been attempting to create.
I feel that Thornton brings up a lot of interesting points however I wonder if the states that make up the EU are to intertwined at this point to separate. The time that I feel the split would have happened would be when the Southern European countries economies were having their major issues and Northern Europe was succeeding but the split clearly did not happen. It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming years and whether the EU will break apart or split in anyway.
This article by Bruce Thornton on the Hoover Institution website that discusses the issues with the EU and how it has failed. The article begins by listing different statistics such as that compare the United States to the EU as both groups recovered from the Great Recession of 2008. Overall based on the statistics it is clear that the EU has recovered much slower than the United States and links it to the different believes that each individual state in the EU has a different view on how to solve the issues that have arose.
While the recession has caused issues, Thornton brings up how the EU will only continue to slow growth. He cites that by 2030, 25% of Europeans will be age 65 or older which would not be such a large issue if the birth rate in Europe had been at each woman having 2.1 children after the 1970s. Europe's birth rate in 2014 was 1.6 while 2.1 is the standard that is needed to refresh the population. Because of this aging of the EU, younger people will be overused for the economies to be as productive as the United States or other countries. In addition to aging, the EU is also dealing with issues of more immigrants coming in that do not share similar beliefs to the countries that they are attempting to move into. This is causing more nationalism to arise in European countries which directly counters the larger state mentality that the EU has been attempting to create.
I feel that Thornton brings up a lot of interesting points however I wonder if the states that make up the EU are to intertwined at this point to separate. The time that I feel the split would have happened would be when the Southern European countries economies were having their major issues and Northern Europe was succeeding but the split clearly did not happen. It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming years and whether the EU will break apart or split in anyway.
Globalization of Terrorist Ideals
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/crime/2015/03/13/ex-dover-resident-pleads-guilty-terrorism-charges/70303054/
As we continue to study the changing norms which result from globalization, the ability of citizens of a state to identify with terrorist groups around the world seems to be evolving into a worrisome reality. While ISIS/ISIL work to establish a caliphate within the Middle East, individuals around the world have been pledging their allegiance to the radical group. This trend shows the capacity for individuals to utilize the tools of globalization such as the Internet and other digitized networks to support and show their affiliation towards ideological groups removed from the individual's own state or sphere of influence. However, as explored in the case of citizens of the United States who provided material resources and support to ISIS/ISIL, there are consequences to this affiliation. I would argue that this truly exhibits the subjective nature of "terrorism," as one person's freedom fighters and legitimate group is another's terrorism group. While United States citizens are held accountable for supporting groups identified as foreign terrorist organizations, the broad definition of what constitutes a terrorist action is called into question.
As we continue to study the changing norms which result from globalization, the ability of citizens of a state to identify with terrorist groups around the world seems to be evolving into a worrisome reality. While ISIS/ISIL work to establish a caliphate within the Middle East, individuals around the world have been pledging their allegiance to the radical group. This trend shows the capacity for individuals to utilize the tools of globalization such as the Internet and other digitized networks to support and show their affiliation towards ideological groups removed from the individual's own state or sphere of influence. However, as explored in the case of citizens of the United States who provided material resources and support to ISIS/ISIL, there are consequences to this affiliation. I would argue that this truly exhibits the subjective nature of "terrorism," as one person's freedom fighters and legitimate group is another's terrorism group. While United States citizens are held accountable for supporting groups identified as foreign terrorist organizations, the broad definition of what constitutes a terrorist action is called into question.
IS group accepts allegiance pledge made by Nigeria’s Boko Haram
This article talks about how the IS, the Islamic State, has accepted Nigeria's Boko Haram pledge to allegiance. This shows that IS's desire for a growing caliphite may be slowly becoming a reality. One of the spokesman for IS stated that "Our caliphate is resisting and it is advancing in the right direction. We are fighting the Crusaders and the rafidah (Shiites) and day by day the Islamic State is becoming strong".
I chose this article because it really ties in with the discussion we had on Transnational Organized crime and the state. Transnational criminal organizations such as IS are trying to expand and it calls into question whether the state really has the capacity to control these growing extremists groups. They are after all able to grow partly due to globalization. In my opinion, states need to take a page from these transnational criminal organizations book and continually band together to fight them off.
Friday, March 6, 2015
"Attention is not powerless"
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2014/1215/Why-I-llRideWithYou-worked-and-other-Muslim-hashtags-didn-t-video
In the article "Why #I'llRideWithYou worked, and other Muslim hashtags didn't", Husna Haq analyzes the variance of effectiveness of slacktivism in a global context. The 2014 attack of a Sydney cafe by a Muslim man caused a wave of fear of retaliation against the Muslim community. The hashtag #IllRideWithYou generated 40,000 tweets in two hours and 170,000 tweets worldwide after an Aussie woman offered to walk with a Muslim woman for protection. Such instances of slacktivism can be seen to be effective as it not only causes awareness but also promotes a specific action.
However, how do we measure whether slacktivism is effect or not? Sociologist Zeynep Tufekci, assistant professor at the University of North Carolina states that "Attention is not powerless". Whether or not a specific outcome is attained, the awareness and knowledge spreads rapidly worldwide and cannot be reversed. Such as the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, which was used by 4 million people worldwide. While the girls have yet to be found, the global awareness has been created which creates a common union, which then puts pressure on the State to take action. I'd have to agree with the authors in this instance, while multiple instances of slacktivism seem to ineffective, the proliferation of knowledge causes enough of a global impact to continue its use.
In the article "Why #I'llRideWithYou worked, and other Muslim hashtags didn't", Husna Haq analyzes the variance of effectiveness of slacktivism in a global context. The 2014 attack of a Sydney cafe by a Muslim man caused a wave of fear of retaliation against the Muslim community. The hashtag #IllRideWithYou generated 40,000 tweets in two hours and 170,000 tweets worldwide after an Aussie woman offered to walk with a Muslim woman for protection. Such instances of slacktivism can be seen to be effective as it not only causes awareness but also promotes a specific action.
However, how do we measure whether slacktivism is effect or not? Sociologist Zeynep Tufekci, assistant professor at the University of North Carolina states that "Attention is not powerless". Whether or not a specific outcome is attained, the awareness and knowledge spreads rapidly worldwide and cannot be reversed. Such as the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, which was used by 4 million people worldwide. While the girls have yet to be found, the global awareness has been created which creates a common union, which then puts pressure on the State to take action. I'd have to agree with the authors in this instance, while multiple instances of slacktivism seem to ineffective, the proliferation of knowledge causes enough of a global impact to continue its use.
"Euro Drops Toward Parity with Dollar"
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/euro-hits-12-low-parity-dollar-looms-123434508--finance.html
In this article on finance and the Euro, it describes how for the first time in 13 years the Euro is dropping and possible could be in parity with the U.S. dollar. As of last Friday the euro is at its lowest price since 2003, it was bought at $1.085. The affects of this make traveling to Europe less expensive and also have boosted tourism in Europe, especially Greece. Greek tour companies have already reported more interest from U.S. travelers. Companies who are based in Europe stand to benefit, while those in the US will see a decrease in profits from European buyers. The euro has decreased in value between the dollar because difference of performances. The European Union has diluted the euro by its stimulus program and the U.S. has decided to end theirs. When the dollar will reach the same ratio depends on market fluctuations.
The European Central Bank implemented policies to help reinstall a money making stimulus while the Federal Reserve reacts by rising interest rates. The global economy is so interconnected that each country feels an effect good or bad. The interdependence of each actor whether they are states, corporations, or consumers are all affected by outcomes of the globalized economy and world. Political polices are ensued to equalize the certain events by different countries. Additionally, is it possible that the Euro shows that globalization is flattening the market and equalizing it for powerful countries by showing a parity between the dollar?
In this article on finance and the Euro, it describes how for the first time in 13 years the Euro is dropping and possible could be in parity with the U.S. dollar. As of last Friday the euro is at its lowest price since 2003, it was bought at $1.085. The affects of this make traveling to Europe less expensive and also have boosted tourism in Europe, especially Greece. Greek tour companies have already reported more interest from U.S. travelers. Companies who are based in Europe stand to benefit, while those in the US will see a decrease in profits from European buyers. The euro has decreased in value between the dollar because difference of performances. The European Union has diluted the euro by its stimulus program and the U.S. has decided to end theirs. When the dollar will reach the same ratio depends on market fluctuations.
The European Central Bank implemented policies to help reinstall a money making stimulus while the Federal Reserve reacts by rising interest rates. The global economy is so interconnected that each country feels an effect good or bad. The interdependence of each actor whether they are states, corporations, or consumers are all affected by outcomes of the globalized economy and world. Political polices are ensued to equalize the certain events by different countries. Additionally, is it possible that the Euro shows that globalization is flattening the market and equalizing it for powerful countries by showing a parity between the dollar?
Thursday, March 5, 2015
If slacktivism has failed, someone should tell the non-profits
http://jip.vmhost.psu.edu/ojs/index.php/jip/article/view/80/47
In the paper Advocacy 2.0: an analysis of how advocacy groups in United States perceived and use social media as tools for facilitating civic engagement and collective action, researchers have surveyed 169 individuals from 53 advocacy groups about their uses social media and their ideas of its effectiveness. Over 90% of respondents admitted to using Facebook and twitter to communicate with citizens. Most advocacy groups employed social media workers, with larger groups hiring dozens to communicate these social media daily. The most telling part of the research was when respondents were asked whether or not they thought social media facilitated civic engagement or collective action. Almost all responded said yes, while most believed social media would be very important to the future of advocacy.
The homogeneity of responses contradict the idea that hash tag activism is ineffectual at creating social change. While individuals in advocacy groups are likely biased, in that they want hash tag activism to be successful because it would help their causes, certain economic trends support their responses. Larger advocacy groups have rapidly increased their social media marketing budget over the last five years. These large advocacy groups have likely conducted cost-benefit analyses and found that great investment in social media coordination improved desired output (whether that be donations, volunteering, etc.). Why else would they invest millions of dollars into these campaigns. Organizations that can afford large scale social media campaigns know how to allocate resources. The recent rush to spend more on social media suggests that advocacy organizations truly believe in the effectiveness of social media. Hopefully, future research on the benefits of social media campaigns will bring to light what these organizations already seem to know: the social media revolution is real.
In the paper Advocacy 2.0: an analysis of how advocacy groups in United States perceived and use social media as tools for facilitating civic engagement and collective action, researchers have surveyed 169 individuals from 53 advocacy groups about their uses social media and their ideas of its effectiveness. Over 90% of respondents admitted to using Facebook and twitter to communicate with citizens. Most advocacy groups employed social media workers, with larger groups hiring dozens to communicate these social media daily. The most telling part of the research was when respondents were asked whether or not they thought social media facilitated civic engagement or collective action. Almost all responded said yes, while most believed social media would be very important to the future of advocacy.
The homogeneity of responses contradict the idea that hash tag activism is ineffectual at creating social change. While individuals in advocacy groups are likely biased, in that they want hash tag activism to be successful because it would help their causes, certain economic trends support their responses. Larger advocacy groups have rapidly increased their social media marketing budget over the last five years. These large advocacy groups have likely conducted cost-benefit analyses and found that great investment in social media coordination improved desired output (whether that be donations, volunteering, etc.). Why else would they invest millions of dollars into these campaigns. Organizations that can afford large scale social media campaigns know how to allocate resources. The recent rush to spend more on social media suggests that advocacy organizations truly believe in the effectiveness of social media. Hopefully, future research on the benefits of social media campaigns will bring to light what these organizations already seem to know: the social media revolution is real.
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