Environmental Issues and the Bifurcation of Interests of the Global North and South

The relationship between the global north and south when it comes to environmental concerns is probably best framed by the debate over pollution of affluence versus poverty. Most of those countries facing environmental challenges in the northern hemisphere are generally considered developed countries that have already moved from agrarian to industrial economies. As a result the global north is far more concerned about the effects of greenhouse gas emissions.

In contrast, the countries below the equator are primarily underdeveloped countries still in the process of moving toward industrialization. As a result the countries of the southern hemisphere have only recently undertaken the steps of deforestation that their northern counterparts undertook in the 19^th century. The economic divide that separates the hemisphere is striking and provides a framework and foundation from which environmental concerns stem.

The pollution being created by the wealthier developed nations is caused by transportation and industrial means. Greenhouse gases escaping from cars and industry rise into the atmosphere to wreak havoc on the ozone layer. In response, there has been an outcry against those countries attacking the earth's biodiversity of plant life and animal life. Logging and development have resulted in widespread destruction of the nation's rain forests and boreal forests.

In response to this, those nations engaging in this destruction of the earth's plant life say they are being denied the same benefits of industrialization that created the wealth of the north. The north had no compunction about engaging in widespread destruction of their own natural resources as they developed from an agricultural base to an industrial and then technological base. Why should the countries of the south stop moving toward a wealthier economic base by cutting back on the development of natural resources when the global north is taking no steps to alleviate environmental damage that directly affects their economic base?