Paul Wapner's article explains to readers how certain environmental institutions (such as Greenpeace) contribute to political globalism. When I first read the name 'political globalism, I first thought it would be about how politics play a role in globalization, and the author described it as exactly that. He argues that politics is shaped by non-governmental organizations that exert pressure on state governments. I found it interesting that Greenpeace can influence environmental issues among the public, even though it is not officially part of the government. To do this, they use campaigns, protests, and social media to raise awareness. I think these are all great ways of promoting environmental protection. After reading this chapter, I better understood how globalization and activism come together.
The Washington Post article explains how graphite has destroyed many areas throughout China. These graphite factories are used to create lithium-ion batteries, which cause many serious health and pollution problems. The Heilongjiang Province ("the city of graphite") holds many of these workshops. I was surprised to see such a large city commonly called "the city of graphite". The area seems like a place I would want to avoid, since the name sounds like a very unhealthy place to live. As the name suggests, it seems it's a very polluted and unhealthy place to be residing. The graphite wasn't just creating pollution in the air; it was also harming water quality, crops and plants, and people's everyday lives. I couldn't imagine living in this type of environment.
On the NYC news, I would watch reporters report on accidents caused by lithium-ion batteries. That was really the only thing I knew about the dangerous device. After reading this article, I learned how they are used to create products from large companies such as Apple and Samsung.
The communities in China that had to live with graphite dust struggled daily. The writer interviewed several members. They described how they were never able to wash off the dust of crops, and how much dust would fill the house. If you left the window open for fresh air, many people would be exposed to hazardous water quality. Those who worked in these graphite factories were exposed to all of this dust never had good working conditions. Those who were interviewed believed there has been an impact all across China, and that something should change. However, they don't. share their true opinion publicly, as they are afraid it would get back to their boss, and they'd be fired.
The New York Times article talks about Barbados' financial struggles and how the country is attempting to combat this deficit. Global warming has also had a huge impact, as they've been experiencing longer, drier droughts, more hurricanes, and less water supply. I was a little surprised that the country has been experiencing longer periods of drought, since the country is surrounded by water. Many poor nations heavily impacted by global warming tend to be in some sort of financial crisis. This didn't surprise me, as the effects of global warming can be costly. According to the World Bank, climate change has driven up damages and made it difficult for Caribbean economies to rebuild. Mottley then looked towards the IMF for assistance, as they've been helpful for many other nations. They landed a deal; however, once that deal was locked, Mottley realized this was an illusion. It was unfortunate that they never realized this before securing a deal with the IMF. Over time, the country did its best despite its struggles. My favorite line in the article was "For Mottley, the fact that Britain was swimming in vaccine doses for months while Barbados had to beg China for a few thousand vitals was a prime example." It showed the difference between how bigger countries are doing vs much smaller ones. Once the war in Ukraine picked up, the country had to reset. The end of the article leaves readers with a question: Will they ever recover?
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