Environment, Crime, and Disease

Environment, Crime, and Disease 

Name

Institution

Introduction

Globalization is one of the amazing phenomena of the present age. Globalization is a process by which the world is increasingly becoming one i.e. events happening on one part of the world equally affects the rest of the world. Globalisation is associated with increased integration of the world economy and mobility of people, goods, labour, capital and information. Alongside, there are also unfavourable effects that come with globalisation. These include negative environmental impacts, crime and diseases. A number of countries around the world have suffered a number of negative consequences of globalisation due to effect of activities from other areas. For instance, the melting of ice in the polar region due to the global warming is caused by release of greenhouse gases by industries in countries far away from the poles. The spread of negative environmental impacts, crime and diseases through globalisation has affected many countries around the world. Spain, being one of the developed countries with ability to attract a lot of activities in the globalised world has not escaped the wrath of these negative outcomes of globalisation.

Overview

Globalisation has exposed the world to numerous environmental challenges through crime and through diseases. The greatest environmental challenge is global warming, a climatic change that has increased drought in some areas and heavy rains causing floods in other areas. Many people are increasingly losing their clean water resources and habitats through pollution and degradation; hence making the world a common place for disasters. The quality of air has also diminished and as a result more peoples are suffering from several recognisable illnesses (Palme, 2007). In fact, diseases resulting from poor air and water quality have increased considerable in two decades.

Crime too has taken a global outlook, since criminal have formed global networks to perpetuate their criminal activities (BBC Global Crime Report, n.d.). Most common crimes on the international arena are money laundering, human trafficking, and drug trafficking together with illegal immigration. Criminal create the networks to facilitate their criminal activities and go unpunished.

The spread of diseases across international borders has also become a common occurrence (World Health Organization, 2004). The mobility of people across international borders is higher and continuously increasing. This increase also facilitates spread of diseases. Confined circulation of air in mode used during this movement such as airplanes exposes many people to infections. Global tourism also encourages spread of diseases such as hepatitis and HIV/AIDS, and this most happens in sex tourism industries around the world.

Environment, crime and disease challenges in Spain

The Environment

In Spain, there are a number of environmental challenges that can be traced to the globalization wave. The most notable problem is that of population increase due to illegal immigration. The proximity of Spain to Africa has encouraged illegal immigrants to use Spain as a route of entry into Europe in search of better economic opportunities. The increase in population puts a strain on the natural resources in the country. Resources such as water become stretched beyond their ability resulting in their degradation. Spain is also one of the countries that depend on tourism. Tourism in the country has also encouraged overexploitation of natural resources like energy, underground water, and even destruction of landscaped through creation of tourist hotels and resort. There is also increased generation of wastes as tourist flock on the countries beaches.

Another negative influence of tourism on the country is the increased production of greenhouse gases causing climate change and incidences of acid rain. The greenhouse gases originate from gases produced in the process of transporting the tourists to the country and within the country via air and road. Planes in the air and vehicles on the road both generate greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming (El Rincón del Vago, n.d.). Other gases are produced through combustion of fossil fuels leading to formation of acidic rains. Different ecosystems in Spain have been destroyed by different activities. The littoral had been destroyed by construction of concrete wall, while mountainous areas have been destroyed by ski station and invasion by thousands of hikers (El Rincón del Vago, n.d.). The construction of golf courses as tourist attraction scene has increased the use of pesticides and consumption of water used in watering the fields in traditional arid land of Andalucía, Spain. Some areas of Spain such as Benidorm, have numerous tourist hotels close to the beaches. The enormous numbers of tourist who visit the hotel contribute immensely to the pollution of the beaches and the surrounding waters. The greatest impact is brought about by discharge of poorly treated sewages in to the waters causing water pollution, proliferation of diseases and destruction of marine ecosystem. Global climate change and warming are also threatening to wash away the beautiful beaches in Spain due to rising sea levels. This destruction will have terrible effects on Spain’s tourism industry.

Crime

Crime rate in Spain are also high. Again, the high rate of immigration is at the centre of crimes in Spain. Illegal immigrants are believed to be behind the increase of crime in the country for the last 20 years (Lea, 2005). Indeed, the number of immigrants in Spaniard jails is high. The perception of immigrants criminal is also responsible for increase in xenophobic sentiments among the Spaniards.

International criminals also use the country to network. For instance, the traffickers of cocaine consistently use the country to traffic cocaine to France and Netherlands. In the 80’s, Spain ports provided networks for shipment of large cargos of cocaine hauls (Lea, 2005). In recent times, the country has become resourceful to international criminals who traffic cocaine in small packs. They use the country for shipment of the narcotics to the rest of Europe.

Spain is also an effective networking point for human traffickers. Man modern day slaves from the Middle East and Africa are transported to various destinations through Spain. Spain herself also serves as a destination for some of these trafficked victims especially women who go to work as prostitutes in the country. The Spaniard sex tourism industry rivals that of Thailand. This prominence of the sex tourism industry t has encouraged human traffickers to trafficked women and young girls to the country to work as prostitutes. According to Think Spain (2012) 9 in every 10 women participating in sex tourism are held against their will. Also, most of them are from foreign countries and were either kidnapped from their countries or were lured to come to Spain under the disguise of job opportunities.

Spread of diseases

Globalisation is also at the centre of spread of debases around the spread of diseases, some of them deadly, around world. Spain host may people from different parents of the world. This people come with different diseases and once in Spain these infections spread and affect the Spaniards too. HIV is highly prevalent in the country especially due to the sex tourism industry. During the Swine flue outbreak Spain record several cases of infection. The case occurred in people who had been to Mexico or had been in contact with people who had been to Mexico during the outbreak. The disease was certainly imported from Mexico. A report on imported communicable diseases in Spain noted that various there are different disease in Spain brought in from different parts of the world (Monge-Maillo et al, n.d.). These included tropical infectious diseases such as changes disease, malaria, filariasis, and intestinal parasite. Other which included highly infectious communicable diseases were tuberculosis, hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS (Monge-Maillo et al, n.d.).

Recommendations for Mitigation

These negative impacts of globalisation in different parts of the world including Spain can be mitigated use different effective approaches. Illegal immigration can be curtailed through a corporation between the countries of origin and the destination of the immigrants. This can be done through ensuring that no one leaves their country without documentation or no one entre another country without documentation. The negative impact tourism can be curtailed through encouraging ecotourism which enhances environmental conservation. Tight regulation can be enforced against hotel owner to ensure that the treat sewerage properly before they release it in proper safe places other that the oceans or seas. All wasteful practices the adversely affect natural environment or waste resources should be discourage. Last, international crime can be stopped through corporation among different countries. Just like illegal immigration, human trafficking should be handled by mitigation effort at the source where victims are captured and the destination where the victims end up. Severe punishment for drug and human traffickers can help deter their activities.

Conclusion

Globalisation encourages the speared of negative environmental impact, international spread or crime and exportation of diseases to other countries. Spain has experience its share of environmental, crime and disease challenges resulting from globalization. Most of the environmental challenges originate from increase in population due to illegal and uncontrolled immigration which increases population beyond what the available resources can carry. The environment is also affect by the countries tourism industry. The illegal immigrants are also at the centre of the criminal activities in the country. Other crimes that are international in nature are orchestrated by human and drug traffickers. Globalization as further lead to spread of many diseases to Spain, these include HIV/AIDS, Swine flue, STIs, tuberculosis, hepatitis and other. Most of the diseases are brought in by tourist and illegal immigrants.

Reference

BBC Global Crime Report. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/global_crime_report/index.shtml

El Rincón del Vago. (n.d.). Impacts of Tourism. Retrieved from http://html.rincondelvago.com/impacts-of-tourism.html

Lea, J. (2005). Globalisation and Criminal Networks. Retrieved from http://www.bunker8.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/orgcrim/3805a.htm

Monge-Maillo, et al (n.d.). Monge-Maillo et al Imported Infectious Diseases in Mobile Populations, Spain. Retrieved from http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/15/11/09-0718_article.htm

Palme, S. (2007). Water of Life in Peril. Today’s Dietitian 8 (10) P. 54

Think SPAIN. (2012). Human trafficking and low rates make Spain top for ‘sex tourism’. Retrieved from http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21032/human-trafficking-and-low-rates-make-spain-top-for-sex-tourism

World Health Organization. (2004). Globalization and infectious diseases: A review of the linkages. Switzerland: World Health Organization