Chapter 7: Linking Globalization, Consumption, and Governance

Hilary French


The rapid globalization of the consumer economy during the 1990s was closely linked with a general economic boom in the form of more manufactured goods and services, and greater monetary flows across international borders.

One subcomponent of this expansion has been the rapid growth in trade in a range of environmentally sensitive commodities, such as minerals, forest products, fish, and agricultural produce—all which leave their mark on the planet’s natural systems.

Additionally, by stretching the physical distance between the location where a product is first made to where it is later used and then disposed of, today’s global economies tend to insulate end consumers from the various negative environmental and social impacts of their purchases.

Shifting to more sustainable patterns of consumption and production is a global challenge. Global alliances need to be strengthened to create an economy based on protecting rather than plundering the planet’s wealth. This can be achieved in part by strengthening international environmental treaties and institutions, revamping world trade rules, and promoting more effective collaboration among international institutions, national governments, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations.