Global Political and Economic; Global unification

Introduction:

For this final paper, I chose to address the Global political and economic architecture problem from the Global Health Watch 3 to understand the cause and root that led to of our financial crisis, fuel crisis and food crisis; the three F’s. This section of the Global Health Watch 3 identified the cause and root to our financial crisis which then led to the other two F’s, food crisis and fuel crisis and connecting how one led to other. It also addressed how political leaders fail to recognize the effect of global warming, the practical result that due to extreme climate changes of the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas is largely driven by the emissions from production and energy consumption—the more energy used, the more fuel are used, the less resource which led to increase of gas and increase the cost of everything else. The article attempted to connect the dots of how the financial crisis result in the fuel crisis relate to the food crisis. While my other anthropology article The Problem with Politics: Some Problems in Forecasting Global Political Integration by Paul Roscoe addressed the important of global unification to resolving global issues. He empathize the significant of communication and interactions among political leaders to recognize and solve global problems. The development of technologies of communication and of the organizational structures both supports—and crucial to political and global unification. Through these two articles, it has allowed me to broaden my understanding the failure of economic, the result and reasons for our financial crisis and the importance of our leaders to recognize it together—communicate and attempt to “fix” the current problem. The Global Health Watch 3 addressed the problems providing detail information, the Problem with Politics provided details on fails of our leaders which both result in global financial crisis that both linked to the way humanity addresses the greenhouse gas emission and limit gaseous production problem. It appears that we understand the cause to the current global problem but the breakdown of the situation, humanity does know the what and why to the problem.

Body:

Problem-

From the Global Health Watch 3, I have focused on The global political and economic architecture section which allowed me to understand the connections between the crises. The world has been suffering from the three F’s: the food, fuel and financial crises.  Each one of the crisis is linked to each other and ties down to the fact that the lack of global warming knowledge. The fuel crisis we saw dated back in 1998 and 2000 when oil price doubled then it doubled again in 2003 and 2005 and again in 2005 and 2008.  “At its July 2008 peak of US$133 per barrel, the price was 94 per cent higher than it had been a year previously, and ten times the 1998 average.  Other fuel prices followed a similar trend. Even in the wake of the most serious global financial crisis since the 1930s, fuel prices are higher today than in any year except 2008, and more than four times their average level in the 1990s, (GHW 3, 26).” This supports the fact that the oil and gas price has not been stabilized for the past 14 years. Because of the rapid increase of the price of oil and gas, it has also rapid increase the price of food. Rice, an essential component of many people’s diet in the developing world was affected with the prices increasing more than fourfold from 2001 to 2008. This was also very similar to the price of maize. Rapid increase of fuel print contributes to the increase of food price—which both the US and the European Union are convinced to try shifting to biofuels for a change. The linkage between the fuel crisis and the climate crisis has a strong connection. The first contributes to the fuel crisis is the change of climate, “Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, largely driven by emissions from production and domestic energy consumption, have already reached a level at which they raise the global average temperatures by around 1° centigrade from pre-industrial levels,” The absence of effective measures to reduce emission relative to the total production and consumption, a renewal of economic growth would drive yet, further increases, and the update trend that we tend to expect. For geographical reasons, the poorest countries are the among those worst affected— they have the least resources to protect themselves through “climate proofing. Their low incomes greatly exacerbated the impacts on the population.  The result is an increasing polarization between larger and more powerful ‘emerging market’ economies and a large number of smaller and poorer ‘submerging markets’, struggling to keep their heads above the water as the rising tide of global economic growth conspicuously fails to lift all boats. Climate change has definitely contributed to the food crisis in the agricultural commodity markets. For an example, recent study suggested that a significant negative net effect of climate-change-related temperature increases on rice in some locations in Asia. “The primary effect of the development crisis has been to increase the vulnerability of the poorest developing countries, particularly to the food and fuel crises, GHW 3, 15).”  The consequence of failing of the major economies to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels, an essential step to tackle climate, implies that demand for oil and gas on the international market is increasing rapidly than it would have had if it was reduced with the constraints on carbon emissions. Medical anthropology would have see the difference perceptions from cultural, social and individuals to conduct studies that will be benefiting.  We can clearly see that there has been studies on the usage of carbon emission and what we can do to reduce fuel usage, yet, nothing is put into practice.

Summarize-

The medical anthropology articles The problem with polities: some problems in Forecasting global political Integration by Paul Rocoe blames the political leadership structure and communication method for the lack of global unification . He also blames that humanity “presumed” that no global agreement would be instituted to limit gaseous production, which would be a solution to the current global issue. Medical anthropology approached the subject of global unification into two ways: empirical and theoretical. The theoretical approach is perhaps the most important reason why unification will continue to proceed and fragmentation recede during the long term is the “relentless” development of technologies of communication and of the organizational structures that both are supported. If leaders knows how to exercise their power they would be able to effectively interact with each other and create global unification. “ With the development of technologies of communication and locomotion, in particular those of industrial society, the time costs of bringing about political interactions have fallen dramatically, increasing the capacity of leaders to extend their power,” suggestion that there are resources now for leaders to reach out to each other. Although he did mention that it can be costly for political leaders to interaction and communicate with each other in hoping for global unification.  “Rather, their capacity to increase interaction will continue to expand and so too, we must conclude, will the capacity of leaders to extend their hegemony until, at some future date, the globe is unified.” The article also suggestion that while global unification may not be possible, yet, we should accept that social power is capable to secure the outcome of global unification. Power is capacity. “Resources are the “bases” or “vehicles” of power, the media that political actors deploy to achieve their particular ends, and depending on cultural context, they may take any number of forms. He suggest us to think and pay attention to the impact that global unification can change in policies, security, economic resources, addressing global warming, and any global problems we may face. He suggested that no matter where we are, the capacity we may carry, the move we take and actions to implement, it is all  important because it will piece itself together to some sort of unification itself. “ As human capacity to move across the face of the globe ever increases, as the ability to interact though electronic means that distant others develops yet, further, so too will the pace of all types of unification.  Assessing developments in these technologies will be important no matter in which kind of global unification we are interested in.”

Medical anthropology perspective would frame this problem to be a social, economic and political issue concerning how society functions and how we decide to exploit our resources. Whether is natural resources or environmental resources, we should be able to those resources to study and restore health and global issues. Medical anthropology would study the situation, find a study to apply, study the finding and implement a plan that is benefiting to the situation.  The author of the article stated the problems—lack of global unification and how it became a problem but he didn’t not address how we can significant change that issue besides proposing that political leaders or to-be leaders to communicate and work together. Now the GHW would do otherwise. The GHW had stated the problem, the issues relating to the problem, how it come to form, the component to the problems and how we significant change it.  The GHW suggest a plan to reduce energy usage, constraint on carbon emission, and safe energy.  Conserving energy would save money, and may resolve our financial crisis.

However, Medical anthropology would also collect data on the topic of reduction in oil and gas to carbon emission useage.  I think that the different techniques in observations such as indirect or direct observation would be beneficial to monitoring the effect of addressing the three F’s crisis of fuel, food and financial crisis that link to political power fail to communication and recognize the problem. Just as we mentioned in class that our perception is a process of gathering information through any or all of our sense, followed by the act of organizing this information and making sense of it. Our perception is share by our culture, politics, social position, etc, so we should, like the article stated, establish a strong form of communication structures among political leaders to address and resolve these global concerns we can currently facing together; form global unification.

Conclusion:

I definitely agreed that we because our political leaders fail to recognize that global warming may created or be linked to the current global issues we are currently facing and that if they are leaders as they are, they would take the initiative to interact and work together to resolve these global concerns. They should realize that droughts, hurricanes, natural disaster are all due to global warming is affecting the economy by effect our agriculture produce; food produce.  Our resource of energy or ways to produce energy should change because we are running low on natural resources. The higher the price for gas and oil, the higher transportation will cost to transport goods and that means the price for food also increases. Our leaders as they claimed themselves to be should take their roles as leaders to use any form of transportation and communication to acknowledge and understand the current crises and resolve it together. It is their job to use their power and implement changes effectively. We need them to take action and form global unification. I believe we can resolve many problems together if we are willing to sit down all together, listen, learn and come up with an action plan to really address global warming, the fuel, food and financial crises that we are currently facing and establish global unification. Through strong, powerful and effective leaderships from our leaders, we can not only recognize the problem but also address it through various perceptions we may have and form a strong, powerful and effective plan to protect and safe the global. The live in this planet and we have the right to protect and maintain it to the best it can be.