Professor Craig N . Murphy begins his chapter “Where Democratization and Globalization Meet” with an interesting thought experiment. He calls it a “democratic solution to a global problem.” The problem he addresses is one whose global reach is clear: Climate Change. The disruptive and devastating impact of human industry on the ecological well-being of the Earth is widespread, and while blame is rightly skewed towards wealthy industrialized nations, the consequences affect everyone.
Murphy points to two knowable numbers. The first is the total amount of carbon that can be released in a year without contributing to climate change. Secondly, he notes when that total is divided by the population of the earth, a concrete personal yearly carbon limit is derived. This second number represents the amount of carbon each individual could safely contribute to the global total without worsening climate change.
In this hypothetical world, Murphy describes some of the effects identifying these limits might create. Individuals might start to work to control their limits. Democratized pressure could begin to influence larger groups and institutions. For example, students might prefer to take classes from professors who are carbon-neutral or attend universities that have publicized plans for carbon neutrality in the next five years. Consumers would prefer to purchase goods and services from carbon-neutral brands, mirroring the push for cruelty-free or vegan brands that we see in the contemporary world. Legislation might be introduced at local levels, state levels, and even federal levels.
There could be pressure between countries to encourage carbon neutrality on a larger scale. It could become a condition of entry or membership in organizations like the UN or participation or hosting international events like the Olympics. Murphy also discusses how science would work to keep up with interest and demand, improving ways to accurately measure carbon output and also developing better offsetting measures so that wealthy people, corporations, and governments could continue to overproduce carbon and reach neutrality only through offsetting measures.
Global problems like climate change affect everyone and are too significant for any one nation or small group of nations to combat alone. Murphy highlights “the weakening of democracy at all levels, the nexus of organized crime, illegal drugs, and terrorism, the related arms trade, the humanitarian consequences of dictators and warlords, and over-militarization” (Murphy, 2022, pg. 26). He demonstrates a link between globalization and a decrease in democratization. Importantly, he notes that much of the formal processes of globalization have been based on imperialism and capitalist industry, forces that are not conducive to the expansion of democracy.
The thought experiment at the beginning of the chapter paints an overly rosy picture of humanity. Forces of greed, corruption, and even apathy, would make such a solution to climate change extremely unlikely to succeed. After this, the chapter demonstrates many challenges facing the world, and their entrenched causes and consequences. In general, it makes the problems facing the world seem daunting. Yet Murphy concludes with a sense of hope. Highlighting the better angels that can exist within humanity.
Of course, all of us are not sufficiently, wise, compassionate, moderate, and brave to make a world without global problems, but if we social scientists are willing to consider the possibility that having more people with those characteristics might make those problems easier to solve, then perhaps we should be attentive to the existence of such people whenever we find them (Murphy, 2022, pg. 41).
These qualities are naturally existing and can be cultivated and encouraged. They provide the hope that we can eventually come together to address the problems that face us as a world.
About the Author:
Stella Hudson is a Graduate Assistant with the Baha’i Chair for World Peace. She graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2021 with a B.A. in English. She is attending the University of Maryland and pursuing a Master’s of Library and Information Science.