The State of the World, 1999 Report from the Worldwatch Institute suggests that the global economy could be seriously affected by environmental problems , such as the lack of access to enough resources to meet growing population demands.
Environmental degradation can contribute to social and political instability which can lead to security issues. This has not currently been addressed by the foreign policy of many nations.
. See the trade and economics section for more on this aspect.)
As the effects of globalization are creating further disparities and inequalities, around the world we are seeing an increase in violence and human rights abuses as disputes about territories, food and water are spilling into wars and internal conflicts. People are fighting for basic needs.The following are some of the areas of current and future tension. (Note how in the case of many of the regions mentioned below, wealthier nations have often been involved to extract and consume the resources leaving even less in the region for growing populations to contend with.)
- the various conflicts in Africa. It is also feared that conflicts involving water will increase.
- in the Middle East national interests in the vast oil fields have led to wars and influence from states like USA and UK.
- the 1998 riots in Indonesia were fueled by the current global financial crisis.
- Iraq, Syria and Turkey where there is tension surrounding the water flow of the Euphrates and Tigris.
- in Israel and Jordan, Israel cut water supplies to Jordan due to sever drought
- Israel and Palestine also are fighting over water resources as well.
- Water scarcity in the Gaza region has contributed to the tensions in the Middle East.
- Environmental scarcity and social tensions in Pakistan have led to a worsening situation.
- Environmental scarcity in Rwanda contributed to the ethnic conflicts in 1994.
- Degradation on the environment and an increase in population is fueling tension in South Africa.
- In Equador, it is predicted that extreme violence is going to be seen at indigenous protests against giant oil corporations.
World Watch Institute also point out that water will once again be at the center of new conflicts. They point out that things like IMF and World Bank-backed privatization policies, flawed big damn projects etc have caused further tensions, protest and violence.
Many from those conflicts above, and other conflicts not listed, also see the underlying cause of overly corporate-led globalization as a root cause as well, as they and the foreign policies of the wealthier nations have allowed economic and resource-controlling policies to be instituted in their favor.
Also, while famine is often said to result from effects which are caused by over-population, it is often overlooked on how the impact of politics and economics have a far more significant impact on famines than do "over" population.
It is often claimed that population increases lead to poverty and this is why the poor suffer, but as shown throughout this site, causes of poverty are not in population increases, but are due to economic and geopolitical reasons.