Egypt: Globalization and Trade Agreements

Madison Fisher 

Globalization and Trade Agreements

Figure 1: Map of environmental Issues in Egypt 

         Globalization is defined as the increasing interconnectedness of people and places through converging economic, political and cultural activities (Rowntree). The economic advantage to globalization is the increase in trade agreements, but many people do not see globalization as having a negative impact on the environment. For example, in Cairo, Egypt there is a demand for housing since globalization has increased tourism, creating more demand for products and services. This in time causes stress on the environment due to the rapid increase in transportation of goods to and from the region. Another example of the negative effects of globalization on the environment is Egyptian cotton. If that is in demand, it has to be shipped and causes pollution for whatever means of travel.  Since it is in high demand, more cotton will need to be grown using natural resources to make the materials needed but if there are not enough natural resources that the environment is providing, then it will become much more difficult to produce what is needed.

            Another issue is the negative impacts on trade agreements for the environment. While most might see trading as a positive thing, there are many negative impacts that can occur. Since Egypt exports petroleum, for example, it is considered one of the members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Because petroleum makes up some of the exports, foreign corporations want to form partnerships to get what resources they can. When this happens, recessions occur because of the constant need for that product or resource (Rowntree).

            Many of the issues currently in Egypt dealing with globalization and trade agreements have to do with salinization, water management, oil pollution and desertification (Egypt). First, salinization is the buildup of toxic salts in the soil and is prevalent in arid regions (Rowntree). This is dangerous to Egypt’s environment because it makes it difficult to grow or produce different resources with land quality being so poor. Next is the Egyptian water supply being polluted especially along the Aswan High Dam. This dam has caused issues because irrigation has increased the salinization and water cannot be “flushed” from the fields. Another issue surrounding the water deals with more costly fertilizers to protect the soil, collapse of a fishing industry in the Mediterranean and the filling of sediments in a Lake behind the dam (Rowntree). Lastly, Oil pollution is affecting the reefs, beaches and habitats of animals that the country may attempt to catch and sell or eat as their food source.

Works Cited

Rowntree, Lester. Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.

"Egypt." Egypt. Ed. Peter Saundry. N.p., 8 May 2013. Web. 03 Dec. 2014.

Figure 1 

Pg:219-Rowntree, Lester. Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.