Global health. The current scenario and future perspectives

72 and the generation of industrial, commercial and household waste. All of this leads to intensified ecological imbalances and climate change and results in economic costs and welfare losses for society, especially in developing countries where a significant portion of the population relies on agriculture and other climate-sensitive sectors. Below, we will describe the most relevant specific global environmental impacts that have occurred due to the increase in globalization and international treaties that have attempted to address these impacts. Globalization, environmental consequences, and efforts to resolve them In the past 50 years, the world has been drastically transformed by an explosion of global trade and increased consumption, which is causing the destruction and rapid degradation of nature in a world where natural resources are being overexploited at an unprecedented rate. Six specific global environmental problems are examined: a) threats to wildlife, b) loss of biodiversity, c) ecosystem degradation, d) depletion of the ozone layer, e) environmental pollution and f) global warming . 12 W e will include a description of the problem, international cooperation versus sovereign control, cultural assessments of the need for environmental protection and environmental concerns versus economic development. a) Threats to wildlife The most visible victims of the environmental problems caused by globalization are animals. They face a range of threats stemming from human economic activities, including the degradation of their habitats and the direct extinction of thousands of species. The threats most closely related to international trade are the trade in animals and the spread of invasive species. The trade in animals is a vast and lucrative industry worldwide. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), in 1976, the legitimate international wildlife industry had an estimated value of USD 300 billion and involved hundreds of millions of individual animal specimens. However, a significant portion of the wildlife trade is illegal. Rare and endangered animals and plants are often transferred from wild habitats in low-income countries to buyers in high-income countries through well- organized smuggling networks. These animals are used in medicines, for 12 Editor’s note: Due to their relevance to global health, two of these problems will be analyzed in greater detail in other specific chapters of this book: biodiversity loss and climate change.