Nowadays, there has been a debate between two groups of people about the priorities of governments and citizens. The first group contends that business is the main national priority, whereas the others say that the preservation of the surroundings must be the most important benefit of international associations.
There are several reasons why people may consider the protection of the environment as the main purpose of international collaborations. The most obvious one is that global problems, such as global warming and environmental pollution, cannot be solved by individual countries. To clarify, only through international cooperation can governments pool budgets and resources to tackle issues like climate change and ocean-air pollution because of the massive scale of the problem. In 1997, for example, over 150 countries united to sign the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions accumulated since the industrial era. Eventually, this alliance became a milestone for future global climate agreements.
Proponents of the second statement, however, argue that the main catalyst for countries forming collaborations is commerce and trade. Over the decades, more and more nations have been launching economic integrations in order to achieve mutual benefits. China and the USA, for instance, established new trade routes and agreements to expand imports and exports. These changes lifted a majority of citizens on both sides out of poverty and hunger by creating thousands of new jobs and trading millions of products.
While these arguments have merit, environmental protection is increasingly included in the list of responsibilities of international businesses. The problem is not global businesses and companies themselves, but the type thereof. All we need to solve this debate is Socially Responsible Businesses (SRBs) – businesses that are environmentally friendly. In Western Europe, for example, governments set up strict regulations for corporations, and industrial emissions dropped significantly during the first five years of their implementation.
In conclusion, prioritizing international integration can pull millions of people out of poverty and hunger, as seen in the alliance between China and America. However, unchecked businesses and companies can translate into irreversible environmental problems. The most forward-thinking approach is launching only Socially Responsible Businesses.