The Myth of Localism

Some delegates at the world trade talks claim to defend the interests of the poor but actually promote policies that are detrimental to developing countries, says British environmentalist and author George Monbiot in The Guardian. A proposal of particular danger, Monbiot argues, is localization, which advocates that everything that can be produced locally should be produced locally. Proponents of this proposal claim that localization would help poor countries cultivate self-reliance and reduce trade's contribution to climate change. However, most developing countries lack the raw materials and domestic markets necessary to make this plan feasible; poor countries would ultimately have to import the desired goods, thus perpetuating their reliance on the developed world and doing little to reduce global trade traffic. A better policy, Monbiot says, would be for poor countries to trade on what they don't have – excessive carbon dioxide emissions. Under the "contraction and convergence" proposal, countries that produce carbon dioxide in excess of their established quota would be forced to purchase unused quota from other countries. "Those nations using the least fossil fuel would possess a near-monopoly over the trade in emissions," the author argues. "This would help redress the economic balance between rich and poor and compensate the poor for the damage inflicted by the rich nations' pollution." – YaleGlobal