Ecologically unequal exchange
Ecologically unequal exchange means that some countries take advantage of others by using their natural resources and polluting their environment, without giving them a fair compensation. Imagine you and your friend have a toy box that you share, and one day your friend takes all the best toys and leaves you with broken ones. This is unfair, right? This is what happens with natural resources, some countries are rich in them, while others are poor, and the rich countries take advantage by using the poor countries' resources to make money without giving them fair compensation.
For example, a rich country might buy timber from a poor country, and then sell products made from that timber for a high price, without giving the poor country a fair share of the profit. This not only creates an economic imbalance, but also an environmental one, as the rich country is depleting the poor country's natural resources and polluting their environment.
Ecologically unequal exchange also means that, because certain countries consume more resources than others, they produce more pollution, contributing to climate change, and impacting the most vulnerable people’s livelihoods in the poorest countries in the world. It is important that countries work together to ensure that natural resources are used sustainably, and that poorer countries are compensated fairly for their role in this process.
For example, a rich country might buy timber from a poor country, and then sell products made from that timber for a high price, without giving the poor country a fair share of the profit. This not only creates an economic imbalance, but also an environmental one, as the rich country is depleting the poor country's natural resources and polluting their environment.
Ecologically unequal exchange also means that, because certain countries consume more resources than others, they produce more pollution, contributing to climate change, and impacting the most vulnerable people’s livelihoods in the poorest countries in the world. It is important that countries work together to ensure that natural resources are used sustainably, and that poorer countries are compensated fairly for their role in this process.