Powers and responsibilities of the Greater London Authority and the Mayor

London is one of the largest cities in the world, and as such, the welfare of those within it should be protected. This responsibility has been given to the Greater London Authority, whose duty is to ensure that everything in the city functions efficiently for the benefit of the people of London. The chairman of the Greater London Authority (GLA) is the Mayor of London, and under his leadership, the GLA has the responsibility of making sure that the various divisions of the local authorities within its jurisdiction are well coordinated. The powers over the local authorities of Greater London can be considered to be similar, or equal, to those given to the City of London Corporation, and also the same as those of the local authorities in the boroughs of London. The Mayor of London has the power to create or influence policies and strategies which deal directly with the improvement of the services within the entire city (Tewdwr-Jones, 2011, 57).

This power can be said to carry five principal responsibilities which the Mayor has to carry out as part of his duties. The first of these is that he has to come up with strategies aimed at ensuring that the entire city is moving in the right direction and that these strategies have been implemented correctly. The second responsibility, which he has, is to look at all the needs of the city within a given financial year, and formulating a budget for these needs, which he must present to the Assembly where it will further be discussed. The third responsibility of the mayor is to be the ambassador of the city, not only within the country, but also abroad, and as such, he must present the best image of the city. As the ambassador of the city, he must ensure that London is presented as a city full of diversity as well as welcoming to all those who wish to invest within it. His fourth responsibility is to coordinate with the other bodies in the GLA to ensure that all the strategies, which have been proposed for the city, are put in place so that the city is able to run smoothly. The final prime responsibility of the Mayor of London is to make appointments to those bodies which he chairs as well as to other bodies, which function for the good of London.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Companies in the oil and gas sector have in the recent past increasingly come to be expected to provide assistance in the addressing of the most pressing problems in the world and these problems have included climate change, fighting poverty and the prevalence of HIV. The societies of both the developing and the developed world are some of the biggest stakeholders in the oil and gas industry because in one way or the other, it affects their lives. These are the people who have come to have more expectations from the companies within this industry to assume responsibilities to the public (Ekatah, 249). It is believed that these expectations will continue to increase in the future as the oil and gas companies continue to expand their activities all over the globe.

Companies from the oil and gas industry have come to adopt the theory of corporate social responsibility which is an approach they use when they are addressing the impact which their company activities have on the societies and environment in which they are involved. These companies have done their best to ensure that the communities which are affected by their activities have been well compensated and that their standards of living are even higher than they were before (Idemudia, 91). In the developed countries, in this case the United States, stakeholder meetings are very common especially in oil producing states such as Texas. These stakeholder meetings can be attended by anyone and they often address how the oil industry is affecting people as well as having dialogue and exchanges in matters concerning all stakeholders (Frynas, 163).

The stakeholder management theory states that there are other people who should be consulted when dealing with the affairs of a company other than its shareholders or owners. These people are those whose everyday lives are affected by the activities of the company or are concerned about these activities. These other people or parties include governmental organizations, trade unions, buyers and suppliers of products, the societies involved as well as the employees of the company involved. In the developed countries, the stakeholders in the oil and gas industry have a great say in its activities and this is mainly because of the freedom of speech which is guaranteed to them by their governments. Moreover, the oil and gas industry has to listen to these groups because of the powerful influence which they have in the political arena.

In the developing countries, however, and in this case Africa, there is a tendency by the oil and gas industry not to involve any stakeholders in their major decision making process. These companies are instead only accountable to their shareholders because the other groups are not sufficiently well developed to have any major influence on the oil and gas sector (Okoye, 364). The only major stakeholder in the oil and gas industry in Africa is the government and it rarely opposes any decision made by this industry, however detrimental to its people and the country’s environment, because of the need for investment so that it can have revenue.

Environmental Degradation and Capitalist Growth and Consumption

Environmental degradation has become one of the most fundamental issues to dominate the political, economic, and social landscapes in the twenty first century. This is mainly because of the realization that it is increasingly leading to global warming that might have an adverse effect on not only the lives of human beings, but also the sustainability of the planet. Among the issues that have been considered to be the causes of environmental degradation are capitalist growth and consumption. Capitalist growth and consumption is blamed for the rapid development of industries which, while satisfying the massive demand for diverse products, has also contributed significantly to the greenhouse gas emissions which are currently plaguing the planet through global warming. The mechanisms of capitalism have led to a situation where there has been an increase in environmental degradation to such an extent that it has become a threat to the entire planet.

Capitalist growth and consumption as a result of globalization have led to an increase in environmental degradation all over the planet. This is especially the case where, as a result of the ever-increasing demand for consumer goods, the capitalist economic model has encouraged the rapid exploitation of available natural resources to satisfy the demand. However, there has been a failure in the by capitalist political economy to recognize that the exploitation of natural resources has an adverse effect on the environment within which it is taking place. In the Ecuadorian Amazon, the decades-long extraction of oil has led to a serious degradation of the environment to such an extent that species that were once prominent in the area are slowly but surely dying out. The large amounts of toxic chemicals released into the local environment as a result of unsafe ways of extracting oil has led to a situation where it has become highly unsustainable for both people and the various species that live within it (Center for Economic and Social Rights 1994, 82). However, despite the negative effects of oil extraction, there have been plans to increase oil production to such an extent that the possible ramifications on the environment have been almost completely ignored. The demand for oil in the global economy as well as the need for local governments to ensure that they are able to attain the money needed to balance their budgets means that it is very hard to change the minds of policymakers when it comes to reversing the effects of environmental degradation, especially among developing countries.

In addition, the capitalist system has led to the development of large corporations which, as a result of their activities, have essentially become a part of the economic and environmental problem. This is especially the case where these corporations operate in conflict zones despite the massive damage that their activities bring about (Raleigh 2007, 674). Corporations, as a result of the outrage that has come about because of their involvement in the degradation of the environment, have often sought to ensure that they remain relevant in the public eye through coming up with or adopting such philosophies as corporate social responsibility. However, social responsibility is normally considered to be a mask behind which corporations continue with their activities as usual while claiming to be helping those who are negatively affected by their activities. However, the reality is that there is increasing evidence showing corporations still making a lot of money at the expense of local populations and the environment. The propagation of social responsibility has also allowed corporations, especially in the oil and gas sector, to continue with their operation in conflict areas such as in South Sudan with the claim that their presence is good for the local population (Idahosa 2002, 228). This is normally not the case because it is as a result of their activities that both sides of the conflict end up having the necessary funding to ensure that the wars that they are conducting end up seemingly endless. As a result, local populations suffer and the environment becomes increasingly degraded through the use of diverse weapons, while the corporations, which have the money and power, continue reaping the profits.

Moreover, the capitalist economy has led to a situation where the emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere have led to global warming on an unprecedented scale. Global warming has become a serious threat, especially among island nations which are witnessing a rise in sea levels; a threat to their very existence. Islands such as Tuvalu, with small landmasses and being wholly dependent on importation of consumer goods, are at a high risk of not only falling victim to global warming, but might also have to endure serious losses of life as a result of their isolation (Connell 2004, 260). Moreover, human response to disaster in these areas is likely to be slower because the small size of these islands has the effect of not being able to sustain ever increasing human populations. The greenhouse effect has also had a negative effect on agricultural production within these islands because the rising sea levels have led to the salination of a significant amount of valuable fresh water sources (Connell 2004, 262). It has therefore become essential for steps to be taken to ensure that there is greater awareness concerning the effects of capitalist growth on the rest of the world through an accurate study of effect so that it can be possible to reduce the rate of global warming. Such awareness is likely to lead to the creation of greater efficiency in helping island nations achieve environmental sustainability while at the same time be able to promote the retention of local ecosystems.

Capitalist growth and consumption as well as its role in environmental degradation have become a human rights issue. This issue has come about because the rapid industrialization of developed countries has led to a situation where the massive amounts of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere has brought about global warming. Global warming has become a serious problem, especially for the poor, who make up the majority of people in the world, who cannot afford to protect themselves against the rapid changes taking place in their environment (Docherty and Giannini 2009, 350). The promotion of development goals in most developing countries such as India and China in order to achieve developed status has ensured that there is an almost total disregard for the need to protect the environment from degradation. Actions aimed at reducing environmental degradation present a dilemma for policymakers in developing countries because most of them might be considered to infringe on human rights. This is the case where policies implemented might lead to a reduction in the number of commodities that are available for poorer people who rely on cheap manufactured products in order to make ends meet.

In conclusion, the discussion has made an analysis of why the mechanisms of capitalism have led to a situation where there has been an increase in environmental degradation to such an extent that it has become a threat to the entire planet. There has been recognition that capitalist growth and consumption as a result of globalization have led to an increase in environmental degradation all over the planet. In addition, the capitalist system has led to the development of large corporations which, as a result of their activities, have essentially become a part of the economic and environmental problem. Moreover, the capitalist economy has led to a situation where the emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere have led to global warming on an unprecedented scale. Finally, an argument stating that capitalist growth and consumption as well as its role in environmental degradation have become a human rights issue has been presented, showing that there has to be a balance between environmental protection and human rights.