Globalization refers to quantitative and qualitative expansions in transborder flows of activities and ideas. These are commercial, such as the one trillion dollars of finance capital that circulates daily; or cultural. Some argue globalization represents a qualitative step away from earlier trends like "internationalization"; others use the term to contrast bilateral state-to-state flows with system-wide dynamics like environmental changes, or to indicate the simultaneous pressures on national level decision-making created from "bottom up" populist and participatory pressures, on the one hand, and "top down" transborder challenges on the other. Others use the term simply as an updated synonym for internationalization. The larger picture of global development that these trends paint isn't very encouraging. Despite efforts to develop the Third World, Third World peoples face higher levels of pollution, deforestation, overcrowding, and have lower standards of living and resource consumption. The larger conclusion we can draw from these statistics is that the First World's higher living standards, higher resource consumption, and less serious environmental problems are the direct result of developed countries exploiting the wealth, resources, and environment of the Third World. Despite First World efforts to develop the Third World, the majority of Third World people's lives and standard of living is lower than it was before 1945, when the developed nations led by the United States began in earnest to develop the Third World.
