Recent Researches in Energy & Environment

The impact of Globalization on the Development of Rural communities from . Case study: The main social problems generated by degradation of the environment in the rural communities from Gorj County

ADRIAN GORUN, LUMINIȚA GEORGETA POPESCU, HORATIU GORUN, MIHAI CRUCERU University “Constantin Brancusi” from Targu- Eroilor 30, Targu-Jiu, Gorj, RO-210152 ROMANIA e-mail:[email protected] http://www.utgjiu.ro

Abstract. The present study puts in equation the energetic policies, the social development and the living environment in Gorj county, a county situated in the south-west of Romania and majorly affected by the irrational exploitation of the natural resources. The impact of the super-centralized policy of mono-industrial development and providing Romania’s “energetic independence” during the communist system is substantial for the degradation of the rural communities in Gorj.The consequences are so serious that many rural communities have disappeared or are going to disappear. The study presents the general reference points of a possible model of social development of Gorj county, the conclusions making the object of the public debates both for the politic and administrative deciders and for the communities in the rural environment.

Key-words: sustainable rural development, multi-sector rural development, desirable environment.

1. Introduction. Defining terms accentuated misery” [1]. The problem of globalization, as seen by most of science persons, politicians, financiers, head of states The dynamics of the phenomenon and of processes and of governments, appear under the empire of the with impact on social components has been neglected for inexorable. Globalization represents distance action as a long period of time, in Romania. Forced part of the system of global interdependencies [2]. It is, industrialization, with rhythms imposed by centralised concomitantly, product and process. As a process, it can planning, specific to the totalitarian, communist regime, be defined as extension of the good’s free circulation, of lead to an exacerbation of the economic interest, interest capitals and human intelligence. That is value included only in the realization of the financial internationalization. As product, it is identified by objectives, unbalancing in an inexorable manner the internationalization transformation – understood as natural environment, diminishing resources and dependence of the research results and their validation endangering the existence of the future to be generations. by the effort of some persons belonging to several The effects of such governmental politics are nations [3] - in global society. catastrophic today. And these effects are influenced by The concept of rural development is based on the one two constraint categories: on one side, local constraints, of sustainable development and aims [5]: appeared from the pressure of status groups directly a) sustainable rural development, understood as involved in energy producing activities, by exploitation an equitable and equilibrate economic development, in of non-regenerative natural resources (almost rational rhythms, with a high level of social cohesion exponentially diminished), and on the other side, and inclusion, in conditions of assuming responsibility to constraints appeared from international processes and use natural resources and environmental protection; tendencies, generated by energetic politics and of b) extensive or integrated rural development, environment, in the conditions of globalization and understood as development of rural environment by sustainable development. extension of communication and information means, of Romania is the country where globalization still the activities from rural environment to non-agricultural has majority inhibitor effects: “If in most of cases, sector and promoting extensive agriculture whose liberalization lead to stimulation of economic essential coordinate is informational transfer; growth, and in other cases inhibited the development c) multiple sectors rural development, of a country in an initial transition phase, generating supposing creation of nets and partnerships between uncertainty of the work places and, in the end, an

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international organizations, national agencies or problems. And only one coordinate is evaluated - that of organizations of civil society, for a multiple sectors protecting the natural environment with the purpose of approach. improving the life environment – conclusion being most unsatisfying. Industrial branches considered “on top” 2. Social development and potential (heavy industry, with its “pivot”, cars producing differentiation at the level of rural industry, energetic industry, siderurgic industry, petrochemical industry, etc) have also been huge communities in Romania consumers of natural resources and important pollutants of the environment. The quality of life environment can not be evaluated Until the year 2000, the principle „polluter pays” did but in an indestructible correlation with the quality of the not find an application but extremely rare in Romani, natural environment (frame). Indicator of civilization, aspect able to encourage a continuous degradation of the the quality of life environment of a demographic entity soil, air, quality of river’s waters, sylvan fund, fauna, supposes elaborated politics and implementation for climate, relief forms degradation. As perimeters of sustainable development, Brundtland Commission irrational exploitation of resources affected in most part (established since 1972 at Stockholm), being responsible areas occupied by rural communities, life environment, with the implementation of this type of measures. on extended regions, of the population in this place have Essentially, problems identified with this been continuously damaged. Coal extraction from commission, as well as conclusions formulated have an surface quarries, scaffolds for extraction of petroleum universal character but, singularised at the level of and natural gases, mines of non-ferrous metals, those big Romani from those years (to a great extent in today’s cement, siderurgic, chemical and petrochemical plants Romania), things being alarming. In fact, the two main had and still have (even after them being closed) conclusions – alarm signals from the governors of the calamitous effects on population. That is why; assuming millennium end- do not involve difficulties of epistemic some social indicators of performance becomes a type, but political-ethical- strategic ones: difficult action, and designing an evolution direction a) development does not mean only greater cannot be realised depending on a certain estimation of a incomes and higher life standards for a limited group pf final status of general well-being, but in rapport with the population, but an increase of life standard for all indicators from other societies, societies with an representatives of a community and for all communities; increased level of civilization, or by gradual improving sustainable development does not suppose equalisation of the indicators from the past years. of conditions, of life environment, but progressive and Cost of irrational exploitation are enormous, aiming successive layers at the minimal accepted standards, to only investments for the reconstruction of the natural life standards, inherent desirable and inherent possible; environment, but also enormous expenses to diminish b) development should not involve destruction unemployment phenomenon, diminishing harmful or irrational use of natural resources and nor continuous effects on people’s health, education for a sustainable degradation of the natural environment. The modality, development. To all these would be added an aspect itself, in which the Rapport of Brundtland Commission characterising the greatest part of rural localities, (named „Or common future”) defines sustainable affected by huge irrational industrialization: the tendency development as “development aiming satisfaction of the to a relative demographic void and transforming rural needs in the present, without compromise of the future sites from rural communities in simple administrative – generation possibilities to satisfy own needs”. territorial units, where the conscience of affiliation, Many villages have been sensitive to the signals of communitarian culture entered in dissolution. the Brundtland Commission, the principle of subsidiarity and the one of participative communitarian development 3. Case study: Main social facilitating the evaluation of the lack of equilibrium, of the needs, resources planning, management of the problems generated by environment actions to cover general or group necessities, etc. degradation in the rural communities Romania of the end of century and millennium acted from Gorj county in a detrimental ambivalence: for external images adheres to measurements and treaties of some a) Natural frame and environmental quality „unalloyed organisms”, on the other side, in internal Gorj County possesses a diversified natural plan, refusing any their application. Practically, frame, through a uniform distribution of the relief, of the Romanian’s economic politics, neither before 1989, nor hydrographical net, equilibrated climate and valuably after 1990 did not support the conclusions of the resources for the landscape and the economy of the area. Brundtland Commission, being generated grave social The territory of Gorj County is situated in the S-W

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part of Romania being crossed by parallel 45○ Nordic It is known the fact that atmospheric emission of the latitude, being positioned on the middle course of Jiu acidify substances like SO2, NOx and NH3, resulted, River, river crossing it from North to South. It belongs to mainly, from combustion of fosile fuels, can persist in the historical province , being positioned in its atmosphere for several days and can be transported at northern part, having borders in common at the north thousands of km until the process of conversion into with , at the south with , acids (sulphuric, namely azothic). Primary pollutants at the West with Caraş-Severin and Mehedinţi County SO2, NOx and NH3 together with their reaction products, and at the west with Vâlcea County. It occupies a surface after depositing, lead to chemical changes in the of 5600 Km2 (2,4% from country’s surface), the composition of the soil and surface waters, process administrative residence being in municipality Târgu- facilitated by massive deforestation which affects eco- Jiu, situated at a distance almost equal (about 300 Km) systems, leading to a acidify process. from important municipalities, representative, like The most significant ponderosity (over 99%) in the (Capital city of Romania), Cluj-Napoca, total emission of SO2, at the level of Gorj County is Timişoara. possessed by emissions from fossil fuels combustion, in Since 1998, Gorj County is an integrant part of the energetic and transforming industries (in Goj being Development region 4 South – West Oltenia (the 8 situated the biggest steam power plants using burning development regions being territorial units of NUTS II fuels, lignite: and ). To these would be type, according to EUROSTAT classification) and added non-industrial burning installations, road represents the main level of implementation of Regional transportation, burnings in the processing area. Operational Program 2007-2013. The emissions of nitrogen oxides (in total 32310,96 t The relief contain mountainous massifs (about 29% yearly) are results especially from the burnings in from the surface of the county), an area of sub energetics and transforming industries. At the same time, mountainous hills and a hilly area extended in the south basing on the Corinair methodology, at the level of Gorj part of the district. The hydrographical net belonging, in county, the emissions of volatile organic metallic and majority, to one collecting basin – Jiu, collecting waters non-metallic compounds are estimated for many activity of several affluents (Sadu, , Jilţu, , , groups. The activities having the biggest weight in such etc.), from a surface of 10 thousand Km2. An emissions are: exatracting and distributing the fossil exception are the NE and NW extremities of the district fuels (about 56,5%), burnings in energetics and which are drained by the superior streams of Olteţ (in transforming industries (about 35,9%), using solvents Gorj County with a surface of basin of 130 Km2 and a and other products (about 4,4%), production processes length pf 30 Km) and of (basin surface in Gorj of (about 1,6%). To these sources that, by pollution, debase 230 Km2 and a length of 24 Km). The hydrographical the natural environment and, implicitly, the living net is completed by a series of lakes, most of them environment of the population in Gorj county, we add anthropic. The climate is temperate-continental, with powders in suspension (PM10 and PM2,5) – for Rovinari multiple nuances, as a result of the geographical area, the sources are represented by Rovinari Energetic position, atmospheric circulation and relief types. Complex, the mining career exploitations, the road Concerning natural resources it should be stated that the traffic; for Turceni area, Turceni Energetic Complex; for territory of Gorj Country has important non-regenerative Motru, Mătăsari, Seciuri, Pinoasa, Jilţ, Timişeni areas – natural resources: about 58% from natural lignite the mining surface exploitations, the road traffic; for deposits, 15% from the reserves of non-ferrous raw Bârseşti area, S.C. SIMCOR VAR.S.A. Oradea (working metals, over 8% from petroleum reserves, 17% of the point- Târgu-Jiu), S.C. MACOFIL, S.C. LAFARGE natural gases reserves and 3.3% useful rock – CIMENT ROMÂNIA S.A., the road traffic, etc. percentages from Romania’s reserves potential. Besides, The debasement of the environment is also exactly the exploitation of these resources, in an interval emphasized as a consequence of the used waters coming over 70 years, led to impoverishment of the from the energetic sector (the high temperature of the underground, soil degradation, disappearance of forestall evacuated water has harmful effects on the aquatic fauna fund, water and air pollution, disappearance of of Jiu basin, a river where the evacuated water is traditional jobs, profound mutation at the level of discharged). Also, the oil exploitations pollute the water individual status and of group, mono-industrialization flows in the area by accidental discharging of salty water and mono-qualification, disappearance of the natural and crude oil. water courses, multiplication of illnesses generated by Other sources that should be mentioned are: the environmental pollution, emptying villages and their pollution of the soil with sedimentaray powders from the ageing. big centrals (about 50.000 ha) and the bio-degradable b) Quality of natural environment in Gorj and non-degradable wastes. County

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4. Consequences the conditioning system easing the production of the effects. The consequence of the environment degradation in The solution for the negative problem potentially Gorj county produce, at their turn, social consequences removes the negative effects. For example, the re- directly or indirectly generated by the long time of the technology of the polluting agents, by using some process: modern technologies, reduces the risk of debasing the - unemployment, generated by the abolishment or environment and finally reduces significantly the by the restructuration of the polluting agents; number of the persons whose health is affected. - massive mobilities of the population; The monitoring of the evolution sense of a - premature ageing of the population and decrease region/community eases the identification of the positive of the work ability; problems. - fusions or abolishment of primary schools, In the sociologic literature, the positive feature of kindergartens. Secondary schools; almost total certain problems “results from the identification of an disappearance of the training and vocational schools; intermediary or final status of evolution favouring the - degradation of the health of the population development, but for which we do not know efficient situated in the perimeter of the polluting agents (a ways of action”[7]. In case of the positive problems, the substantial increase of the infantile morality, of the emphasis moves from the effects to the reaching of the morbidity by respiratory diseases, of the cardiovascular objectives, from the bi-unanimous relation of causality diseases and of cancer); to the identification of the ways of reaching the - decrease of the life time of the members of the objectives, according to the model of Figure 1. rural communities in the geographical area of the polluting agents; - degradation of the touristic objectives, of the Intermediary Desirable infrastructure, of the soils; statuses of Objectives: states O1 the evolution: - major difficulties in reinserting on the work S1 O2 market, a consequence of the disappearance of the S2 O3 Benefic activities for which the initial preparing was S3 effects accomplished; - destruction of the traditions and culture of the membership, a consequence of the destruction of the traditional legitimacies and of the pseudo-resorts for The positive feature of the other types of legitimacies (the emphasized atomization problem of the population in the rural environment). To all of these, we add the political-electoral, cultural Figure 1. Modelling the positive problems and civilisation consequences such as: individual or group manipulation, selling-buying votes, the lack of For example, avoiding the increase of the political culture, the low living and civilization standard unemployment rate represents a positive problem and its etc. solution is to develop some investment programmes that could increase the number of jobs, to keep active and 5. A possible model of social employed the human resource. The ways to reach the objectives that turn into development of Gorj county – general phenomena of positive effects depend on the package of reference points measures for the protection of the natural environment and for the improvement of the living environment (not The above presented diagnosis emphasizes a system only for the direct beneficiaries of the investment of social problems faced by the local communities of policies, but for the entire population of the geographical Gorj county, in general, but especially the rural area submitted to the social development). communities. Each social problem can be identified, But, as our study is applied at the level of the rural analysed and solved (partially or totally) depending on communities, there are also additional problems (for its type: as a negative problem or as a positive one. example, the ones correlated to the initial training of the Paradoxically, the solution of the negative problems human resource, the resizing of the existent human seems to be easier, namely, basing on the classic relation resource, the continuous training, the educational offer of causality, by detecting and knowing the causes, the correlated to the education demand and the qualified effects may be identified, considering both the aspects human resource, competitive sector policies, measures related to the causes and to the concurrent effects, and for the intrinsic professional motivation etc.)

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It is important the fact that the simple solving of the rate/mortality report, unemployment rate, the rate of the negative problems do not generate the social occupied population of the total active population, development whereas it administrates restraint indexes regarding the health of the population, the access situations/time units and restraint fields. to resources, goods, services, etc.); In “The Main Social Problems of the Rural • the social change at the level of the rural Communities in Romani”, the collective of authors [8] communities in Gorj may be accomplished by the suggests the following model of social development development policies referring to the social ensemble (Figure 2). and, as a consequence, to the basic social sectors; Social Wealth • the objectives of the social wealth do not define a final state; the processual feature of the development involves the processuality of each objective, as it Negative Sector represents at the same time the attributes of the product – Problems process (the product expresses the accomplished stage, Development Pozitive the process expresses the evolution-tendency); in this Problems sense, the stage-objectives are successes, representing Social dynamical states in the development process such as the Development ones presented in figure 3. Pozitive Social state of objectives the Solving the Problems Initial community objectives Desirable problems state (intermediary social statees) state Negative Problems ways ways

Society, region, social group, community Figure 3. Dynamics of the states in the development process

Figure 2. A model of social development • the objectives of the social development at the national level are reported to the objectives of the We impose here some observations – principles in order advanced societies (as reference societies); the objectives to make possible the use of the model in developing the of the social development in the rural communities are rural communities: reported at the same time to the national social • the crossing from an initial state to another is development and to the social development of the made by the mediation of the public will (of the communities of the same type and rank of the advanced community), a will mediated, at its turn, by phenomena societies; converging towards consent and consensus (for example: • the success in the projects of social prolonged crisis, involution of the living environment, development depends on the cultural context; ignoring continuous degradation of the community spirit, of the the cultural context specific to the cultural communities community cohesion, of the membership awareness etc.) in Gorj will lead with no doubt to the failure of the and centrifugal phenomena, atomizing ones, dissipating development policies incomparable to the real conditions the public will to the annulment (the community of these communities – on one hand - , to the appearance members will not associate in solving a problem or of new social problems (either predictable, or not) – on several ones that do not affect them immediately); the the other hand; crossing requires a lapse of time in order to obtain the • the rhythms of modernization (understood as participation of the community to the development a succession of stages towards modernity) must be project, a lapse of time dedicated to the promotion of the balanced, realistic, reasonable in order to avoid the major problems, to the emphasizing of the need of change and unbalances, the system crises, the forced dissolutions, to the need of involvement; the recession of the cleavages, the disaggregation of the • the obvious distance between the social state of statuses etc.; they must be subordinated to the the Romanian population in the urban environment and sustainable rural development, with consequences as the social state of the population of the rural restraint as possible on the community legitimacies, on communities in Gorj (a state proving the inadequate the loyalties transfer, on the identity patrimony and feature of the development level of the investigated potential. social area) is measured by a system of statistical indexes (income/inhabitant, training level, birth

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6. Conclusions versus cohesion; The natural environment circumscribed to the III.4. Degradation of the civic spirit. geographical area of the Gorj county was seriously IV. Infrastructure IV.1.Insufficience and affected by the economical policy of the totalitarian- (roads, bridges, underdevelopment; communist system regarding the providing of the so- constructions, town IV.2. Precarious fund of called “energetic independence of the country”. And the networks) lodgements; degradation of the natural environment has led to a IV.3. Unsatisfying public drastic degradation of the living environment of the utilities. population, in general and especially of the rural V. (SWOT Analysis): V.1. Accelerated emaciation of communities. The forced submission of Gorj to a mono- natural resources, the reserves of soil and subsoil; industrialization emphasized especially on the industry and degradation of the natural consumption of the non-renewable resources, the environment; forestry environment; investments in economical agents of big sizes and with and agriculture, V.2. Unprofessional feature of commercial and the agricultural jobs; processes generating polluting factors have led to long- touristic services; V.3. Under-minimal term effects. Whose removal involves enormous social education and its endowment of the agriculture; costs. finalities; health and degradation of the soils and In synthesis, the conclusions are presented on the living environment; diminution of the agricultural axe of diagnosis – desirable social development – economical and potential; strategies (Table 1). social state – general V.4. Absence of the access reference points. infrastructure in the touristic Table 1. The axe of diagnosis – desirable social areas; development – strategies V.5. Underdevelopment of the health system in the rural environment; Diagnosis V.6. Competitive advantages Identifying the Defining the problems, and deficiencies at the level of problems establishing the objectives, the rural communities in Gorj. outlining the ways I. The natural frame I. 1.Air quality and climatic References: and the environment protection, [1] Joseph E. Stiglitz, La globalizzatione e i suoi protection in Gorj I. 2. Water quality and oppositori, Einaudi, Torino, 2009, p. 4. county; the hydrologic protection, [2] Andrei Marga, Religion in globalization era, environment I. 3.Soil quality and pedological EFES Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca, 2003, p. 21. degradation and the protection, involution of the I.4.Biodiversitaty, bio-security [3] Ibidem, p.13. living environment in and the state of forests; [4] Adrian Gorun, Geopolitics, geostrategic, the rural communities I.5. Wastes, globalization (with foundation in P. Claval and S.P. I.6. Impact of the environment Huntington), „Academica Brâncuşi” Publishing House, quality on the health Târgu-Jiu, 2010, pp. 13-14. II. The population, the II.1. Indexes regarding the [5] Thomas L. Friedman, Lexus and the olive demographical evolution of the demographical branch, How to understand globalization, Pro structure and the factor; real and potential Foundation Publishing House, Bucharest, 2000, p. 19. human resource in the threats; disappearing rural [6] Ana Bleahu, Rural development, in rural communities in communities; Encyclopaedia of social development, Polirom Gorj county II.2. Depopulation and Publishing House, Iaşi, 2007; chronicle ageing in the rural environment in Gorj; [7] Nicolae Panea, Dumitru Otovescu (coord.), II.3. Evolutions regarding the Main social problems of the rural communities from occupational policies. Romania, Beladi Publishing House, Craiova, 2010, pp. III. Culture and III.1. Dissolution of the 14-15 traditions traditions and disappearance of [8] Rubington Earl and Weinberg Martin, The Study certain jobs; of Social Problems: Six Perspectives, Enlarged Fourth III.2. Precarious feature of Edition, Oxford University Press. culture and of infrastructure in [9] Nicolae Panea, Dumitru Otovescu (coord.), op. culture at the level of the rural cit, p. 18 communities; [10] Otovescu D. Et al. The main problems of the III.3. Atomization, axiological

dissipation, fragmentation rural communities in Romania

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