Is globalization good or bad for the environment? Globalization is a complex combination of economic, cultural, and political processes that work to increase the interconnectedness of life in the contemporary world (Pacione, 2009). The question of whether globalization is good or bad for the environment is a very broad topic, which I will enhance by providing an overview of some related economic, social and environmental aspects. There are conflicting views regarding the effects globalization has on the environment. These views will be examined in relation to the environmental Kuznets curve. In this essay I will therefore focus on what I believe are the negative implications that globalization has on the environment. I will present the environmental Kuznets curve which conceptualizes the relationship between globalization and environmental sustainability. Since the topic is very broad, I will focus on one particular case study, Brazil, which will provide evidence to support the conflicting implications of Amazonian development and land use intensification. I will detail the importance and natural value of the Amazon rainforest and the economic incentives behind its development. This will be followed by a detailed discussion of the processes driving the rapid conversion of natural rainforest to agricultural landscapes, and the impact this land conversion has on the region's environment will be detailed. I will then summarize the information gathered and conclude on why globalization is bad for the environment. Globalization and environmental sustainability are encapsulated in environmental Kuznets curves (EKC) which are commonly used to consider the resulting macro-changes in environmental quality..... . half of the paper ......the intensity of use is determined by economic incentives. These economic incentives have been driven by Brazil's shift from local, national to global markets, where demand provides significant motivation and rationality for the destructive and often irreversible land use practices that characterize the Amazon livestock industry. Despite the extensive damage and environmental degradation, it does not appear evident that any changes or alterations necessary to mitigate the negative effects currently occurring have been made. As globalization introduces new and often profitable economic incentives, the environment goes largely unnoticed and often completely ignored in terms of the results of such extensive landscape-altering practices. The way profits outweigh sustainability leads to a firm belief that globalization is bad for the environment.