That's individualism too, but not of a kind that we usually celebrate. But probably the biggest consequence of globalization and the ensuing rise in human population has been humanity's effect on the environment. While populations have increased partly thanks to better yields from existing farmland, much more land has also been brought under cultivation in the past half century. In the past, this meant cutting down trees and valuable rainforests. The best known example of this is what's going on in the Amazon, but it happens worldwide. And we're losing land not just for food, but also to grow the global economy. Oh, it's time for the Open Letter?