Final answer:
The major obstacle to better global environmental performance includes a lack of international cooperation, financial resources, and political will. Signatory countries often fail to act on their environmental agreements, and there is no effective global authority to enforce them, leading to unpunished inaction and exploitation of economic opportunities at the expense of the environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
A major obstacle to better environmental performance at the global level is (d) All of the above, which includes a lack of international cooperation, a lack of financial resources, and a lack of political will. Countries often prioritize their own interests over global concerns, and even when nations do agree on environmental measures, there is no robust global governing body to enforce these agreements. This can lead to a situation where signatory nations do not follow through with their good intentions. Furthermore, competition among countries can cause them to exploit short-term economic benefits at the expense of long-term environmental sustainability.
For instance, if some countries decide to reduce their fossil fuel consumption to mitigate global warming, other nations might take advantage of lower prices to increase their consumption, which would undermine the original efforts. Global warming and biodiversity preservation are examples of international externalities that require collective action. This interconnectedness of economies also means that environmental issues are no longer confined to national borders and need to be addressed through global economic cooperation.
The complexity of global-scale environmental challenges demands that we move beyond assigning blame to other parties and recognize our collective responsibility in creating and solving these issues. Without comprehensive global cooperation, financial commitment, and genuine political action, it will remain difficult to address critical environmental challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss effectively.