3.9 environmental/ethical concerns

Question 1

A ) promotion of local sourcing (transition towns)

Answer 1

local groups and NGOs promote local sourcing to increase sustainability

transition towns: promotes reducing consumption eg cycle rather than drive/ reuse materials, reducing waste and meeting local needs through local production.
(eg Totes in Devon)

some towns even have their own local currencies eg 2012 Bristol £ encouraged people to spend in local independent businesses rathe than chains/ TNCs but :( it collapsed in 2019

these initiative are small scale and would be difficult to implement in big cities but some elements like ‘grow your own’ could have a big impact if widely adopted

Question 2

A ) consumer society

Answer 2

globalisation has promoted this ‘consumer society’ by reducing prices (increasing purchasing power) and increasing choice of products.
—- ‘trends’ change faster than ever before due to the development social media

it’s UNSUSTAINABLE environmentally and ethically due to resource use and pollution.

as quality of life in developing countries increases, so does the consumption of meat (10KG beg required for 1KG of meat!!!), water and energy.

(consumer society is expected to grow by 2 billion people by 2050)

Question 3

A ) sustainable development

Answer 3

meeting the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
(it includes enviro, econ and social)

Question 4

B ) ethical and environmental concerns as a result of globalisation

Answer 4

concerns that:
1. consumer goods have been made using exploited labour
2. consumer goods use excessive resources during their production, packaging and use
3. consumer culture is contributing to global warming as ecological footprints rise
4. imported food products do not provide their farmers with a decent income due to low prices

Question 5

B ) unethical consumption: jeans from Bangladesh

Answer 5

growing cotton to make denim fabric uses 13,000 litres of water, fertilisers leak into rivers and groundwater

the country’s 3.5 million textile workers earn about £25 a month
—- many work 14 hour days in appalling conditions

transportation by ship- burns oil and releases green house gases
most cheap jeans last for 12- 18 months before being discarded

Question 6

B ) fair trade

Answer 6

= an independent NON PROFIT organisation
aims to return a bigger proportion of the revenue back to producers/ farmers.

—- attempts to reduce the inequalities of global trade (the WTO policy of trade liberalisation can mean that these groups receive small shares of profit value)

Question 7

B ) ethical consumption scheme

Answer 7

all supermarket chains now display ethical shopping credentials for those who want to make a difference

however
burning organic= destruction of more forest as less fertilisers means mire land needed to produce the same amount

Question 8

C ) recycling (UK as an example)

Answer 8

recycling materials from waste products reduces extraction of new materials, decreases consumption and the amount of waste sent to landfill

IN THE UK
local councils play a key role in reducing waste and ecological footprints through recycling and councils’ waste collection service.

recycling of household waste increased from 17%- 44% between 2003 and 2013

still, reducing packaging may be a better way forward as not all materials are easily recyclable

Question 9

C ) ‘Keep Britain Tidy’ scheme

Answer 9

NGO set up in 1954. in 1969, they introduced ‘tidy-man’ logo on bins and packaging to encourage people to dispose of litter appropriately

their campaigns started the encouragement of households to recycle and firms to reduce packaging or increase the proportion that can be recycled