Geography of Stuff Flashcards
What is globalization
Term used to describe how trade and technology have made the world a more connected and interdependent place
What is a manufacturing system
Production of product
Consists of input, output and processes.
Activities involved in production of “stuff”
Primary Sector
Secondary/Manufacturing Sector
Tertiary Sector
What are activities in the primary sector
Produce raw materials
What are activities in the secondary sector
Make things from raw materials or semi-finished goods
What are activities in the tertiary sector
Provide services to manufacturing industries or people
What do manufacturing systems consist of
Input, processes, output
Reasons for varying consuming levels
Affluence
Economic Change and Industralisation
Lifestyle changes over time
Elaboration for affluence
State of having wealth or having an abundant supply of money that allows people to live a comfortable life. When income higher, people can spend more on goods and services.
Elaboration on economic change and industralisation
More manufacturing activity and more factories shift to chepaer locations in less developed countries. Hence, the price of products fall with lower labour costs. Thus, people can afford and consume more products than before. Demand for energy resources like coal increased.
Elaboration of lifestyle changes
When population increase or economic development increases, demand for resources like technology increase. Consumption increases due to economic change and industralisation. There is a widening avaliability of various goods and services. Therefore, people can afford and consume more products than before.
What is required to meet increasing consumer demands
Fossi Fuels
More mines are needed, more food needs to be grown, more tress have to be cut down, more water has to be taken from rivers and more fuel has to be burned
Impacts of overconsumption of food
Food Waste - Economic
Food transportation and increasing food miles - Environmental
Food production - Environmental
Food waste issue
Rising affluence & changing lifestyle –> more than purpose of survival
Due to wasteful consumption habits, money is wasted on food that will be thrown away when consumed. Thus, money could be better used
OR
Buy more food than needed
Dispose excess food
Money wasted on food thrown away
Money could have been better spent
What is food miles
Distance food travels from farms where it is produced to plate of final consumer
As food has to pass through a supermarket’s distribution system, the food miles incurred may be longer
Improved technology has enabled food production and distribution to become global industries
Prices do not reflect full cost to people and environment of producing and transporting goods
Food transportation and increasing food miles issue
Fossil fuels are used for production, transportation and packaging of food that are exported or transported to another region within a country. Hence, more greenhouse gases are released and leading to warmer temperatures and global warming
Food production issue
In order to meet increasing food demands, more land is needed so deforestation is the option
This may lead to further impacts like soil erosion, loss of wildlife sites and loss of biodiversity
Unsustainable agricultural activities can lead to overuse of pesticides which can pollute nearby rivers
What is deforestation
Removal of forests so the land deforestated is used for non-forest
Impacts of overconsumption of mass-produced products (Fast Fashion)
Unsafe working environment - Social
Low income for factory workers - Economic
Water pollution - Environmental
What is fast fashion
Used by fashion retailers to express designs move from catwalk quickly to meet current trends. Trends are designed and manufactured quickly and cheaply to allow mainstream consumers to buy current clothing styles at a lower price.
Unsafe working conditions issue
Workers work in poor conditions like long working hours, 7 days a week to meet rising demands of consumers
Increasing number of people moving to cities to find jobs. These rural migrants from LDCs have to work in these factories
Fast fashion retailers need to produce new and low-cost clothing styles, demand for constant product turns have put worker’s life at risk
Factories were set up in buildings
with poor electrical wiring, an insufficient number of exits, and little firefighting
equipment
Low income for factory workers issue
There is a large supply of workers so prices can be kept low
LDCs have weak labour laws so these laws can be exploited by reducing their minium wage to be lower than that of other countries to keep costs low
Water pollution issue
Factories pollute nearby water bodies with denim and textile waste, causing water colours to change and a ton of wastewater to be released
What is overconsumption
Take more resources than we need and what the planet can sustain
