Globalisation Revision Flashcards
What is Globalisation?
The increasing integration of economies, people and places around the world through the movement of goods, services and capital across borders.
What is a Shrinking world?
This is when travel time between places decreases and distance declines in terms of its significance. Generally brought about by transport innovations and improvements.
Also known as ‘time space compression’.
What are the main global flows?
- Capital
- Commodities (materials)
- Information
- Tourists
- Migrant
Chubby
Chickens
Invade
Trumps
Markets
What are Transnational Corporations (TNCS)?
Businesses that operate across the world as the maker and sellers of goods and services.
Many of the largest are instantly recogniseable ‘global brands’ that bring cultural change to places where products are consumed. E.G. Nike, Coke, McDonalds.
What does interdependent mean?
When two places become reliant on financial or political connections.
For example, if an economic recession affects a host country for the worst, it will also impact migrant workers. The economy of the source country may shrink too due to falling remittances (money sent home from migrants).
What is the spatial division of labour?
The common practice among TNC’s of moving low - skilled work abroad/offshore to place where costs are low. Important skilled managerial roles tend to remain in the place of origin.
What are some innovations in transport
Steam power - Britain became the leading world power in the 1800’s using steam technology. Steam ships and trains moved goods and armies quickly along trade routes in Asia and Africa
Railways - in the 1800’s, railway networks expanded globally. By 1904, the 9000km Trans - Siberian railway connected Moscow with China and Japan. Today, railway construction remains a priority for governments across the world. The bullet train in Japan reachers speeds of 250mph
Jet aircraft - Early aircraft’s changed teh world socially, economically, and politically in a way that has never been done before. They generally cruise at 609mph cutting time massively.
Container ship - containerisation caused a revolution in the world of shipping, Otis introduction did not have an easy passage. Ports, railway companies, and shippers were concerned about the huge costs of developing the ports and railway infrastructure needed to handle container ships. Containerisation has lowered shipping expense and decreased shipping time, and this has in turn helped the growth of international trade. Cargo that once arrived in cartons, crates, bales, barrels or bags now comes in factory sealed containers, with no indication to the human eye of their contents, except for a product code that machines can scan and computers retrace. This system of tracking has been so exact that a two-week voyage can be timed for arrival with an accuracy of under fifteen minutes. It has resulted in such revolutions as on time guaranteed delivery.
What types of things have allowed communication to develop?
- Telephone
- The internet, social networks and Skype/face time
- Broadband amd fibre optic
- Telegraph
- GIS (Geographical information systems) GPS (Global positioning systems)
What are the different types of Globalisation?
- Economic - growth of TNC’s and trade of resources
- Social - international immigration, improvements in healthcare and education leading to higher literacy rates and life expectancy with declining birth rates
- Political - growth of trade blocs allows TNC’s to merge and make acquisition of firms in neighbouring countries, while reduced tariff makes it grow, the WTO, IMF and World Bank work internationally to harmonise national economies
- Cultural - successful western cultural traits come and dominate, old cultures merge and meld with influences, the circulation of ideas and info has accelerated thanks to 24-hour reporting: people also keep in touch using Facebook and twitter (social media)
Some global flows are seen as a threat due to:
- Importing of raw materials and commodities can threaten a nation’s own industy
- Migrants can bring cultural change and religious diversity = not everyone welcomes this
- Information can provide citizens with knowledge that their governments find threatening
- many examples of countries and national governments attempting to isolate or protect themselves from global financial and trade flows, including foreign direct investment organisation e.g The World Bank work hard to persuade countries to take a different approach
Types of FDI:
Offshoring - some TNC’s build their own new production facilities in ‘offshore’ low wage economies
Foreign mergers - two firms in different countries join forces to create a single entity
Foreign acquisitions - when a TNC launches a takeover of a company in another company = countries have different levels of restrictions on foreign takeovers (UK low restrictions, USA high)
Transfer pricing - Some TNC’s have sometimes channeled profits through a subsidiary company in a low tax country such as Ireland. The organisation for economic cooperation and development (OECD) is now attempting to limit this practice
Benefits of trade blocs:
- Remove barriers to trade, allowing companies/TNC’s/markets to grow
- Increased economies of scale
- Increased FDI
- Firms that can produce a lot of products gain a lot due to free distribution - greater efficiency
- Smaller firms can merge with TNC’s making their operation more cost effective
What are free trade blocs?
Voluntary international organisations that exist for trade purposes, bringing greater economic strength and security to nations
What does Trickle-down refer to?
The positive impacts on outer regions caused by the creation of wealth in core regions
What is Glocalisation and what are some examples of it?
- This refers to the changing design of products to meet the local/cultural tastes or laws
- very common strategy used by TNC’s to conquer new markets
- For example, McDonald’s launched the ‘Mccurry’ to cater to locals tastes and preferences, whereas companies such as Lego do not glocalise their products as they value genuine global appeal (do not take local tastes into account) by gradually creating more complex designs
- Cadbury’s make their Chinese chocolate sweeter, as it is preferred that way
However, not all companies need to glocalise products. For some TNC’s the ‘authentic’ brand is what generates sales.
What is the Global shift and when did it begin?
- began in the 1970s and 1980s
- manufacturing work from Europe and the USA started to migrate to Asian countries such as Japan and Hong Kong
- these Asian countries that became involved in the shift early have now become major players in the globalised economy
What accelerated the global shift?
- Asian countries allowed overseas companies to access their markets “open door policy”.
- TNC’s began to seek new areas for manufacturing and for outsourcing.
- FDI began to flow into the emerging or re-emerging Asian countries
What are examples of winners in the global shift?
- Many NEE countries have attracted lots of investment (FDI) from TNC’s due to cheap labour
- This investment helps reduce poverty, improve infrastructure, better education and incomes
Who are the losers of the global shift?
- Various regions in HIC also face social and environmental problems as a result of global shift
- Towns/cities which were once dominated by factory work are now left with new problems such as dereliction, contamination, unemployment, deprivation and depopulation
What are the drawbacks of population growth on rural areas?
Loss of farmland
Increase in unplanned settlements
Pollution and health
Land degredation
Over exploitation of resources
loss of biodiversity
What are the benefits of population growth?
Investment in infrastructure
Reductions in poverty
Increase in urban incomes
Better education and training
What is Cultural diffusion?
Spread of one culture to another by various mean
What is Cultural erosion?
The change/loss of culture in an area e.g language or food
What is post-acession migration
The flow of economic migrants after a country has joined the EU (Poland to UK)
What are the reasons for London’s melting pot status?
- Open borders
- Freedom to invest
- FDI = attracted 32,000 overseas people to come and work in London city
What are the two types of Censorship?
State controlled = where print publishing and TV broadcasts are run by the state
State monitored = where overseas contacts or media are monitored or censored. This includes TV, Print media, Radio, Film, Theatre, Texts, Video games, Literature and the internet
What is censorship?
Censorship is the act of limiting or restricting what a country’s population can access or see online.
The government restricts the flow of information and knowledgethrough state-controlled media outlets and internet restrictions.
Censorship can be used to limit a population’s knowledge of foreign culture and ideas (such as democracy) which could undermine a dictatorshipgovernment.
What are the four types of Globalisation?
- Economic
- Social
- Cultural
- Political
What is the Silk Road? (EXAMPLE)
A network of interlinking trade routes which were built from the 1st century BC. These connected Asia with Europe
What is GDP?
Gross Domestic Product
What does GDP measure?
A measure of the financial value of goods and services produced within a territory.
It is often divided by population size to produce a per capita figure for the purpose of making comparisons.
What are emerging countries?
Countries that have begun to experience high rates of economic growth, usually due to rapid factory expansion and industrialisation.
BRICSS group = Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa
Sometimes called newly industrialised countries
What are remittances?
Money that migrants send home to their families via formal or informal channels
What does FDI mean?
Foreign direct investment
What is the process of FDI?
FDI is an investment made by a company or individual from one country into a business or asset in another country
A frequent goal is gaining a lasting interest and control over the operations of the foreign business
What is the IMF?
International monetary fund
What is the WTO?
World trade organisation
What are the three aims of the IMF?
- Furthering international monetary cooperation
- Encouraging the expansion of trade and economic growth
- Discouraging policies that would harm prosperity.
What are the aims of the WTO?
- Dealing with the rules of trade between nations
- Open trade by administering trade agreements
- Providing a forum for negotiations
- Settling trade disputes.
What does trickle down refer to?
The positive impacts on periperhal regions caused by the creation of wealth in core regions.
What are sovereign wealth funds?
Government owned investment funds and banks, typically associated with China and countries that have large revenues from oil, such as Qatar.
What is free market liberalisation?
The reduction of government intervention in the economy and allowing markets to operate more freely
Often associated with policies like deregulation and privatisation, with the aim of promoting economic growth and efficiency.
What is privatisation?
The transfer of ownership or control of public assets or services from the government to the private sector
Often with the aim of promoting competition, efficiency, and innovation, but also potentially leading to negative impacts on public access and affordability
How many types of trade blocs are there?
5
What are the 5 different trade blocs?
- East African community
- European Union Single Market
- United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA)
- Mercosor (Full members and associate members)
- ASEAN
What are tariffs?
A tax paid when importing or exporting goods and services between countries.
What are trade blocs?
Voluntary international organisations that exist for trading purposes, bringing greater economic strength and security to the nations that join.
What are special economic zones and why are they created?
An industrial area, often near a coastline, where favourable conditions are created to attract foreign TNC’s.
These conditions include low tax rates and exemption from tariffs and export duties.
When did the UK join the European Economic Community?
1973
When did Euro coins and notes come into circulation?
2002 in twelve of the fifteen EU member states
When did the UK leave the EU?
2020
When was ASEAN established?
1967
How many member states does ASEAN have?
10
With a combined 660m population
When was China’s open door policy established?
1978
What did China’s open door policy establish?
The embrace of globalisation while remaining under one-party authoritarian rule
Strict controls on the number of children were introduced, to curb population growth
China’s rapid transformation into an urban, industrialised nation gained rapid momentum
400m people escaped poverty
Why was China nicknamed the ‘workshop of the world’?
Due to urbanisation fuelling the growth of low-wage factories = world’s largest TNC’s were quick to establish branch plants or trade relationships with Chinese-owned factories.
What is the world’s largest economy?
The USA
FDI from China is predicted to total how much between 2015 and 2025?
US$1.25 trillion
How are China still taking a ‘Closed door’ approach to some global flows?
Information = Google and Facebook have no access to China’s market, instead Youku (Chinese companies) provide social network services
China’s government sets a strict quota of only 34 foreign films to be screened in cinemas each year
Strict controls on foreign TNC’s in some sectors = the government blocked Coca-Cola’s acquisition of Huiyan Juice in 2008
How have Saudi Arabia adapted to attract FDI and increase their level of global participation?
Recently abandoned Thursday and Friday as its official weekend in favur of Friday and Saturday - this brings it more in line with other countries for the purpose of doing business
What measures/index do you use to measure globalisation?
KOF Index and Kearney Index
What was the top TNC in 2019?
Walmart
What is a global production network?
The spread of production across different countries, with each country specializing in a specific part of the process, often managed by multinational corporations (MNCs).
Key points:
- Specialization and global supply chains: Different countries handle specific stages of production.
- Outsourcing and offshoring: Companies reduce costs by moving parts of production to countries with lower costs or better resources.
How can outsourcing bring risks?
A poor monitored GPN (global production network) can damage corporate profits and image:
- natural hazards, such as the 2011 Japanese tsunami, can disrupt global supply chains
- Uk supermarkets were stunned to find horsemeat had entered their supply chains in 2013
- The collapse of the Rana Plaza textile factory in Bangladesh in 2013 killed 1100 people making clothes for Benetton and Wal-Mart, among others, as part of an outsourcing arrangement
As a result TNC’s now ‘re-shore’ their manufacturing closer to home
Why do some companies not need to glocalise products?
Authenticity and global branding is what generates sales
It may not link to their industry e.g oil companies
What are examples of switched off places?
North Korea = due to leadership/government
Sahel Region = due to poverty
What is a switched off place?
Does not interact with global networks, for physical =, political, economic or environmental reasons.
Lack any strong flows or trade and investment with other places and economies.
What are some of the economic, social and environmental changes associated with globalisation in Asian countries?
Economic
- Poverty reduction and waged work = over 600m people have escaped poverty in China alone, predicted by 2030 Asia will ve home to 3bn middle class people
Social
- Education and Training = 8.2m graduates in China in 2019 - now play a leading role in the quaternary sector (biotechnology and medical science)
Environmental
- Environment and Resource pressure = TNC’s increase environmental decline
- Infrastructure, the built environment and unplanned settlements = growing trend for high rise development in ‘hotspots’ however this causes the displacement of recreational spaces and older, unplanned neighbourhoods
By 2040 what is India expected to become?
Second largest economy in the world
How has the global outsourcing of services affected India (CONS)?
Cons:
Some workers can be exploited.
Despite overall growth, the gap/disparity of wealth has widened.
India has more billionaires than the UK however also has 86.8m people living in extreme poverty (6% of the population).
In 2018 only 65% of households in India had access to a toilet.
How has the global outsourcing of services affected India (PROS)?
Helps workers earn good middle-class wages by Indian standards.
Nightclubs and shopping malls in Bangalore testify to the high purchasing power of a new Indian ‘techno-elite’ typically earning 3500 rupees (£40) a week.
Outsourcing companies have become extremely profitable. Infosys (founded in 1981) had revenues of US$9bn in 2015 - making it top 20 in the global companies for innovation (according to Steve Forbes)
How has the global outsourcing of manufacturing affected China (CONS)?
- Sweat shop factory workers exploited = 2500 lost a limb or finger each year (‘dismemberment capital’)
- Environment suffers greatly (‘airpocalypse’) according to western media, reduces Chinese life expectancy by 5 years - the WHO is concerned as it can lead to cancer and strokes due to the high average levels of PM2.5
How has the global outsourcing of manufacturing affected China (PROS)?
- Large income gains = extreme poverty rates from 60% in 1990 to 16% in 2005
- Technology innovations due to the increase of TNC’s
When did China gain its reputation as the ‘workshop of the world’?
In the 1990s
How has the global shift and the driving of low cost manufacturing for TNC’s affected communities in developing countries?
Major environmental challenges as a result of the global shift such as air quality and increase of waste
This has been as a result of pollution, over-exploitation of resources and the dumping of industrial waste, including waste dumped from countries in the West
What is an attractive location factor for TNC’s?
Weak environmental governance
How did deindustrialisation and economic restructuring (global shift) affect Western countries?
In the 1970’s and 1980’s many European and American factory workers lost their jobs due to Asia becoming the focus of global manufacturing
This led to ‘switched off’ communities who have become structurally irrelevant to the global economy
How has deindustrialisation led to a spiral of decline in the USA - Unemployment?
High unemployment = Detroit affected by global shift as it lost its automobile industries - unemployment rate in 2019 was 8%
How has deindustrialisation led to a spiral of decline in the USA - Crime?
Crime = demonstrates ‘losers’ of globalisation can be found in all nations, not just the poorer ones - in some low income US urban districts, life expectancy is 30 years lower than in affluent districts
When areas become ‘switched off’ to legitimate global flows, they may become ‘switched on’ to illegal global flows of drugs and people trafficking
How has deindustrialisation led to a spiral of decline in the USA - Depopulation?
Depopulation = Middle-class Americans have migratedout of failing neighbourhoods in large numbers - Detroit lost 1.1m residents since 1950
Those who stayed are left in a state of negative equity (home is worth much less than they payed for it)
Many districts mainly populated by African-Americans who do not have the financial means to move due to racial inequalities in the housing system and beyond
How has deindustrialisation led to a spiral of decline in the USA - Dereliction?
The combination of manufacturing industry closures, falling of house prices and rising crime results in widespread environmental dereliction.
A ‘broken windows’ scenario develops (at first small acts of vandalism are tolerated; soon, more serious problems like arson become commonplace).
What is an internal migrant?
someone who moves place to place inside the borders of a country - frequently rural to urban areas
rural to urban areas = counter-urbanisation
What is urbanisation?
An increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas
What is an economic migrant?
A migrant who’s primary motivation is to seek employment or if they already have a job they seek better pay/ore regular pay or promotion or career change
What is a refugee?
People who are forded to fee their homes due to persecution, whether on an individual basis or as part of a mass exodus due to political religious or other problems
What is a megacity?
Home to 10m people or more
In 1970 there were just 3, by 2030 there could be 40
They grow through a combination of rural-urban migration and natural increase
What are urban pull factors?
Employment
Schooling/Education
Health Care
Safety
Housing
What are rural push factors?
Poverty
Aggravated population growth (not enough jobs for those who need them)
Land reforms (unable to prove they own their land)
Agricultural modernisation (reduces the need for rural labour)
Resource scarcity due to population growth (Darfur region of Sudan)
How does ‘shrinking world technology’ increase rural-urban migration?
Rural dwellers are gaining knowledge of outside world and its opportunities
Knowledge can be shared through inexpensive mobile devices
Transport improvements such as South America’s Trans-Amazon highway, have removed intervening obstacles to migration
What is natural increase?
The difference between a society’s crude birth rate and crude death rates
Crude = basic/undefined measure
What are intervening obstacles?
Barriers to a migrant such as a political border or physical feature (deserts, mobntainsand rivers)
What is centripetal migration?
Movement of people directed towards the centre of urban areas
What are two examples of megacity growth?
Mumbai and Lagos
Mumbai
Lagos
What is a hub city?
Global hubs are switched-on places possessing qualities that make other places want to connect with them and many people want to migrate there.
What are the challenges of megacity growth?
Environmental sustainability = water pollution, air pollution
Social sustainability = provision of adequate urban housing, health care and education - hard to achieve unless urban employment needs are met
What are the different types of migrants?
Elite International migrants = highly skilled and/or socially influential individuals
Low waged international immigrants = drawn to global hubs
Internal (rural-urban) migration = the main driver of city growth in global hubs in developing and emerging economies but plays a lesser role in Europe and North America
What are the examples of low wage international migration?
Indian workers moving to UAE
Filipino workers moving to Saudi Arabia
What are the costs and benefits of migration for source and host countries?
What are examples of cultural traits?
Language
Food
Clothing
Religion
Traditions
What is cultural erosion?
The changing and loss of culture in an area, such as the loss of language or traditional food
What is anti-globalisation?
The opposition to the increase in the global power and influence of businesses, especially TNCs
How has cultural erosion affected Bhutan?
Changes to the built and natural environments – Roads are being built, which fuels more road building as more and more people get cars; there are plans for regional airports; electricity is beginning to arrive; employment in agriculture is falling and jobs in industry are becoming more common as hydropower projects are being built.
Changes to communities – Mass migration from rural areas to cities is causing loss of community vitality and breakdown of communities; exposure to tourists causes young people to desire more western lifestyles; monks using smartphones.
Impacts on ecosystems – Road networks are encroaching on forested areas.
Explain why globalisation results in cultural erosion in some parts of the world. (4 marks)
In Bhutan, culture and tradition has been retained for many years, but with pressure from tourism and the media, some of the younger generation are beginning to desire change (1). For example, new roads may be built to accommodate cars (1d).
In Papua New Guinea, isolated ethnic groups are being affected by western culture. For example, people are wearing t-shirts and drinking coca cola (1). A reason for this is that social goals such as health and education are becoming more important, which leads indigenous people to earn more money, often by hunting endangered species (1d).
What does pluralism mean?
Toleration for all groups of migrants to practice their religious and cultural beliefs
What is the GII?
Gender inequality index
What does the HDI take into account?
GNP per capita, life expectancy and literacy rates
What is the cultural continuum?
The differing responses to cultural diversity and change
What are example of positive consequences for global development?
Increasing profits for high income countries (TNCs).
China has benefitted from the global shift.
Reduction in poverty.
What are examples of negative consequences of global development?
WTO membership has affected Pakistan negatively.
Indian trawlers now taking fish due to relaxed laws.
Unequal development.
Increasing gap between rich and poor, especially in countries with corrupt governments.
What are the positive consequences for the physical environment?
In Rio, used tyres created by industries are re-used to build homes and gardens.
Green technology developed in western countries spreads to developing countries.
What are the negative consequences for the physical environment?
Negative – In Nigeria, Shell has caused major oil spills. This has led to destruction of ecosystems.
Climate change linked to industrialisation and emissions of greenhouse gases.
How should players respond to the impacts of globalisation?
IGOs – Provide aid Debt without strings attached. Debt cancellation. Microfinancing for small businesses.
TNCs – Paper straws, recyclable packaging, fair trade, locally sourced products, charging for plastic.
National governments – Ban vehicles which have high emissions. Tax on emissions for TNCS etc.
Local councils – Raise awareness. Cycle paths.
Individuals – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
NGOS – Raise money to provide aid; campaign, protests, camping out in public spots.
Global groupings
EU - laws
ASEAN
Paris Agreement 2015
Why is London known as a ‘melting pot’?
As a result of many centuries of immigration, London has become a multicultural city, where one in three residents have been born abroad. London is considered to be a melting pot, wherebynative Londoner’s mix with those of many backgrounds but are all united by the city’s common culture. The city’s ethnically diverse population draws many to settle in London. What makes London so significant; is this cosmopolitan nature.
What country is an example of internet censorship?
China - Google withdrew its services in 2010
Why is extremism a problem in Europe?
“Some extremists believe that all migration should be stopped; whereas human rights campaigners might argue that all refugees should be accommodated.”
What does net migration mean?
The overall balance between immigration and emmigration
Who are the Windrush generation?
The ‘Windrush’ generation are those who arrived in the UK from Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1973. Many took up jobs in the nascent NHS and other sectors affected by Britain’s post-warlabourshortage. The name ‘Windrush’ derives from the ‘HMT Empire Windrush’ ship which brought one of the first large groups of Caribbean people to the UK in 1948. As the Caribbean was, at the time, a part of the British commonwealth, those who arrived were automatically British subjects and free to permanently live and work in the UK.
What is the Windrush scandal?
The Windrush scandal began to surface in 2017 after it emerged that hundreds of Commonwealth citizens, many of whom were from the ‘Windrush’ generation, had been wrongly detained, deported and denied legal rights.
Guardian journalistAmelia Gentlemaninvestigated and began reporting their experiences. As these shocking stories hit the headlines, Caribbean leaders took the issue up with then-prime minister, Theresa May.
There was widespread shock and outrage at the fact that so many Black Britons had had their lives devastated by Britain’s deeply flawed and discriminatory immigration system.
What is the impact of oil development on First Nations in Canada, focusing particularly on the Dene people in the Sahtu Region?
Key points include:
First Nations have lived in Canada long before Europeans arrived. Some groups, especially in the Mackenzie and Yukon River Basins, oppose global oil companies exploiting their land.
The Dene people have experienced negative effects from petroleum extraction near Norman Wells, where over 200 million barrels of oil have been extracted since 1920.
Concerns include:
Death of fish due to oil pollution, which threatens their subsistence lifestyle.
Alcohol and drug abuse, brought by oil workers, affecting young Dene people’s behavior.
Oil companies like Shell, ExxonMobil, Imperial Oil, and ConocoPhillips Canada are now exploring the Canol shale for shale oil, which carries risks like water pollution from fracking.
What are the opportunities of the proposal in Jumbo Valley?
Expanded protection of the Jumbo Valley and surrounding Purcell region could preserve vital wildlife corridors, ensure clean water, and maintain the ecological and cultural integrity of the area.
Builds on the success of the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy, potentially increasing protected land beyond the existing 202,709 hectares.
Strengthens long-term conservation goals and supports sustainable wilderness recreation.
What are the threats of the proposal in Jumbo Valley?
The Jumbo Valley lies just outside the protected area, making it vulnerable to development or industrial use.
Loss of habitat for grizzly bears, mountain caribou, wolverines, badgers, and migratory birds.
Potential damage to the unique inland temperate rainforest ecosystem and clean water systems.
Risks to the cultural heritage and connection of First Nations to the land.
Who are the stakeholders in the Jumbo Valley proposal?
First Nations: Original inhabitants with deep cultural and spiritual ties to the land.
Conservation groups: Organisations like Wildsight and advocates such as John Bergenske, Art Twomey, and Pat Morrow.
Outdoor recreation community: Hikers, hunters, photographers, and nature lovers.
BC Government: Holds decision-making power regarding protection designations.
Local communities: Dependent on clean water, healthy ecosystems, and sustainable land use.
How can the proposal for the Jumbo Valley be stopped?
Collaborative conservation planning to expand the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy and include Jumbo Valley.
Public awareness campaigns and grassroots activism like those seen in the 1970s.
Partnerships with First Nations to respect traditional knowledge and land stewardship.
Pressure on government bodies to enact formal legal protection and land-use restrictions.
Ongoing monitoring and scientific research to highlight ecological importance.
What was the outcome of the Proposal in the Jumbo Valley?
On Jan 18th 2020, stakeholders celebrated an announcement that the Jumbo Valley in the heart of British Columbia’s Purcell Mountains would stay wild forever, ending the 30-year fight to develop a proposed ski resort in the area.
Thanks to a collaboration between the Ktunaxa Nation Council (KNC), the Government of Canada, the Province of British Columbia and the Nature Conservancy of Canada, development rights in the Jumbo Valley have been fully and permanently extinguished.
What is sustainability?
Sustainability is an umbrella concept which concerns people and the environment.
As part of ethical sustainability, people should have a reliable income and enjoy a reasonable quality of life.
As part of environmental sustainability, resources should be managed and ecosystems should be protected so that future generations do not suffer.
What are the positives of transition towns?
They bring economic, social and environmental benefits by reducing waste by repairing and reusing items, reducing pollution (cycling, green power schemes), and meeting local needs through local production. There are nearly 50 examples of Transition towns in the UK, and the movement has spread globally to over 50 countries.
What are the negatives of transition towns?
Transition towns – use bottom up initiatives to be less reliant on global trade. EG. Todmorden grows its food locally through the ‘incredible edible’ scheme. 40 public fruit and veg gardens have been created.
What are the positives of fair trade?
It helps thousands of farmers and their families around the world, especially co-operatives.
It usually promotes environmental protection.
It now covers an increasing range of products.
What are the negatives of fair trade?
Fairtrade products cover only a small percentage of all products and tend to be more expensive, so are not accessible to all consumers.
What is ethical shopping?
Making purchasing decisions that prioritize social, environmental, and economic responsibility, supporting brands and products that uphold fair labor practices, sustainability, and positive community impact.
For example, selling only Fairtrade teas and coffees, and naturally dyed clothes as well as sourced local food.
Is waste and recycling awareness effective at the moment?
IAll European countries now recycle and compost 40% of their waste, with Germany reaching 60%. Even with a rising population, English local authorities now manage less waste to dispose of with tremendous benefits (fewer landfills).
It can be beneficial, and the idea has spread to many products and stores.
Recycling amounts do vary from nearly 70% in
Oxfordshire but under 20% in many London boroughs so clearly there is more work to be done.
What does absolute poverty mean?
When a persons income is too low for basic human needs to be met, potentially resulting in homelessness or hunger
What is relative poverty?
When a persons income is too low to maintain the average standard of living in a particular society
What is the informal sector?
Unofficial forms of employment that are not easily made subject to government regulation or taxation
What is the Gini coefficient?
A statistical measure, ranging from 0 to 1 (or 0% to 100%), that quantifies the degree of inequality in the distribution of income or wealth within a population, with 0 representing perfect equality and 1 representing perfect inequality.
What does diaspora mean?
The dispersion or spread of a group of people from their original homeland
From the Greek meaning ‘scattering’. This process is the movement of people who share a national and/or ethnic identity away from their perceived homeland.
What is a nationalist?
A political movement focused on national independence or the abandonment of policies that are viewed by som people as a threat to national sovereignty or national culture
sovereignty = power or authority
What are post-colonial migrants?
People who moved to European countries from former colonies during the 1950’s, 1960s and 1970s
The UK received economic migrants from the Caribbean (especially Jamaica), India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Uganda
What is a consumer society?
A society in which the buying and selling of goods and services is the most important social and economic activity
What is a carbon and water footprint?
The amount of carbon produced by an individual
The amount of water used in the production and transport of food and commodities = the amount of ‘virtual water’ that is ‘embedded’ in a product
What is an ecological footprint?
A measurement of the area of land or water required to provide a person (or society) with the energy, food and resources needed to live, and to also absorb waste.
What are food miles?
The distance food travels from a farm to the consumer.
What is a transition town?
A settlement where individuals and businesses have adopted ‘bottom up’ initiatives with the aim of making their community more sustainable and less reliant on global trade.
What are ethical purchases?
A financial exchange where the consumer has considered the social and environmental costs of production for food, goods or services purchased.
What are the drawbacks of a global production network?
- Vulnerability to global disruptions (e.g., pandemics or natural disasters).
- Complex coordination across countries.
What are the benefits of a global production network?
- Cost efficiency and economic growth.
- Increased trade and investment between countries.
What is an example of a global production network?
Apple sources components globally for its iPhones and assembles them in China, forming a GPN.
