3.9a

Question 1

State 4 concerns about transition towns

Answer 1

Missing out on globalisation; e.g. national markets have greater buying power / economies of scale
Not very inclusive beyond the town they are operating in
Disincentives for local businesses to operate sustainably (economically)
Products might not be produced in the most environmentally / resource efficient location
Costs of transport might increased because of increased localism

Question 2

State 5 ethical concerns over globalisation (health safety, corruption, emissions, exploitation)

Answer 2

• Industrial / transport companies, so polluting/high CO2 emissions
• Some workers could be exploited
• Corruption endemic/ ‘way of life’ in some countries
• Sub-contracting brings weak governance e.g. sweatshops.
• May have factories / offices based in developing world so less stringent health & safety / environmental laws

Question 3

What are EU enviro regulations like

Answer 3

EU environmental regulations – the negative externalities of production have shifted to developing countries E.g. EU large combustion plant directive on NOX and SO2 emissions

Question 4

Give an example of enviro exploitation

Answer 4

• Increased exploitation / development of natural resource base of developing countries
• E.g. growth of palm-oil production in Indonesia / loss of orangutan habitats

Question 5

Why are air pollution higher in certain regions

Answer 5

Less strict regulation leads to higher levels of air pollution – E.g. Taipei in Taiwan has one of the world’s highest levels of air pollution

Question 6

Why have all types of pollution increased (one specific reason)

Answer 6

Increased length of production chain: each stage and transport between them can cause air/water/land pollution

Question 7

How can pollution and damage to ecosystems cause long term problems to ecosystems and people’s health

Answer 7

over 7000 factories in Mexico City = dangerous levels of air pollution 2 out of 3 days

Question 8

State 8 ways of being ethical

Answer 8

High price paid to growers
High prices paid to roasters
Workers own the co-operative
High overall cost to consumer
Groups /players working together positively
Fair trade
Organic
Uses recycled packaging

Question 9

State 4 benefits of buying locally

Answer 9

Lower carbon footprint/lower food miles (or similar) means reduced emissions / greener / more sustainable
Local food is often organic, not using pesticides, so its good for biodiversity
Local farmers receive a raised income
Consumers know where the food has come from

Question 10

What are 5 problems faced by consumers when buying locally

Answer 10

• Local food isn’t always available, and can be more expensive,
• Might have high environmental costs e.g. heated greenhouses, so consumers’ ethical standards are not met might have to buy GM crops instead.
• Consumers lose access to all-year supplies of seasonal food.
• Food routed via depots so long journeys are still made.
• Unrealistic for local area to support large population of a city.

Question 11

State thre problems for producers of buying locally in the UK

Answer 11

Poor farmers in LDCs lose trade
Less sales creates surplus, price fluctuates
Even harder for poor farmers to access HIC markets (e.g. EU tariffs)

Question 12

What is the theory behind fair trade in three points

Answer 12

• You can help the environment - often organic food – fewer pesticides, richer soil, cleaner water
• You can help poorer farmers: surcharge goes to help raise incomes
• You can show that you dislike multinational companies: buy locally

Question 13

What is the unfortunate reality of fair trade

Answer 13

• Less intensive organic food requires much more land to grow equivalent amount of food
• Higher price fairtrade food leads to overproduction, depressing prices lower than originally
• ½ of food transport is cars, so to local farmers is inefficient compared to big packed lorries