How can we offset the social
and environmental costs of
globalisation?
How can we do good for the
environment?
1. Recycling, reusing and
refusing
• The problem is that cheap imports have made us feel that items like
phones etc are almost disposable.
• Many items include a lot of packaging – so it should either be
recycled, reused (eg Anavyssos soup kitchen) or we should refuse to
buy it if too much packaging
• Some supermarkets charge for bags eg Lidl and others educate us to
use a fabric bag (for long term use) to encourage us to use less
plastic bags.
• If waste for recycling is shipped all the way to China for reprocessing
then carbon produced is high!
2. Local buying
•
•
•
Fiji water sent all the way to UK and Greece 
Food miles – the distance the food travels from the farmer to the consumer
…generally smaller is better unless out of season crops grown in a heated
greenhouse (when less CO2 may be produced by importing)
BUYING GREEK ALSO HELPS THE CRISIS!
3. Organic buying
•
•
•
Avoids chemical use – like artificial fertilisers and pesticides.
eg the farm we visited in Kitsi
However, if organic asparagus is imported all the way from Peru, this is not
CO2 friendly!!
4. Carbon credits
•
•
•
Firms like the UK Carbon Neutral company offer individuals and
organisations the chance to offset their carbon and greenhouse gas
emissions.
Eg pay for a tree to be planted after flying, support
http://www.carbonneutral.com/ especially the videos
http://www.carbonneutral.com/project-portfolio/carbon-offset-project-videos/
5. Biofuels and green
technology
•
•
Cars which run on biofuels or petrol and biofuels are intended to be greener
There are various issues with biofuel production and use. These include:
the effect of moderating oil prices,
the "food vs fuel" debate,
poverty reduction potential,
carbon emissions levels,
sustainable biofuel production,
deforestation of trf for oil production
soil erosion,
loss of biodiversity,
impact on water resources
energy balance and efficiency.
What can we do to tackle the
social costs of globalisation?
Ethical goods…..
A financial exchange where the consumer has thought about the social and
environmental costs of production of the food, goods or services produced
1. Fair trade - Geofile
• http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/
• http://www.solerebelsfootwear.co/
2. Ethically sourced goods
• Consumers may avoid purchasing goods
produced under exploitative sweatshops
• UK Ethical Trade Initiative
http://www.ethicaltrade.org/
3. Charitable donations and
international aid
• Governments give aid and NGOs like
Oxfam and Christian Aid collect money
from the public to help fight the economic
unfairness of globalisation (see p 166 PA)
4. Trade reforms
• Governments and international lobbying
organisations have tried to improve the
trade situation for LEDCs by regulating the
import and export of agicultural produce.
• Protestors meet outside the WTO and G8
conferences and make their cases for
change