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 especially the videoshttp://

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

2. Ethically sourced goods Consumers may avoid purchasing goods produced under exploitative sweatshops UK Ethical Trade Initiative

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