7.1 Globalisation and global citizenship

The increase in trade across the world is part of globalisation. ‘Globalisation’ is the term used to describe how obtaining raw materials, producing and manufacturing goods and services, trading and markets, financial services, technology and communications have become increasingly interdependent at the world level. The world marketplace is now more influential than national and regional marketplaces.

At the same time, people are becoming much more aware of the links between the economic and social impacts of globalisation and changing global environmental patterns and processes. For example, there are now studies on the relationships between human activities and changing local and global weather and climate patterns.

As consumers of the products of globalisation we are connected with the social, economic and environmental consequences of globalisation. How we see and understand our rights and responsibilities as connected global consumers, and how we use those rights and bear those responsibilities, is us engaging in global citizenship.

Global citizenship includes being interested in and informed about what is happening in our local community, country and other places in the world, and what that means to the world’s, other people’s and our future. It is also about what actions we are taking, or will take, to make the world a safer and fairer place to live in.

To be wise and responsible consumers we need to understand more about how what we buy is produced, manufactured and transported, about world trade, and about the links between all these things and human rights and environmental sustainability.

DEVELOPING YOUR UNDERSTANDING 7.1

For a product that you have recently bought, or are looking at buying, find out about:

  • the raw materials used – are they mostly:
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  • the environmental impact (on habitat, biodiversity, water and greenhouse gas emissions) of obtaining its raw materials:
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  • the levels of greenhouse gas emissions associated with processing the raw materials into the product:
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  • the working conditions in the raw material sites and the processing sites:
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  • where the product was made:
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  • how long you think you will use the item for:
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  • how you will dispose of the product:
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  • the environmental impact (on habitat, biodiversity, water and greenhouse gas emissions) in disposing of the product:
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  • whether or not the company that manufactured the product has policies relating to fair trade, work practices and environmental sustainability:
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  • where you can find out more about the social, environmental and economic impacts of the product.

Once your class has finished their personal surveys, have a class discussion on the level of pre-purchase awareness of the class. The use the graph below to indicate your opinion on pre-purchase awareness levels in your class.

LEVEL OF PRE-PURCHASE AWARENESS

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Mark on the line where you think:

  • the class average awareness is (A)
  • the person with highest awareness is (H).

In the past this survey would have been a much easier task, as people purchased fewer products, particularly electronic products, than we do today. Also, people were also more likely to have produced a lot of what they used (especially food) themselves or purchased it from within their local area.

Now even a bunch of grapes we eat may have come from California and the garlic cloves we use in a stew could have come from Argentina.

Geographical thought

Research has shown that in the typical Australian household there are 67 items that run on mains power.

DEVELOPING YOUR UNDERSTANDING 7.2
  1. Describe what global citizenship means to you.
  2. Explain how important global citizenship is to you.
  3. Compare what you are now doing as a global citizen with what you intend to do in the future.