Geography Unit 1: Exam Essay Example Question

Assess some of the stategies that can be used to try and create a more sustainable world - (15 marks)

As todays world becoming increasingly individualistic, it is diificult to be sustainable as everybody is independant and fulfilling personal needs are a priority above improving their city in ways that don't negatively affect the future generations. Globalisation has helped to fulfill the individualistic needs of people living in wealthy countries, like the UK. Ecologic footprint is a measure of the land and water needed by a population to produce the amount of resources that it consumes, and to absorb its waste, with existing technology. The UK has the second largest ecologic footprint in the world.

Globalisation has many social and environmental conseqences on the world that keep us from being sustainable. Globalisation means more goods being transported across the globe, and most modes of transportation are 'dirty' and cause pollution. Globalisation often results in deforestation either as a means of land or resources for the goods. This destroys ecosystems, allows for more rapid runoff of rainfall, and leads to an increase in soil erosion and the risk of flooding, mud and landslide. Deforestation has major impacts on the environment because burning forests accounts for 25% of global carbon emissions. It is also is a loss of a major carbon sink. Brazil became the fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gases in 2007, through burning forests.

Our economic growth destroys entire ecosystems and it uses up resources quicker than we can regenerate them. As countries develop and economies emerege, there will be a higher demand for resources however they are scarce and so the competition for resources will lead to inflation and only the wealthiest will be able to afford resources. This will then cause a rich-poor divide again. The economy will fail to keep up with demand as there is a limited amount of natural resources left on the planet.

Globalisation has also meant more people are the tourism industry has become more popular as we are becoming more aware of exotic places abroad and TNCs in the tourism industry make holidays as easy as possible. When Cuba's communist rule ended, they began developing. In 2004, Virgin holidays created an all-inclusive holiday package to Cuba where tourists wouldn't even have to leave the hotel. If they wanted, they could visit a small village outside the holiday resorts which was tourist friendly. They even had their own variance of currency that was based on US$. This has social consequenes as it stops tourists from visiting the real…