Using examples, analyse the role of global interactions in the growth of environmental awareness.

Discuss the reasons for the global diffusion of consumer culture.

AO1/2 indicative content:

• Relevant global interactions may include flows of data and information, such as internet campaigning by civil society organizations. Also credit other types of interaction playing a role, including migrants or tourists who help awareness of issues to diffuse to new places.
• Campaigning may be linked to specific issues, such as transboundary pollution. Environmental awareness is a blanket term covering many issues. Other examples could include global climate change, biodiversity, deforestation, etc.
• Credit the idea that global interactions/globalisation/global development has given rise to environmental challenges (climate change, resource security) and that people are now aware of these issues.

Good answers might offer a structured (AO4) analysis of different types of global interaction (information, commodity flows) or different environmental causes (climate change, biodiversity). Another approach might be to analyse rising environmental awareness in specific contexts, eg the diffusion of environmental awareness to
people in different or new contexts (new consumers in emerging economies).

For band C (4–6 marks), an example of the growth of environmental awareness (such as an NGO campaign or film) will be be outlined and linked weakly with global interactions (such as ICT use, or the global trade flows which cause the issues).

For band D (7–8 marks), expect a structured, well evidenced analysis of:

• either the role of a range of global interactions (such as data flows and trade flows)
• or two detailed examples of the growth of environmental awareness/ campaigns.

For band E (9–10 marks), expect both band D traits.

Credit all content in line with the markbands. Credit unexpected approaches wherever relevant.

Consumer culture can be understood as a lifestyle in capitalist societies wherein the consumption of goods and services occupies a central role, in terms of people’s use of leisure time, aspirations, and even their personal identity construction. It is sometimes associated negatively with unsustainable/“throwaway” use of commodities/resources. It can also be associated positively with the progression of people beyond poverty and into the consumer classes. Global diffusion patterns include the growth of consumer classes in emerging economies.

Possible AO1/2 indicative content:

• shrinking world technologies and the global diffusion of media/aspirations [Guide 3]
• financial flows from core to periphery regions [Guide 2]
• poverty alleviation, financial flows and the growth of new markets [Guide 3]
• branded commodities and the power of TNCs to build markets [Guide 5]
• migration, tourism and population movements [Guide 3, 5].

Answers scoring highly according to the AO3 criteria for evaluation might:

• critically discuss the relative importance of different reasons/global interactions which either aid diffusion of cultural traits or help to build incomes/markets
• discuss different traits of consumer culture, such as the diffusion of music, fast food, branded commodities, etc
• distinguish between the means of diffusion (eg TNCs) and the reasons why people are receptive to the arrival of “global culture” (eg state policies).

Do not award AO1/2 credit for lengthy case studies of places/countries where consumer culture has not diffused to / has been blocked, such as North Korea. However, some AO3 credit could be awarded for briefly drawing a contrast between liberal states and non-liberal states (such as North Korea) in order to demonstrate the high importance of liberal government as a reason for cultural diffusion.

For band C (5–8 marks), expect weakly evidenced outlining of two or three relevant reasons/themes from the geography guide.

For band D (9–12 marks), expect:

• either a structured synthesis which links together several well evidenced and well focused themes/reasons from the geography guide
• or a critical conclusion (or on-going evaluation).

For band E (13–15 marks), expect both of these traits.