Available through Heinemann, the recently published The global village series is an excellent addition to the Resources strand of Society and the Environment for upper primary and early secondary students. This series of six books investigates and debates the effects of globalisation on the individual, governments, companies and the environment around the issues of natural resources, trade, food and farming, migrations and refugees, aid and development, and travel and tourism. It addresses the loss of traditional skills, cultures and systems, examines the possibility of balance being restored and looks at what action is being taken to address these issues. Each chapter features “Eyewitness”, “Focus on…” and “Have your say” boxes: The former quotes people with direct experience of the issue under discussion; the next focuses on specific questions or events; and the latter suggests topics for reflection, discussion and debate. Each book concludes with a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the issue, and graphs of pertinent facts and figures.
Natural Resources introduces the complexities of the mining, harvesting, use and trade of the world’s natural resources. It explains what natural resources are, where they are found in the world, the mechanism of supply and demand, the concepts of exploitation and sustainability, and the contrasting opinions around this issue.
Food and Farming discusses the concept of, and the arguments for and against globalisation; the fairness of free trade in relation to food; plantation agriculture; multinational companies and their impact; biotechnology and organic farming.
Aid and Development argues that unequal distribution of wealth and exploitation of poorer or less developed peoples and countries have created dysfunction and alienation which governments and non-government agencies attempt to manipulate, or genuinely help, through disaster and humanitarian aid for development and relief. It examines types of aid and development, examples of projects, and consequent positive and negative outcomes.
Migration and Refugees focuses on the reasons for migration, its economic and social effects and issues such as multiculturalism.
Trade first defines the concept of trade and gives a brief history of it, then goes on to discuss issues surrounding global trade such as government subsidies, free trade, consumer power, privatisation, the WTO (World Trading Organisation), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, multinational companies (or transnational corporations), competition and fair trade.
Travel and Tourism examines tourism as an industry and its effects on local communities and culture, economies, working conditions, natural resources and the environment. It also discusses the preservation of significant sites, sustainable tourism and eco-tourism.
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