Reference no: EM132154164

Cherries: Development vs. Environment 1: Key Concepts: social responsibility, ethics, global economy, trade, globalization, levels of economic development

Notes: Advances in global transportation and logistics have made it possible for people to get nearly any thing they want any time they want. So, despite the cold winter weather in Britain, fresh cherries are readily available in the supermarket. The cherries, which are imported from Chile, are at the center of a debate on the environmental costs of shipping fresh produce over long distances versus the costs of putting people who depend on jobs in the fresh produce industry out of work.

In Chile, cherries mean jobs. Global demand for cherries and other fresh produce has risen significantly in recent years, bringing jobs and greater prosperity to the country. Chile, a country that has the ideal climate, soil, and water supply for growing cherries, employs some 500,000 people in the fresh fruit industry. These jobs are seen as being essential to Chile’s prospects for continued economic growth. Growers in Chile recognize the controversy surrounding their exports, but also point out that demand for their products is strong, and that it is essential to consider the implications of efforts to curb that demand.

Environmentalists are worried, though. They see exports of fresh produce over long distances as being damaging to the environment and are promoting the consumption of locally grown produce instead. Getting cherries grown in Chile to the British supermarket is a multi-week process. It begins when the cherries are picked and transported by truck to local processing plants. After being processed, the cherries are taken by truck a relatively short distance to the port where they are loaded onto ships. The cherries are loaded into containers that must be refrigerated for the duration of the journey to Europe. It is this portion of the process that worries environmentalists the most. The ships, which also carry other commodities like paper and copper, must travel more than 7,000 miles to Europe – a trip deemed by many to be wasteful and harmful to the environment. Environmentalists believe a more environmentally-friendly approach for British consumers is to buy in-season, locally grown produce instead, and save the cherry purchases for special occasions.

Discussion Questions: be detiled in your answers.

1- How might Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen view the debate on Chile’s cherry exports to Europe? Would Sen support the environmentalists’ position or those who believe the industry should be allowed to continue its current practices?

2- Consider the social implications of instituting regulations to limit the export of cherries from Chile to Europe. In your opinion, are such policies ethical when considered from the perspective of workers and local businesses? Reflect on the drawbacks of following a policy designed to protect the interests of certain groups within a country.

3- Suppose environmentalists are successful in their quest to stop Chile’s cherry exports to Europe. How might businesses in the industry be affected? How might other local businesses in the economy react?

4- Consider Chile’s success in the fresh produce industry from the perspective of Adam Smith. Would Smith support efforts to protect the environment by limiting exports from Chile to Europe?