Key Idea: Topic 6.3 is the 'what do we do about it?' end of the HL core — how the world builds resilience to the geopolitical, economic and environmental risks of Topics 6.1 and 6.2. It works at two scales at once: Global — international governance and treaties, and global NGOs and civil society that hold states and TNCs to account. Local — the localisation movement (local sourcing, food and energy security, community action) that shortens supply chains and reduces dependence. Over it all sits the planetary-boundaries idea — the safe environmental limits humanity must stay inside. This is HL core, examined on Paper 3 — a synoptic two-part essay: a [12] structured part (Analyse/Examine) + a [16] markband part (Evaluate / To what extent), and it pulls together the whole of Units 4–6.
🛡️ The strategies for resilience
Resilience comes from top-down action (global governance) and bottom-up action (localisation and civil society) working together. The exam skill is to weigh which scale matters more for a given risk, and to judge how effective each really is.
Building resilience — strategy by scale
| Strategy | Scale | How it builds resilience |
|---|---|---|
| Global governance & treaties | Global | Shared rules + targets (climate, trade, finance) coordinate states |
| NGOs & civil society | Global ↔ local | Monitor, campaign, fill gaps states leave; hold TNCs to account |
| Localisation movement | Local | Local food/energy + short supply chains cut dependence and emissions |
| Planetary-boundaries thinking | Global frame | Defines the safe environmental limits all action must respect |
Key terms
- Resilience — the capacity of a place or system to absorb shocks and keep functioning.
- Global governance — the treaties, institutions and rules that coordinate states beyond any one government.
- Civil society — citizens, NGOs and community groups acting outside the state and the market.
- Localisation (relocalisation) — shifting production and supply closer to home to cut dependence.
- Planetary boundaries — the environmental limits (climate, biodiversity, water…) humanity must stay within.
Local action is fast, democratic and cuts emissions, but it can't fix global problems alone (a town can't set a carbon price). Global governance can set shared rules, but is slow, weakly enforced and lets nations free-ride. The strongest answers argue resilience needs both, nested together — global rules that empower local action.
🌐 Where it connects (the synoptic web)
| Risk (from 6.1 / 6.2) | Resilience response | Best scale |
|---|---|---|
| Financial / supply-chain shocks | Diversify suppliers, reshore, hold reserves | Local + national |
| Climate & environmental risk | Treaties + carbon pricing + clean tech | Global, enabling local |
| Over-dependence on global trade | Localisation: local food + community energy | Local |
| Weak accountability of TNCs | NGO monitoring + civil-society pressure | Global ↔ local |
✍️ IB-style questions
Analyse the strategies used at different scales to build resilience to the risks created by global interactions.
🔒 Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
To what extent can resilience to global risks be built more effectively at the local scale than the global scale?
🔒 Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
✅ Quick self-check
Tap each card to reveal the answer.
What does 'resilience' mean here? The capacity of a place or system to absorb shocks and keep functioning — and to adapt so future shocks hurt less.
Give one global and one local resilience strategy. Global: an international treaty / governance body. Local: the localisation movement — local food, community energy, short supply chains.
Why can't local action fix global problems alone? Risks like climate and finance cross borders — a single community can't set a carbon price or regulate a global TNC. It needs global rules too.
What are planetary boundaries? The safe environmental limits (climate, biodiversity, freshwater…) that humanity must stay within — the frame all resilience action works inside.
What's the strongest judgement on local vs global? They're interdependent, not rivals — global governance works best when it empowers local action; the right scale depends on the risk.
🎯 Highest-yield exam reminders
Exam Tips
- Always name the SCALE (local / national / global) of each resilience strategy — the marks reward matching scale to risk.
- Pair every strategy with the RISK it addresses (from 6.1/6.2): supply-chain shock → reshoring; climate → treaties; weak TNC accountability → NGOs.
- Know real examples: an international agreement, a named NGO/civil-society campaign, a localisation/community-energy scheme, the planetary-boundaries framework.
- On local vs global, avoid 'one is better' — argue they're INTERDEPENDENT: global rules that empower local action.
- Topic 6.3 is the synoptic capstone — deliberately reach back to Units 4 (power/flows) and 5 (development) and to 6.1/6.2 (the risks).
- On the [16], resolve the exact wording ('more effectively at the local scale') with a clear judgement — ideally 'it depends on the risk'.