Question

On October 8th 2020, a CBC article was published that detailed the investment of public funds by both the governments of Canada and Ontario into Ford Motor Company to help them upgrade their Oakville plant for the production of electric vehicles. This upgrade will make the Oakville plant Ford’s largest electric vehicle factory in North America. Both governments described their investment as a “win-win” because they promote employment, technology innovation and “our transition to a low-carbon, clean-growth economy.”

a) Perhaps Ford Motor Company’s decision to accelerate their capacity to manufacture electric vehicles signals their understanding of planetary boundaries. If this were the case, and drawing on concepts from class on business and the natural world, how would electric vehicle production lessen the stress on any specific planetary boundary, and would this strategic shift reflect an adaptation strategy, a mitigation strategy, or both? Explain.

Answer 1

Ford Motors Company's decision to produce electric vehicle help lessen the stress on planetary boundries especially the Interference with the nitrogen and phosphorus cycle.Human activities have been affecting nitrogen and phosphorus cycle through various method.Reactive nitrogen produced by human activities such as use of fertilizers, burning of fossil fuels in factories and vehicle pollutes waterways,coast etc in the form of acid rain.Acid rain effect the production capacity of the vegetation ,corrodes metal and pollutes water and soil .Conversion to electric vehicle reduce the burning of fossil fuel and and thus lessen the stress on interference with nitrogen and phosporus cycle.Electric vehicle also help reduce the factors such as air pollutant and other particulat that causes climate change which is also a palnetary boundry.Thus use production or conversion to electric vehicle affect most of the planetary boundries.

Mitigation strategy aims at tackling the causes and impact of climate change. Adaptation strategy help in reducing the negative effect it already created.Fords decision to accelarate production of electric vehcile can be viewed as a strategic shift reflecting both mitigation and adaption.Since the electric vehicle reduces the causes of various problems such as climate changes,interference with nitrogen and phosphorus cycle,chemical pollution etc accelarated producton of electric vehicle can be viewed as mitigation strategy.It can also be viewed as a adaptation strategy since it reduces the negative impact already caused.

Please comment if there is any doubt