2.3. Environmental degradation

Question 1

Difference between pollution and environmental degradation

Answer 1

degradation implies ‘a decline of quality from its pure state’ whilepollution is ‘the action that causes degradation’

Question 2

Types of pollution

Answer 2

• land
• air
• water
• noise
• smell
• visual

Question 3

Define incidental pollution

Answer 3

one-off pollution incidents caused by technological failures and human error

Question 4

Define sustained pollution

Answer 4

longer term pollution caused by ozone depletion and global warming

Question 5

Ozone depletion and skin cancer facts

Answer 5

• ozone prevents UV radiation from passing through atmosphere
• ozone-depleting substances have caused an estimated decline of 4% a decade since the late 1970s
• skin cancer is the fastest-growing type of cancer in the US

Question 6

What does unequal environmental protection undermine?

Answer 6

• Procedural equity: refers to the extent that planning procedures, rules and regulations are applied in a non-discriminatory way
• Geographic equity: refers to the proximity of communities to environmental hazards and locally unwanted land uses such as smelters, refineries, sewage treatment plants
• Social equity: refers to the role of race and class in environmental decision making

Question 7

Factors leading to rural degradation

Answer 7

• population pressure
• soil erosion
• land degradation
• deforestation
• desertification
• poor farming practices

Question 8

Define green water

Answer 8

part of the total precipitation that is absorbed by soil and plants then released back into the air

Question 9

Define blue water

Answer 9

the remaining precipitation collected in rivers, lakes, wetlands and groundwater

Question 10

Define virtual water

Answer 10

the amount of water used to produce food/any other products.

e.g. one kilogram of wheat takes 1000 litres of water to produce

Question 11

Define physical water scarcity

Answer 11

• Where the demand for water is greater than the supply of water.
• Physical water scarcity does not have to be an arid environment, because there demand for water in arid environments is not normally low meaning that there is no shortage.

Question 12

Define economic water scarcity

Answer 12

exists when a population does not have the necessary monetary means to utilise an adequate supply of water

Question 13

Distribution of water sources fact

Answer 13

Only about 2.5% of the world’s water is fresh and the majority of that is frozen or under the ground making it very hard to access. The reaming freshwater that is easy to access is not distributed evenly across the world

Question 14

Causes of water shortages

Answer 14

• population growth
• pollution
• domestic demand
• agricultural demand
• industrial demand
• sewage
• climate change
• groundwater depletion
• energy production
• mismanagement