Environmental Risks of Economic Development

Question 1

What are the 6 most common pollutants?

Answer 1

Carbon monoxide
Nitrogen dioxide
Lead
Sulphur dioxide
Particulate matter
Ground-level ozone

Question 2

Where is most of the pollution coming from?

Answer 2

Fossil fuel combustion
Metal production
Cement production
Gold production
Chor-alkali chemical industry
Waste incineration

Question 3

What is pollution?

Answer 3

The contamination of the environment which can take many forms (air, water, soil, noise, visual)

Question 4

What are the three methods of exposure to pollutants?

Answer 4

Inhalation: breathing in chemical vapours and dust
Ingestion: drinking or eating the chemical
Absorption: absorbing the chemical through the skin

Question 5

What are the effects of air pollution?

Answer 5

Air pollution has the most widespread effects on human health and the environment
Carbon monoxide comes from the incomplete combustion of carbon and is poisonous gas that prevents oxygen from being carried in the blood
Sulphur dioxide comes from the combustion of fossil fuels and causes respiratory problems and acid rain
Nitrogen dioxide is formed when nitrogen and oxygen react in hot environments and produces acid rain
Lead oxide-damages nervous system, especially in children
It causes global warming and the deterioration of the ozone layer

Question 6

What are the causes of soil erosion?

Answer 6

Deforestation
High population pressure
Land shortages
Overgrazing

Question 7

What are the effects of soil erosion?

Answer 7

Desertification
Food shortages
Infertile soils for growing crops
Eroded soil is washed into rivers and pollutes drinking water

Question 8

How does global warming occur?

Answer 8

Infrared radiation passes through the atmosphere and some is absorbed and re-emitted in all directions by greenhouse gas molecules. This has a warming effect on the Earth.

Question 9

What are the effects of global warming?

Answer 9

Melting ice sheets
Rising sea levels
Increase in storms 
Plants and wildlife may not be able to adjust (extinction)
More extreme weather

Question 10

What are greenhouse gases?

Answer 10

Carbon dioxide-combustion
Methane-decomposing organic matter
Chlorofluorocarbons-aerosols, air conditioning
Nitrous oxide-car exhausts, power stations

Question 11

What is noise pollution?

Answer 11

Disturbing/excessive noise that may harm the activity or balance of human/animal life

Question 12

Why is noise pollution increasing?

Answer 12

Increase in air traffic, runways and flights

Question 13

What is light pollution?

Answer 13

Excessive or obtrusive artificial light which is an externality of a developed society

Question 14

What are the impacts of light pollution?

Answer 14

Human health
Fatigue
Loss of sleep
Headaches

Question 15

What are the reasons for water pollution?

Answer 15

Soil in rivers due to soil erosion
Nitrates from fertilisers and phosphates from manure cause eutrophication
Oil spilling into the sea
Acid rain lowers the pH of water bodies-kills fish and aquatic plants

Question 16

What are the impacts of water pollution in China?

Answer 16

300 million people drink polluted water
In some places, cancer rate is 30x the national average
Polluted rivers and water ways
30,000 children die of diahorrea or other water borne diseases every year

Question 17

What is incidental pollution?

Answer 17

One-off pollution incident

Question 18

What is sustained pollution?

Answer 18

Longer term pollution

Question 19

What has happened as the scale of economic activity has increased?

Answer 19

The impact on the natural environment has become more obvious at a range of scales

Question 20

What is sustainable development?

Answer 20

A carefully calculated system of resource management which ensures that the current level of exploitation does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Question 21

What is resource management?

Answer 21

The control of the exploitation and use of resources in relation to environmental and economic costs

Question 22

What is CAP?

Answer 22

Common Agricultural Policy
Generous incentives for farmers encouraged by high levels of production and farming of marginal lands
Have had to take greater account of environment

Question 23

What is the Common Fisheries Policy?

Answer 23

EU have equal access to fishing grounds but UK fishermen have exclusive fishing rights up to 6 miles off the UK coast
Quotas due to overfishing so fishermen are only allowed to catch a certain amount of fish
Fishing boats were decommissioned-owners were paid a sum of money to scrap their boats and give up fishing licenses
30% reduction in active fishing vessels in Scotland

Question 24

What is the link between GDP and pollution?

Answer 24

As the GDP of a country rises, at first environmental degradation increases (pre industrial stage)
As the GDP increases the environmental degradation peaks and this the the turning point (tipping point)
As the GDP increases even more, we are able to protect the environment so pollution decreases (post industrial economies)

Question 25

What is resource conservation?

Answer 25

The management of the human use of natural resources to provide the maximum benefit to current generations while maintaining capacity to meet the needs of future generations.

Question 26

What are examples of resource conservation?

Answer 26

Recycling
Product stewardship (environmental responsibility of countries)
Energy efficiency: use of renewable resources, carbon credits
Substitution: use of common and less rare resources such as substitution of aluminium for copper

Question 27

Why is resource conservation so important?

Answer 27

Reduces landfill
We live in a world of finite resources
Reduce pollution
To not use up all resources so that future generations have access to them