Land Cover Change

Question 1

The Growth of Urban Settlement

Answer 1

• The Earth’s population is rapidly increasing and now numbers over some 8 billion people.
• This is resulting in a continued growth of urban settlement to accommodate for the growing need, especially as a higher proportion of these people are now living in urban areas (from the process of urbanisation)
• In 2020, 56% of the world’s population lived in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 68% by 2050
• Predictions show urbanisation and the increasing population could add another 2.5B people to urban areas by 2050
• Urban areas have more than doubled in size since 1992 as a result of increasing population

Question 2

The Expansion and Intensification of Agriculture

Answer 2

• The rapid population growth requires an increased agricultural output to sustain current consumption
• An increased proportion of people are also more affluent then ever before, causing a change to consumption trends and creating a greater focus on beef
• To meet these changing and increasing demands, two methods are utilised; expansion in the amount of physical land used for agriculture, and intensification (increasing the output from the same area of land by new fertilisers, irrigation, GMOs and other technology
• Over 100 million hectares of agricultural land have been created between 1980 and 2000 in Latin America (it is estimated that globally there will be 18% more land converted for agriculture by 2050)
• There has been a 300% increase in food crop production since 1970
• China saw a 420% increase in cereal output between 1961 and 2021, despite only increasing the land used by 11%
• 50% of habitable land is used for food production, and two thirds of all cropland are used for food sources for animals such as cattle

Question 3

Mining

Answer 3

• 1% of the world’s terrestrial land is currently used for mining, including 0.02% of Australia’s land surface
• Mining has significant impacts on biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, water quality and human health
• Mining represents a significant part of the Australian economy, generating $270B in export revenue in 2020 (67% of total revenue)
• The mining process in Australia is highly regulated unlike many other countries, requiring rehabilitation (like with the 2020 closure of the Argyle pink diamond mine)

Question 4

Deforestation

Answer 4

• Deforestation is the clearing of forests for other uses, such as agriculture, urban development, grazing and mining, through means such as illegal logging and forest fires (like Indonesia’s ‘slash and burn’ technique)
• Forests provide a habitat for over 80% of the world’s biodiversity
• More than 50% of Indonesia’s rainforest has disappeared since 1900
• Deforestation emits large quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere as felled trees and other vegetation is often burnt as a cost-effective solution for disposal