Paper 2) Fragile Environment Flashcards

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1
Q

Fragile Environment Countries

A

-The Philippines
-Japan
-Norway
-The Marshall Islands
-Iraq

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2
Q

The Philippines - fragile environment

A

-Hit by on average 20 typhoons each year
-prone to flooding

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3
Q

Japan - fragile environment

A

-Japan is located where four of the Earth’s tectonic plates converge
-home to about ten percent of the world’s active volcanoes
-Japan experiences around 1,500 earthquakes per year

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4
Q

Norway - fragile environment

A

Many of Norway’s glaciers are vulnerable to rising global temperatures. Glacial retreat.

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5
Q

The Marshall Islands - fragile environment

A

The Likiep atoll is home to around 400 people - highest point on the Marshall Islands (only 10m above sea level)
-vulnerable to rising sea levels

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6
Q

Iraq - fragile environment

A

-Result of climate damage, years of war, oil exploration forcing farmers off their land
-Salty water making its way back inland because of an increased number of dams
-most of Iraq’s marshland and fertile land has turned to desert

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7
Q

Fragile environment definition

A

Any natural environments/ biomes that are sensitive and vulnerable to change, particularly by human activity

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8
Q

Ecosystem definition

A

The interactions between the living things and the non living things in one locations

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9
Q

Biome definition

A

Made of many similar ecosystems

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10
Q

Abiotic factors

A

A non-living condition or thing, that influences or affects an ecosystem and the organisms in it

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11
Q

Biotic factors

A

A living thing that has an impact on another population of living things or on the environment

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12
Q

Why are fragile environments threatened

A

The growth of the world’s population today threatens to disturb the fragile balance of environments
-Humans have disturbed 90% of the Earth to some degree

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13
Q

Where do tropical rainforests tend to form

A

-around the equator because its hot and wet
-between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn
-found in Central and South America, western and central Africa, western India, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Australia

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14
Q

Biggest victims of global warming

A

-oceans
-they provide 50% of the earth’s oxygen
-ocean acidification - corals are at risk
-around 1 billion people rely on oceans for food

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15
Q

4 main theories to explain climate has changed in the past

A

-the sunspot theory
-the eruption theory
-the cosmic materials
-the orbital theory

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16
Q

The Sunspot Theory

A

The sun’s output is not constant and can fire out more solar energy towards the earth than other periods of time
-the earth has more solar energy from the sun, which makes the climate warmer

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17
Q

The Eruption Theory

A

Volcanic eruptions produce ash and sulphur dioxide gas. If they rise high enough, they will spread around the stratosphere by high level winds
-a blanket of ash and gas stops sunlight from reaching the Earth’s surface - cools the planet
-after the ash cloud has settled, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will trap more heat and warms the planet
-haven’t been many super volcanic eruptions in the recent years when the climate has changed drastically

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18
Q

The Cosmic Materials

A

A large asteroid would blast millions of tones of ash and dust into the atmosphere. Would cool the climate as the dust and ash would block incoming sunlight

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19
Q

The Orbital theory

A

Changes in the way the Earth orbits the sun. Sometimes the Earth’s orbit is more of an eclipse or circular.
-Earth’s axis tilts and wobbles
-changes alter the amount of sunlight the Earth receives and where sunlight falls on the earth’s surface
-significant changes happens over thousands of years

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20
Q

Evidences of climate change

A

-Ice cores
-Pollen analysis
-Tree rings
-Historical sources
-Temperature records

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21
Q

Ice cores

A

From ice sheets that show different layers - have trapped air bubbles contain CO2 levels and O2 isotopes that correlate with each other
-There could be slight dating errors though

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22
Q

Pollen analysis

A

By analysing pollen - can see how ecosystems have changed in response to the climate - Pollen grains have been preserved in waterlogged sediment
-needs good preservation of pollen which doesn’t always happen

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23
Q

Tree rings

A

The thickness of rings in trees depends on the climate
-only very recent data (relatively) - covers such a small period of time

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24
Q

Historical sources

A

Pictures and written accounts
-cooler periods in time (ice over the Thames)
-warmer periods (Greenland accessible and lived in)
-before 1880 there are no reliable measurements

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25
Q

Temperature records

A

-earth is 0.8 degrees warmer in last 120 years
-nearly every one of the hottest years on record have been since 2000
-relatively recent data

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26
Q

Climate Change definition

A

May be a result of both human and natural processes. A large scale, long term shift in the planet’s weather patterns and average temperatures

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27
Q

Greenhouse effect definition

A

Natural processes where gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun, warms and keeps the planet habitable

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28
Q

Enhanced greenhouse effect definition

A

Human activity is changing the atmosphere and trapping more heat.

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29
Q

Global warming definition

A

A gradual rise in the global temperatures caused by human activities increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

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30
Q

What part of the world is expected to heat up the most?

A

The Artic Circle - warming at about four times the global average rate
-90% of the human population live in the Northern hemisphere
-Therefore there are more emissions and more heat becomes trapped
-Artic amplification - ice reflect heat, dark seawater absorbs heat. As ice melts, the dark water absorbs heat, and more ice melts

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31
Q

The greenhouse effect process

A
  1. the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s atmosphere
  2. some of is reflected back to space and some is absorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gases.
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32
Q

Facts about carbon emissions for different countries

A

-The EU, USA and Japan emit 33% of all CO2 emissions
-China alone emits 29% (and rising)
-The developing world produces an average of 1-3 tones of CO2 p.p.p.y, while in the developed world, it is 10-25 (per person per year)

33
Q

4 greenhouse gases

A

-Carbon dioxide
-Methane
-Nitrous Oxide
-F-Gases and CFCs

34
Q

Carbon dioxide gas sources

A

-burning fossil fuels - cars, plane
-burning wood as fuel
-deforestation - trees remove CO2 from atmosphere

35
Q

Methane gas sources

A

-Animals (cows)
-melting permafrost (methane is released when permafrost melts)
-decay of organic matter
-waste in landfill sites
-animal manure

36
Q

Nitrous oxide gas sources

A

-Burning of fossil fuels
-use of artificial fertilisers

37
Q

F-Gases and CFCs sources

A

-Gases containing fluorine
-Chlorofluorocarbons are released by aerosols and coolants in fridges, freezers and air conditioning systems
-in some types of packaging and insulation

38
Q

Human activities that cause climate change

A

-air travel - fossil fuel combustion - CO2, nitrous dioxide
-livestock - cows/sheep produce methane during digestion
-industry - manufacturing - high carbon footprint
-electrical energy consumption - devices
-deforestation - release stored CO2 into atmosphere

39
Q

Impacts of global warming

A

-drowning cities
-extreme weather
-change distribution of ecosystems
-sea level rise
-locust swarms
-climate refugees
-spread of disease

40
Q

Impact of global warming - drowning cities

A

-due to sea level rise
-around 10% of the world’s population live in coastal areas that are less than 10 meters above sea level
-Miami (USA) is one of the most threatened cities in the world
-Would flood all of Miami beach and leave downtown Miami on an island of water disconnected from the rest of Florida
-Maldives could be under water completely - highest point is only 2.4 meters above sea level

41
Q

Impact of global warming - extreme weather

A

-more frequent and more intense natural hazards such as tropical storms, tornadoes, heatwaves and droughts
-Warmer seas - more intense storms. Tropical storms have increased in frequency, intensity and power since 1980
-frequent and longer droughts - desertification is increasing and the Sahel region is expanding at an alarming rate

42
Q

Impact of global warming - Change the distribution of ecosystems

A

-general warming will push the world’s biomes towards the poles
Pros:
-the change in the climate will allow farming to be pushed further towards the poles
-retreat of ice will make resources such as oil, natural gas, and minerals accessible and allow them to be exploited
-Artic Ocean will become ice-free in the summer - open up possibility of shipping routes serving the polar coasts of North America and Eurasia
Cons:
-also results in other areas of farmland becoming less productive

43
Q

Impact of global warming - sea level rise

A

-a significant amount of the world’s economic wealth is generated and located at the coast
-encourage migration
-have a huge negative impact on employment as coastal farmland, cities, the lost jobs and economic opportunities lost

44
Q

Impact of global warming - locust swarms

A

-better breeding conditions as it is wetter
-major epidemic in East Africa, South Asia, Middle East
-farmland swarmed - reduce crops, a loss of economic activity and an increase in famine

45
Q

Impact of global warming - climate refugees

A

-increase food and water insecurity
-could lead to conflict as people are forced to migrate in search of food and water

46
Q

Impact of global warming - spread of diseases

A

-where parts of the world become drier, water will become a scarcer resource
-where this happens, people are forced to use unclean water, outbreaks of water-borne diseases, such as cholera, typhoid

47
Q

Characteristics of desertification

A

-absence of surface water
-dried up rivers and ponds
-water table lowered (the level below ground which is saturated with water)
-vegetation biodiversity degraded or lost
-soil erosion increased as bare soil exposed to wind

48
Q

Natural causes of desertification

A

-Soil degradation - the removal of soil means less support for the vegetation
-More erratic rainfall - when rain does fall it is often for very short intense periods. This makes it difficult for the soil to capture and store the rain so water resources are reduced
-Changing in rainfall patterns - been less predictable and the occasional drought year sometimes extend to several years. As a result - the vegetation cover begins to die and leaves bare soil

49
Q

Human causes of desertification

A

-population increase - puts more pressure on the land to grow more food
-overgrazing - too many cattles can destroy vegetation
-mass migration - desertification takes hold in one area, local people move elsewhere in search of food and water. Wherever they settle, they increase the population pressure on the environment
-overcultivation - intensive use of marginal land exhausts the soil and crops will not grow
-deforestation - roots no longer binds the soil, leading to soil erosion

50
Q

Land management strategies used in farming to reduce desertification

A

-Atriplex shrubs are grown in shallow ditches to trap water. Plants help bind the soil and provide food for sheep and animals in the region
-ponding banks - areas of land enclosed by low walls which are able to store water
-earth bunds - reduce soil erosion. Built a low stone wall along the contours of the slopes. Walls trap water and soil
-terracing - build into the hillside to make it look like steps. Helps growth as it is flat and traps water
-growing trees - offer food and shade

51
Q

The Great Green Wall initiative

A

In the Sahel region they have created a living green wall of trees and bushes, full of birds and other animals
-Senegal has planted 11 million trees
-restoration of over 20 million hectares of land
-creation of 350,000 jobs

-wind used to erode the soil, now it is more protected
-leaves falls, acts as a compost which fertilises the soil
-brings shade - needs less water
-increase the humidity of the earth as roots hold water in the soil

52
Q

Desertification management strategy - education

A

-teaching local farmers which types of crops harm the soil and which protect it.
-Sustainable farming practices such as crop rotations, agroforestry

53
Q

Desertification management strategy - use of technology

A

-Small scale
-people using methods appropriate to their level of development, not expensive equipment
-upesi stoves - uses half the amount of fuelwood compared to traditional methods
-solar cookers
-reduces deforestation as less fuelwood is needed

54
Q

Distribution of the world’s deforestation

A

-95% of global deforestation occurs in the tropics
-Brazil and Indonesia account for almost half
-most of today’s richest countries are increasing tree cover through afforestation

55
Q

Causes of deforestation

A

-commercial farming
-logging
-residential housing
-road building
-cattle ranching
-mineral extraction

56
Q

Causes of deforestation - logging

A

Only valuable trees are chopped down (Selective logging), but as they fall, they damage other trees
-clear-felling - all trees in an area are uniformly cut down.

57
Q

Causes of deforestation - road building

A

-built through rainforests to enable minerals, timber, cattle, and crops to be moved easily
-bring in new settlers who clear areas for farming

58
Q

Causes of deforestation - cattle ranching

A

-cleared for plantations growing single crops (rubber, coffee)
-Plants and grassland are grown where huge herds of cattle graze on for a few years before another area is cleared for seeding with grass

59
Q

Causes of deforestation - Mineral extraction

A

Large areas of forests are cleared for the open cast mining of minerals such as iron, gold, bauxite and copper

60
Q

Economic gains for deforestation in MICs and LICs

A

-development of land for mining, farming and energy will lead to jobs both directly (construction and farming) and indirectly (supply and support industries).
-improved transport infrastructure opens up new areas for industrial development and tourism

61
Q

Economic losses for deforestation in MICs and LICs

A

-number of tourists attracted by rainforests could decrease
-pollution of some water sources, increasingly dry climate may result in water shortages
-plants with huge medical benefits and high profits may become extinct
-fires (used to make space for farming land), burn out of control, destroying cast areas of valuable rainforest

62
Q

Impact of deforestation - soil erosion

A

-removal of soil by wind and rain. Roots of trees bind the soil together. Due to deforestation, soil can easily become loose and erode away
-disturbs the natural soil-plant cycle and makes soils extremely vulnerable to soil erosion
-topsoil also holds huge amounts of carbon which is now known to have major potential influence on CO2 levels in the atmosphere

63
Q

Impact of deforestation - loss of biodiversity

A

-ending forest clearance would not save some species from decades of destruction, scientists find
-rare species disappear even if deforestation was stopped overnight
-animals lost to date are just one-fifth of those that will slowly die out

64
Q

Ecotourism definition

A

-stay in small scale accommodation in the ecosystem
-Incorporates local people - travel guides, hotel staff and you get educated about the ecosystem
-Makes sections of the rainforest a national park

65
Q

Selective logging and replanting definition

A

Trees are picked rather than all the trees. They pick the larger trees to make more money and leave the smaller ones so they can still become fully grown.
Heli-logging: helicopters used to remove logs because less damage is done to the remaining forest.

66
Q

Debt reduction definition

A

HIC’s (USA) allow LIC’s (Malaysia) to reduce the amount they owe if they guarantee protection of the tropical rainforest.
-known as debt-for-nature swapping.

67
Q

Internal agreements about the uses of tropical hardwoods

A

International restrictions in place (such as International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA) 2006)
-restrict wood such as mahogany and teak (for use in expensive furniture) that is not from a sustainable source being imported to a country.

68
Q

Why is deforestation happening in the Amazon?

A

-timber is a valuable source of income for Brazil
-25 million landless people in Brazil - new land is needed for settlements
-multi-national companies use the land to run cattle farms, to sell beef to developed countries

69
Q

Resources of the Amazon rainforest

A

-estimated 150-200 billion tons of carbon are stored in its forests and soils
-influence rainfall cycles throughout South America by releasing 20 billion tonnes of water into the air every day
-home to 10% of known species on earth

70
Q

Deforestation statistics in the Amazon

A

-approximately 17% has been lost already
-every minute an area the size of 5 football pitches is cut down

71
Q

Local effects of deforestation on the Amazon rainforest

A

-some of the cattle ranchers and settlements have been abandoned, due to the poor soil quality on the previous rainforest area
-96% reduction in the number of tribes’ people. Land taken from them.
-soil becomes infertile as the canopy layer is removed and the rainfall can remove more of the soil

72
Q

How Brazil has responded to deforestation

A

-The Forest code (1965) requires that all landowners in the Amazon keep 80% of their property as rainforest
-The Amazon Region Protected Areas (ARPA) scheme turned 45 million hectares of rainforest into national parks and reserves.
-promised to restore 12 million hectares of land abandoned by farmers back to rainforest
-Encouraging other sustainable management techniques ( selective logging, agro-forestry, educational programmes)

73
Q

International agreements used for tackling global warming over the last 25 years

A

-Kyoto Protocol (1997)
-Paris Agreement (2015)
-COP-26 (2012)

74
Q

Kyoto Protocol

A

1997
-all countries to cut emissions by average of 5% by 2012

75
Q

Paris Agreement

A

-Latest attempt to control global GHG emissions
-Limit global warming to well below 2 C above pre-industrial levels
-As of November 2018 - 194 states and the EU have signed the Agreement
-under President Trump, the USA pulled out of this in June 2020

76
Q

COP 26

A

2021
-The COP26 summit brought parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

77
Q

How can organisations reduce their greenhouse emissions

A

-invest in/ switch to renewable energy
-use/ produce energy efficient appliances
-Reducing packaging

78
Q

The Maldives - managing climate change

A

-floating islands
-building the islands upwards
-sea wall
-environmental refugees