Topic 8: Human systems and resource use Flashcards
Outline one strength and one limitation of the demographic transition model.
can be applied to a wide range of societies;
HOWEVER
does not take into account events such as migration/war/rapid spread of disease that may have limited impact on populations;
provides a theoretical basis for comparing other societies;
can be applied to a wide range of societies;
allows predictions to be made regarding transitions / population growth;
it is based on historical data;
indicates relationship between multiple factors;
Weakness [1 max]:
many assumptions are made to make the model / relationships are quite simplistic;
Eurocentric model might not apply to all countries;
does not take into account events such as migration/war/rapid spread of disease that may have limited impact on populations;
Outline two factors that enable a human population to increase its local carrying capacity.
recycling and tech
3RS TO PREVENT DEPLETION OF RESOURCES
TECH DEVELOPMENTS TO PREVENT DEPETION OF RESOURCES
ange of resources used;
…means that a local human population can consume/exploit more resources available locally than any other species;
human ingenuity/substitution;
…means that humans are capable to find alternative resources when one is near depletion;
variations in lifestyle;
…means that people can be flexible in their mode of consumption of limited/dwindling resources;
importation of resources;
…means that a wealthy population can grow beyond the boundaries set by their local resources;
technological developments; (can be linked to all previous factors)
…allows humans to use available resources more efficiently / discover new resources / import resources from far away;
Note: Award [1] for identifying each factor and [1] for outlining how it enables increase
Explain how the growth in human population can affect local and regional water resources.
GWEICO AND BLEW AND BRE
growing human populations result in increased need for water for domestic/drinking/cooking use;
Commercial development/industrialisation/factories increase water demand;
increasing food demand entails increased irrigation/water for crops/agriculture;
increasing populations may increase poverty and thus economic water scarcity;
areas/locations/countries that have physical water scarcity would be mostly affected;
…causing freshwater land resources (lakes, rivers) to dwindle / risking sustainability of freshwater- resources / depletion of aquifers;
…often resulting in conflict over access to water;
increased groundwater abstraction may lead to intrusion from salt water;
(increased) industrial effluents can cause water (toxic) pollution;
dam construction to meet higher demands of growing population can affect sustainability of that water source;
increasing populations can stimulate technological innovation and greater efficiency of water use / management;
The points above may be credited through a case-study eg
To what extent would different environmental value systems be successful in reducing a society’s ecological footprint?
Ecological footprint is amount of land and water used to sustain a human popultaion. It measures the demaands humans put on the environment.
INCREASED ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT IS ASSOCIATED WITH RESOURCE DEPLETION EG Excessive water consumption/ EXCESSIVE FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION THUS
GHG N WATER SCARCITY
CHANGING COW DIETS
REDUCING COMBUSTION OF FOSSIL FUELS EG NO = TROPOSPHERIC OZONE
RENEWABLE ENERGY
AFFORESTATION
LAWS
EDUCATION
GMO DROUGHT RESISTANT CROPS
WATER RESERVIORS
HARVESTING RAIN WATER
understanding concepts and terminology of ecological footprint; EVS; carrying capacity; sustainability; population growth;
breadth in addressing and linking climate change; population growth; sustainability; food production methods; water resource management; SDW management; resource management; consumption rates; living standards; land use; environmental degradation;
examples of different strategies/perspectives to reduce the EF of a society;
balanced analysis discussing how the eco-, anthro-, and techno- centric EVSs would approach the reduction of a society’s EF using a range of resource use and management and addressing a range of factors/variables influencing EF;
a conclusion that is consistent with, and supported by, analysis and examples given eg ideologically, an ecocentric value system may be most successful in reducing ecological footprints but in practice there needs to be the legislative aspect of anthropocentrism and the technological innovation of technocentrism to be really effective;
Discuss how solid domestic waste disposal options could be used to reduce the threats to marine organisms.
Recycling reduces waste going to landfillls which reduces ghgs produced in langfills reducing ocean acididfication
recycling reduces plastics entering water
However.
expensive
needs a change in behaviour
BLEW
3RS
Recycling can reduce plastics entering waterways;
…but is costly/depends on changing lifestyles;
Restoring landfills
Landfill can reduce wastes entering waterways;
…but can still lead to leaching of toxins into aquatic environments;
Leglislation
Littering laws can reduce waste entering marine systems
…but need appropriate penalties/monitoring etc;
Incineration can reduce wastes entering aquatic environments;
…but may cause air pollution and deposition/acidification of marine environments;
Composting can reduce organic waste polluting waterways;
…but is only suitable for biodegradable waste;
Littering laws can reduce waste entering marine systems
…but need appropriate penalties/monitoring etc;
Evaluate the effectiveness of recycling as a waste management strategy for LondoN
2 ads/ 2 dis
reduces waste going to landfill
reduction in GHG/methane from landfill;
Ineffective [2 max]:
requires change in lifestyle/behaviour / difficult to change behaviour;
recycling schemes can be quite expensive;
Discuss how a country’s stage in the demographic transition model (DTM) might influence its national population policy.
ads/dis
General statement: The DTM can…
help a country to predict its future population growth
identify whether birth/fertility/mortality rates are increasing/decreasing
If high mortality, country might improve health care access/facilities;
vaccination policy to reduce child mortality;
If fertility is high, might implement programmes to slow population growth / achieve population stability such as:
increase access to contraception
sex education;
support family planning programs
Educating women by putting them in school
If in stages 4/5 it might implement programmes to increase population growth / stop population decline, such as:
pro-immigration policy;
economic incentives for additional children / e.g. baby bonuses / family allowances / tax deductions;
social incentives for larger families, / e.g. maternal and paternal leaves, flexible work schedules, public office for parents of more than 3 children, free schooling/nursing;
Outline three ways that London’s green spaces are considered natural capital.
provides a source of food/timber/fertile soil for agriculture;
provide areas for education/tourism/leisure and physical activity (reducing obesity/stress);
increase economic value of homes nearby;
remove air pollutants providing cleaner air (improving health/reducing health care costs);
provide areas for education/tourism/leisure and physical activity (reducing obesity/stress);
increase economic value of homes nearby;
increase biodiversity of species (insects, small animals, plants) / provides a habitat for animals/pollinating bees;
act as flood mitigation/reduces flood risk (by absorbing precipitation/increase infiltration);
filters (and cleans) water entering river/aquifers;
rivers/lakes provide a source of water;
cool temperatures/reduce urban heat island/reduce heating-cooling costs for homes;
absorb CO2/carbon sink / release O2/oxygen source;
provides a source of food/timber/fertile soil for agriculture;
Explain the causes, and the possible consequences, of the loss of a named critically endangered species.
**gweico **
habitat loss / deforestation;
poaching / overhunting;
disease;
small population size
bre
loss of biodiversity;
decline in other organisms due to loss of food source;
economic costs from loss of ecosystem services provided by the species;
RESILIENCE THINK POSITIVE FEEDBACK; FISH DIES, BIRD WITH NO FOOD, BIRDS DIE, SNAKES WITH NO FOOD, SNAKES DIE AND ITS POSITIVE TIL THE TIPPING POINT THUS ENVIRONMENTAL RESILIENCE
Causes [4 max] could include:
habitat loss / deforestation;
habitat degradation / pollution;
narrowly distributed / endemic;
poaching / overhunting;
illegal trafficking of species;
disease;
small population size/gene pool / inbreeding;
specialised niche;
slow reproduction rate / specialised reproductive behaviour;
high trophic level/top predator;
low/negative cultural value;
influence/competition/predation from invasive species.
Consequences [4 max] could include:
loss of an aesthetically attractive organism;
loss of ethically significant life / breach of biorights;
loss of biodiversity;
increase in organisms upon which the species fed or competed with;
decline in other organisms due to loss of food source;
if keystone species, widespread impacts/cascade effects on food chains/ecosystem;
economic costs from loss of ecosystem services provided by the species;
economic costs from loss of tourism opportunities;
social impacts on local culture as important/significant cultural loss.
Accept reference to decline of any species that is endangered, critically endangered or currently extinct.
If more than one species is addressed only credit the highest scoring example.
Using examples, discuss whether habitat conservation is more successful than a species-based approach to protecting threatened species.
[9]c.
Habitat conservation
If the habitat is not conserved and restored, a species whose population has been increased using species-based methods, will not survive in the wild.
Some species need their habitats to survive eg polar bears.
Water pollution for aquatic life eg BLEW
Species conservation
bre
r - positive feedback
understanding concepts & terminology of habitat-based methods for conservation; species-based methods for conservation; international and national protection; international, national and local conservation organisations; ecosystem services; food chains and food webs; succession; threats to biodiversity; pollution consequences, eg bioaccumulation and biomagnification; threats from climate change; food production systems; human population growth; sustainable development; EVSs;
breadth in addressing and linking range of threats to biodiversity; scale of different threats; challenges in LEDCs to develop sustainably; consequences of different EVSs; variety of habitat-based methods for conservation; variety of species-based methods of conservation;
examples of both habitat- and species-based methods; threatened and protected areas and species; organisations involved in conservation;
balanced analysis of the varying success of habitat and species conservation to protect threatened species;
a conclusion that is consistent with, and supported by analysis and examples given eg success of the conservation of threatened species will depend on the context, nature of the threats and a combination of strategies is likely to be necessary with both habitat and species approaches used. If the habitat is not conserved and restored, a species whose population has been increased using species-based methods, will not survive in the wild.
Identify three reasons why carrying capacity can be difficult to estimate.
[3]a.ii.
hUMANS use alot of resources
they import resources
tech development = development of resource use
Generally:
there are many different potential limiting factors for natural populations;
populations’ needs may change through time due to genetic changes/evolution;
environmental conditions may change eg climate change/introduced species;
it takes extensive/long-term study to identify a precise relationship between a species and given environmental factor;
For human populations:
human populations exploit/depend upon a far greater range of different resources than most other species;
(human ingenuity) humans are able to substitute one resource/material for another;
variations in lifestyle/culture/economic status between human populations mean different resources/amounts of resources are used/needed;
the importation of resources from other ecosystems/regions can offset a lack of resources in an area;
technological developments cause changes in resources required/available over time;
Define the term carrying capacity.
the maximum number of individuals/load of a species that can be sustainably supported by a given area/habitat/environment OWTTE;
Evaluate one possible pollution management strategy for solid domestic waste.
3Rs
Recycling
reduces waste going to landfill
reduction in GHG/methane from landfill;
Ineffective [2 max]:
requires change in lifestyle/behaviour / difficult to change behaviour;
recycling schemes can be quite expensive;
Strengths:
in general recycling reduces the amount of energy and resources required for a product;
e.g. the amount of energy saved when recycling aluminium is 95 %
e.g. plastic is usually made from oil which is a non-renewable resource and thus recycling saves a valuable resource;
recycling reduces air pollution and carbon emissions in comparison to a pollutionmanagement strategy (PMS) such as incineration;
recycling can be managed in many ways, such as a doorstep mixed collection, household sorting, drop-off at recycling points, and in less developed countries, by individuals picking through discarded rubbish/trash;
Limitations:
at the moment recycling is often not economical as it is cheaper to produce items from new raw materials;
recycling may not encourage a change in behaviour towards reducing rubbish/trash/garbage;
recycling is challenging for plastics as there are many grades of plastic and you can’t “upcycle” poorer grade plastics;
people may not want to sort their trash when recycling is only available through separation by households;
it is not possible to recycle all products due to poor packaging design.
Outline the relationship between carrying capacity and ecological footprint.
Ecological footprint is amount of land and water used to sustain a human popultaion. It measures the demaands humans put on the environment.
INCREASED ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT IS ASSOCIATED WITH RESOURCE DEPLETION EG Excessive water consumption/ EXCESSIVE FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION THUS
GHG N WATER SCARCITY
CHANGING COW DIETS
REDUCING COMBUSTION OF FOSSIL FUELS EG NO = TROPOSPHERIC OZONE
RENEWABLE ENERGY
AFFORESTATION
LAWS
EDUCATION
GMO DROUGHT RESISTANT CROPS
WATER RESERVIORS
HARVESTING RAIN WATER
ecological footprint (EF) is the reciprocal/inverse of carrying capacity (CC);
populations with high per capita EF will have low CC / a population with a low EF would be less limited by CC in a given area (and vice versa) / EF determines whether a population is living within limits of CC;
EF identifies area needed (to satisfy the needs of a designated population) whereas CC identifies maximum population for sustainability (a designated area may sustain);
EF is easier to calculate but has clear implications for CC;
both EF and CC depend upon rate of resource consumption/waste produced;
both EF and CC depend upon local environmental resources/waste processing ability;
both EF and CC facilitate a quantitative assessment of sustainability;
local EF may increase by import of goods produced elsewhere, whereas CC is dependent only to local productivity / CC may decrease through export of goods;
EF is not applied to non-human populations (whereas CC is difficult to apply to human populations).
Outline how the concept of sustainability can be applied to managing natural capital.
Natural capital should be replaced just as fast as it is being used to prevent compromising of fututre generartions ability to satisfy needs while satisfying current generation needs
define sustainability but with natural capital imbeded in the definition ie
natural capital must be used at rate slower than its replenishment / within maximum sustainable yield / that fulfils current needs without compromising future availability;
natural capital refers to natural resources that can supply a natural income of goods or services;
natural income is the yield/growth obtained from natural resources/capital;
to be sustainable, natural capital must be used at rate slower than its replenishment / within maximum sustainable yield / that fulfils current needs without compromising future availability;
if more than the natural income is extracted, then the use is unsustainable;
exploitation of natural capital may also be unsustainable due to processes of extraction/transport/processing / environment should be in same condition as at outset to be sustainable;
altering human behaviour/values/choices through policies/legislations/campaigns so that unsustainable exploitation of natural capital is reduced;
non-renewable natural capital is either irreplaceable or can only be replaced over geological timescales / non-renewable natural capital can never be used sustainably.
