NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS CURRICULUM SUPPORT
Geography
European Environmental
Inequalities
[ACCESS 3]
The Scottish Qualifications Authority regularly reviews
the arrangements for National Qualifications. Users of
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reminded that it is their responsibility to check that the
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Acknowledgement
Learning and Teaching Scotland gratefully acknowledges this contribution to the National
Qualifications support programme for Geography.
The publishers gratefully acknowledge permission from the following sources to reproduce
copyright material: map and table of Mediterranean Europe – number (millions) of tourists,
diagram of the distribution of acid rain in Europe, diagram from Intermediate 2 Geography,
diagram of environmental pressures on the Alps, diagram of acid rain in Europe, diagram of
modern farming techniques, diagram of environmental pressures near popular coastal resorts,
all © Scottish Qualifications Agency; diagram of changes in an alpine resort from C Clark,
Intermediate Geography, Hodder & Stoughton, 2001, reproduced by permission of Hodder &
Stoughton; resources illustration from D Waugh and T Bushell, Key Geography: New
Connections, Nelson Thornes, 2001, reproduced by permission of Nelson Thornes; map
showing River Rhine and image of ‘Benidorm heads downhill’ © Oxford University Press
from Geog 123: Students Book 3 by RoseMarie Gallagher and Richard Parish (OUP, 2002),
reproduced by permission of Oxford University Press; image of River Danube © BBC
Education Scotland; maps of Spain and France © Central Intelligence Agency.
Microsoft Clipart icons/images © 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Every effort has been made to trace all the copyright holders but if any have been inadvertently
overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first
opportunity.
© Learning and Teaching Scotland 2007
This resource may be reproduced in whole or in part for educational purposes by educational
establishments in Scotland provided that no profit accrues at any stage.
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EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTAL INEQUALITIES (ACCESS 3, GEOGRAPHY)
© Learning and Teaching Scotland 2007
Contents
Introduction
What is the environment?
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Chapter 1: Using the environment
Renewable and non-renewable resources
Causes of environmental damage
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Chapter 2: Air pollution
What is air pollution?
Acid rain
The greenhouse effect and global warming
What can be done to prevent acid rain and global
warming?
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Chapter 3: Environmental issues facing Europe’s rivers
Case Study: The River Rhine
Case Study: The River Danube
Comparison: The River Rhine and River Danube
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Chapter 4: Environmental issues facing Europe’s coasts
Case Study: The Camargue, France
Case Study: The Spanish Mediterranean Coast
Comparison: The Camargue and the Spanish
Mediterranean coast
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Chapter 5: Environmental issues facing Europe’s mountain
areas
Case Study: The Cairngorms
Case Study: Chamonix Mount Blanc, the Alps
Comparison: The Cairngorms and Chamonix
Mount Blanc
EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTAL INEQUALITIES (ACCESS 3, GEOGRAPHY)
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INTRODUCTION
Introduction
In this unit we will look at pressures and threats to our environment.
What is the environment?
The environment contains physical and human geographical features.
Physical features are natural, such as mountains and the climate.
Human features are man made, such as towns and factories.
Activity 1
Read the paragraph below. Try to pick out the physical and human
geographical features and list them in the table underneath.
‘I walked along the road and passed a row of shops and a church.
When I came to the end of the road I saw a hill in the distance. At the
bottom of the hill were fields with lots of trees. I climbed over a wall
and walked along a path next to the fields. One field was ploughed and
the soil was damp and brown as it had just stopped raining.’
Physical Features
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Human Features
EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTAL INEQUALITIES (ACCESS 3, GEOGRAPHY)
© Learning and Teaching Scotland 2007
USING THE ENVIRONMENT
Chapter 1: Using the environment
Humans use the environment for lots of different reasons. We use the
natural resources provided by the environment, such as coal and water.
Resources are things that we need to live: for example, we use coal to
produce power and we use water to drink, wash and cook with. We use
lots of resources to give us energy – power.
Think about how many times you have used energy today.
Some of these resources that provide us with energy are renewable.
This means that they can be used over and over again. Other resources
are non-renewable. This means that when they have been used they
cannot be used again.
Activity 2
Can you tell which of these natural resources are
renewable and which are non-renewable?
Coal
_______________________________________
Water
_______________________________________
Wind
_______________________________________
Wood
_______________________________________
Oil
_______________________________________
EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTAL INEQUALITIES (ACCESS 3, GEOGRAPHY)
© Learning and Teaching Scotland 2007
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USING THE ENVIRONMENT
Renewable and non-renewable resources
Figure 1: Resources
Natural Gas is used
to make electricity
Oil can be used for
fuel for cars and can
produce electricity
Nuclear power
uses chemicals to
make power
Coal can be used to
produce heat and as a
power supply
Poorer countries
use wood as fuel
for cooking and
heating
Source: D Waugh and T Bushell, 2001, Key Geography: New Connections
The diagram above shows examples of renewable and non -renewable
resources.
Non-renewable resources, apart from uranium which is used for nuclear
power, are sometimes called fossil fuels (because they are made from
the remains of plant and animals). Fossil fuels are non-renewable and
when they are used to produce energy they have harmful effects on the
environment.
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EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTAL INEQUALITIES (ACCESS 3, GEOGRAPHY)
© Learning and Teaching Scotland 2007
USING THE ENVIRONMENT
Some people would prefer to use more renewable resources as they will
never run out and they are far less harmful to the environment. The
only problem is that renewable energy is usually more expensive to
produce than non-renewable energy.
The diagrams below give some examples of renewable resources:
Wind turns turbines, which produce energy.
Fast-flowing water can be converted to electricity,
called hydro-electricity.
The sun can be used to produce solar energy.
Waves can also be used to produce electricity.
Wind produces waves.
EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTAL INEQUALITIES (ACCESS 3, GEOGRAPHY)
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USING THE ENVIRONMENT
Activity 3
1.
What is the difference between a renewable and a non-renewable
resource?
2.
A place with high winds and lots of rain can produce which kind
of renewable energy?
3.
Which kind of energy causes less environmental harm: renewable
or non-renewable?
4.
What natural resource is used by less developed countries as a
source of energy?
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EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTAL INEQUALITIES (ACCESS 3, GEOGRAPHY)
© Learning and Teaching Scotland 2007
USING THE ENVIRONMENT
The quality of the environment we live in is affected by how man uses
the environment. As Europe’s population grows we are putting more
and more pressure on our environment and causing great damage.
The diagram below shows how misuse of the environment can lead to
damage of:
 air
 land
 water.
In the following chapters we will look at how environmental pressure
affects each of the areas shown in the diagram above.
Causes of environmental damage
The burning of fossil fuels for energy (coal, oil and natural gas) can
cause air pollution. Pollution occurs when harmful chemicals are
released into the atmosphere. Air pollution leads to a poor quality
environment.
A poor quality environment can also be caused when humans misuse
the environment. For example, water pollution can be caused by waste
being dumped at sea by industry; and visual and noise pollution can be
caused by the pressures of too many tourists visiting an area.
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USING THE ENVIRONMENT
Activity 4
Look at the following images and give reasons why you think they
could cause damage to the environment.
Factories
Oil tankers
Tourists
Motor vehicles
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EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTAL INEQUALITIES (ACCESS 3, GEOGRAPHY)
© Learning and Teaching Scotland 2007