Past Paper Questions
FEB MAR 2021
impacts of ozone depletion
●
●
●
●
more UV rays reaching the earth's
surface
increased rate of skin cancer
increased rate of cataracts
damage to vegetation
why is ozone depletion an
international issue
●
●
●
atmosphere has no international
boundaries
atmosphere still damaged if some
countries don't agree
need for shared expertise /
knowledge / funds
risk of water related disease in rural
areas
●
●
●
●
●
overcrowded
lack of education/awareness
lack of access to vaccines
lack of sanitation
lack of access to clean drinking water
factors affecting carrying capacity
●
●
●
●
●
●
climate change
change in food chain
change in habitat
competition
natural disasters
availability of resources
why does national wealth = more
energy consumption
●
●
●
increases personal wealth
higher usage of electrical appliances
at home
greater vehicle ownership
impact of flooding/landslides
●
●
loss of homes
damage to infrastructure
●
●
●
loss of jobs
damage to farmland
lack of access to clean water
○ risk of water-related diseases
why do ppl still stay in regions
affected by flooding
●
●
●
●
●
fertile soil
nowhere else to move
familial ties
lack of money
no employment
earthquake formation
●
●
●
●
●
two plate slide past each other
get stuck
causes a buildup of pressure
there is a sudden release of pressure
and energy
creating a seismic wave
tsunami strategies
●
●
●
●
●
monitoring and early warning
systems
evacuation
emergency rescue teams
building design
disaster prep (e.g
plans/shelters/supplies)
MAY JUNE 2021
effect of low birth rate on a country
●
●
●
●
●
people need to work to an older age
need for migrant labour
increased number of old dependant
burden on medical system
increased pension costs
pronatalist policies
●
●
●
●
tax relief
free schooling
subsidised medical care/housing
child benefit
structural building features to prevent
earthquakes
●
●
●
●
●
lower buildings
reinforced materials
flexible building materials
rubber shock absorbers in foundation
counterweights
why do more people die AFTER
earthquakes
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
lack of medical help
lack of clean water
outbreak of water related diseases
lack of food
crime
lack of shelter
risk of aftershocks
how does sanitation reduce the
spread of water-related disease?
●
●
●
human waste is not in open areas
thus does not contaminate water
sources
this reduces the spread of disease
like cholera which occur due to poor
sanitation
strategies for flooding
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
weather forecasting
early warning systems
evacuation plans
emergency shelters
better drainage systems
land zoning
flood defences on riverbanks
restore wetlands
methods to preserve forests
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
legislation
quotas
reforestation
agroforestry
education
national parks / reserves
ecotourism
policing forests
long term impacts of droughts
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
death
lack of crop yield
malnutrition
unemployment (farmers)
forced migration
wildfires
reduce availability of drinking water
○ leading to water conflicts
why are there less deaths in MEDCs
from droughts
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
greater wealth
better prediction and emergency
planning
larger stores of food
better water storage systems
can afford to import supplies
greater ability to purify water
more health facilities to prevent death
why are fish farms better than
catching wild fish
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
easier to catch
greater yield → more profitable
no bycatch
less damage to seabeds (from fishing
methods)
less predation
control of disease
consistent supply
strategies to reduce risk of oil spills
●
●
●
●
MARPOL agreement
double hulled oil tankers (both hulls
need to be damaged for spill to
occur)
use defined shipping routes (reduces
risk of collision)
use oil pipelines rather than ships
OCT NOV 2021
bioaccumulation
●
toxins are absorbed faster than they
are excreted
why does El Nino = less fish in South
America
●
●
●
●
●
upwelling weakens
it brings up warm nutrient poor water
this has less oxygen
this decreases plankton in water
thus fish have little food
ways to encourage use of electric
vehicles
●
●
●
●
why should forests NOT cut down
●
●
●
●
●
●
act as carbon sinks
○ through photosynthesis
prevents soil erosion
biodiversity
raw materials (medicine / timber)
ecotourism
habitats
effect of climate change
●
●
●
●
●
rising sea levels
warmer temperatures
more extreme weather
melting of glaciers
changes to habitat / food webs /
extinction
reasons for water scarcity in an area
●
●
●
●
lack of rainfall
water pollution
geographically inaccessible water
sources
poor management and distribution of
water
ways to manage the impacts of
droughts
method
benefit
limitation
desalination
. unlimited supply
. safe water
supply
. expensive
. needs access to
the ocean
taxation of other vehicles
raise awareness
increase availability of electric
charging points
incentives to purchase and use
electric vehicles
why is reducing CO2 emissions of
global importance
●
●
●
●
emissions cause climate change
○ which affects ALL countries
the atmosphere has no international
boundaries
requires international cooperation to
address
climate change causes
○ melting of ice sheets → rising
sea levels
○ forced migration
○ loss of biodiversity
impacts of earthquakes
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
damage to infrastructure
○ financial losses
fire
tsunamis
landslides
loss of habitat
death and trauma
spread of water related diseases
low death rates in some countries
●
●
●
●
●
availability of medicine
availability of health care
availability of clean water
availability of food
lower infant mortality
problems due to fish farming
reservoirs
. multipurpose
. low cost
. loss of habitat
. can dry up
water
bottles
. easily
transported
. drinkable water
. expensive
. plastic pollution
●
●
●
water pollution
increased risk of disease (due to
stock density)
increased use of antibiotics →
antibiotics resistance
benefits of having organic content in
soil
●
●
●
increased microorganism content
increased water holding capacity
more nutrients → less money spent
on fertilisers
suggest why the extinction of species
will increase in the future
●
●
●
●
●
climate change
○ sea levels rise
increased human population
○ destruction of habitats
pollution
○ acid rain
disease
spread of invasive species
how do zoos help in conservation
efforts
●
●
●
●
breeding programmes
education
prevents predation/hunting
research
why is there little change in nuclear
power use between x and y year?
●
●
●
no new nuclear power stations are
built
power stations are costly
power stations take a long time to be
built
FEB MAR 202
why are some fish considered as
bycatch
●
●
●
untargeted fish caught (accidently
caught when using nets)
quota of that fish has already been
reached
fish is not of sufficient size to be
caught and sold
negative impacts of…
net type
● large nets capture all fish → lots of
bycatch
● dredge nets scrape the bottom of the
seabed → damages ecosystem
mesh size
● small mesh size catches all size of
fish including juvenile fish leading to
overfishing
benefits of trickle drip irrigation
●
●
●
●
reduces risk of salinisation
○ as less chance of water to
evaporate
reduces amount of weed growth
○ as only crop plants receive
water
reduces surface run-off
reduces risk of overwatering
○ as correct volume of water is
supplied
how does a decreasing population
benefit the natural environment
●
●
●
less vehicles and factories
○ less air pollution
less agriculture
○ less soil erosion
less urbanisation
○ reduced habitat destruction
■ maintained
biodiversity
MAY JUNE 2022
env impacts of overfishing
●
●
●
●
●
decline of fish stocks
reduction of biodiversity
death of bycatch
disruption of food webs
causing death of other predators
limitations of pitfall traps
●
●
can only catch small organisms
not representative of the whole
population
●
●
some might fly out
can only catch organisms that crawl
disadvantages of biofuels
●
●
●
loss of biodiversity (monocultures)
replaces land food crops
deforestation for growth
reasons for wide-spread use of
electric vehicles
●
●
●
●
●
●
environmental concerns
rising costs of fossil fuels (electric
cars are cheaper to run)
government incentives (e.g reduced
road tax)
low maintenance
improvements in performance
consumer demand
issues caused by mismanagement of
irrigation
●
●
●
●
salinisation
soil erosion
leaching of nutrients
water-logging leading to reduced
infiltration
suggest why an invasive species
spreads so much
●
●
●
●
no natural predators
no natural diseases
favourable environmental conditions
out-competed other plants
how does climate change increase
the impacts of tropical cyclones
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
warmer oceans
increases areas where cyclones can
form
longer cyclone season
higher sea levels
strong wind speed = more extreme
cyclones
increased rainfall
increased frequency of cyclones
how does an increase in world
population affect access to potable
water
●
●
more demand for
○ drinking
○ food = more agriculture
○ industries = more water used
less availability due to
○ more industries = more
pollution
○ more waste = more pollution
benefits of tidal power
●
●
not weather dependent
low running cost
temperature inversion
●
●
●
●
winter sun provides less warmth to
Earth's surface
temperature inversion holds cold air
near the ground
cold air is denser and is unable to
rise
pollutants are trapped by the
inversion
pollutants that form smog
●
●
●
●
VOCs
sulphur oxides
carbon monoxide
ozone
impact on agriculture due to rising
temperatures
●
●
●
melting of ice → rise of sea level
○ flooding and loss of
agricultural land
greater temperature leads to...
○ greater evaporation →
droughts
○ longer growing seasons
○ provide favourable conditions
for pests and disease
change in weather patterns affects
the regions where plants can grow
how do extractive reserves benefit
local tribes
●
●
●
given the right to follow traditional
practices
○ preserves their culture and
way of life
able to continue fishing, farming, etc
prevents the destruction of their
environment
biosphere reserves
zone
activity
core area
. monitoring and research
. with aim to protect the ecosystem
buffer zone
. local tribes and communities
. ecotourism
. education and training
. area has limited access
transition area
. tourism
. recreation
. controlled human activities (e.g
sustainable farming)
OCT NOV 2022
why is international cooperation
needed to maintain fish stocks
●
●
●
●
oceans are shared
fish migrate across borders
international waters need
international agreements
unless all countries work together,
the effect is limited
why does continental shelf have more
fish
●
●
●
more light for photosynthesis
more food supply for fish
leached nutrients in high
concentration
ways to reduce water usage in
agriculture
●
●
●
GMO crops
rainwater harvesting
trickle drip irrigation
●
●
●
recycling of water
reservoirs to collect run off
mulching
why does electricity usage vary per
person between countries
●
●
●
●
●
different climates
availability of electricity
affordability of electrical appliances
level of industrial development
number of electrical devices in
countries
why do death rates decrease
●
●
●
improved health services
improved sanitation
improved standard of living
inverted population pyramid means
●
●
●
●
●
greater proportion of old dependants
burden on medical healthcare
services
less people working
increased burden on country for
pensions
less GDP
way to prevent under-size fish from
being caught
●
●
use larger mesh sizes
stay away from breeding areas
how to restore a landfill site
●
●
●
●
bioremediation - use of bacteria to
convert toxic materials
soil capping - adding a layer of
topsoil
replanting - fertilisers, growing
trees/grass to establish vegetation
creation of animal habitats introduction of animal species to
establish a food web
why is exporting waste to other
countries damaging to the
environment
●
●
uses fossil fuels
increases risk of accidental pollution
●
●
waste may not be treated effectively
waste more likely to get mixed
therefore harder to process
reasons for deforestation
●
●
●
●
●
agriculture
mining
urbanisation
reservoirs / dams
fuels / logging
suggest why some trees planted
failed to grow in Ethiopia (prone to
droughts)
●
●
●
●
●
●
drought
poor soil (lack of nutrients)
disease
pest / grazing livestock
vandalism
soil pollution
impact of deforestation on water cycle
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
reduction of interception by plants
reduction in infiltration rates
run-off increases
less effect of tree slowly down wind
speeds (clouds move slower)
groundwater not taken up by tree
roots
decreases evapo-transpiration
fewer leaves acting as condensation
points
problems in urban areas from a
sudden increase in population
●
●
●
●
●
●
increase in air pollution
traffic congestion
pressure on schools / hospitals
lack of sanitation
lack of housing
unemployment → more crime