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IB Environmental Environmental System and

societies (ESS) Internal Assessment

Research question

An investigation of the relationship between


income and Environmental System Values (ESV) in
the United Arab Emirates and Mozambique for
males and females aged 14 to 71+.

Words count 2 250


Section May 2022
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Table of content:

Introduction: 3
Research question: 3
Context: The matter of this topic. 3
Hypothesis: 4
Investigation: 4
Methodology: 4

Results 8
The relevance of the questions: 9
Overall results: 13

Treatment of data: 13

Conclusion: 15

Improvements 15

Bibliography 16

Appendix 17
Appendix 1 - a survey in English for Emirates 17
Appendix 2 -Answers for Emirates 21
Appendix 3 - Survey in Portuguese for Mozambique 23
Appendix 4 -Answers for Mozambique 26
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Introduction:

Research question:
An investigation of the relationship between income and Environmental System
Values (ESV) in the United Arab Emirates and Mozambique for males and females
aged 14 to 71+.

Context: The matter of this topic.


The United Arab Emirates has an estimated 86.13% of energy consumption,
according to the World bank in 2014. However, 7% of the world's Fossil fossils are
located in the UAE. Approximately 30% of the gross domestic product comes from
fossil fossils in the UAE. Still, they are non-renewable energy sources. Therefore, it
could be said that their economy would be highly affected if the availability of those
resources changed. The Emirates’s ecological footprint of 11.9 global hectares per
person, contrasting a global average of 2.2 hectares.

Considering the Kyoto Protocol, global warming is provoked by greenhouse


gases. Therefore, most UEA exports are crude petroleum and refined petroleum;
UEA plays a considerable role in global warming. Thus to understand their
consumption and relationship with the environment, it’s important to study their
environmental views. Apart from the UAE contribution to climate change, the
Emirates owns several threatened and endangered species such as the Arabian
tahr, Arabian leopard and diverse turtle species like the green turtle. Those species
would require special attention in the role of protection.

Even Though Mozambique has no oil production, in 2010 it was discovered in


the north of the country (Rovuma Basin) large concentrations of gas. Also,
Mozambique is the house of several endangered species such as Vincent's Bush
Squirrel or Striped Roundleaf Bat; apart from that, Mozambique is host of 6 National
Reserves that represent 12,6% of the total country’s surface area. In addition,
Mozambique has a very low ecological footprint of 0.87 , and does not have any
direct relation or clear contribution to global warming ( Africa-oilweek.com. 2022)

Looking both countries; they must adapt themselves to protect and conserve
those species and promote a sustainable and renewable way to produce energy.
Comparing the pollution index, Mozambique has 71.66, while the emirate has a lower
value of 49.67 which can be justified by low environmental regulations in
Mozambique and the lack of technology to prevent pollution. Considering that the
UAE is a high-income country and Mozambique is a low-income country, it would be
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interesting to investigate the environmental value of both countries, regarding the


age of the participants. (Worldbank.org. 2022)

Hypothesis:

It is assumed that Mozambique will have more ecocentric views than


technocentric views, while UAE tends to have more technocentric views. This
hypothesis is based on Mozambique being a developing country with fewer
technological access. At the same time, UAE is more developed, with high growth in
the technological sector. Also, Emirates has most of its lands as deserts, while
Mozambique possesses a large Savanna biome. Therefore, the correlation between
country income and the environmental value will be analysed.

Investigation:

In that investigation, the independent variable is the country income, while the
dependent variable is the ecological system value, and the controlled variable is
both countries Mozambique (low income) and Emirati (High-income country). The
methodology/material used in that exploration is the google surveys and social
media to share the questionnaire.

Methodology:

Steps to do the survey

Fig. 1 How to do the survey.


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The survey was chosen to ask, apart from age and municipality, three questions related
to significant problems facing the world and connected to both countries, such as Ocean
pollution, population growth, and Overfishing. Also, one question directly related to the
environmental values was set up. The optional answers were developed so that the 1st
answers are always focused on the ecocentric view. The 2nd one is related to the
anthropocentric view, and the last one will be related to the technocentric view. The survey
was translated to Portuguese to be shared in Mozambique. It used the WhatsApp and
Instagram platform to gather responses. (Both surveys have the same content.) To avoid
bias, it was chosen to do a random survey, where any participant has an equal chance to
participate in the survey.

Follows below the survey’s questions in English 1: (For the actual survey see
appendix 1 and 2)

1 The images from the survey were removed - however check the appendix to see the full survey in
English, Portuguese and the answers.
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Results
Analysing the central issue of Mozambique and its species protection, especially
marine species and UEA over carbon production compared to other countries, the
results showed favourable feedback from both societies, where mainly they assume
our responsibility in protecting the environment. Ecocentric perspectives were
regarded in both countries, while the difference between technocentric and
anthropocentric views was low. Therefore, it can be assumed that both countries
worry about the environment and urge us to save the environment.

To reduce ocean pollution and overfishing, both countries should focus on


legislation to control harmful actions related to the ocean and increase awareness
about the adverse effects that industries, overfishing companies and waste disposal
and miss disposal of chemicals have on the sea. Also, when talking about species
protection, both countries could increase the amount of natural reserves areas to
defend their endemic species and control hunting practices.

The relevance of the questions:


The questions were developed to understand the environmental values of
Mozambique and the Emirates. The questions itself are not directly focused on their
income but on their opinion and what they think would be the most appropriate way
to deal with environmental problems. However, it will be considering the country's
income to interpret the data.

The 1st part of the survey was used to identify the age group and from which
municipality of Mozambique or Emirati they come. The municipality would help to
understand if the location back group also impacts their ESV.
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Age groups between 14- 20, 21 - 30, 31 - 40, 41- 50, 51 - 60, 1 - 70, 71 +

Dividing the 1st and 2nd part of the survey, to introduce the theme a very clear
question was made with easy definitions about each ESV. The 2nd part of the survey
has 3 questions, debating issues that impact both countries. The 1st question is
about ocean pollution, overpopulation and overfishing. The answers to each question
help to understand and determine the environmental value of each participant in the
survey.

Why multiple questions?

Multiple questions are easy and quick to do. Therefore the survey became better
for the participants and less heavy to complete. Also, the fact that there are multiple
questions helps with the data analyses and more accurate comparisons.

Why Mozambique and Emirates?

The emirate has 7% of the world's concentration of fossils, and the emirates
have high carbon emissions. Therefore, their carbon footprint is about 8.44 per
person, being the 2nd world country being the biggest ecological footprint. However,
in recent years, it has been seen that Emirates has high aims to achieve
sustainability- for example, Dubai aims to have about 75% of clean energy by 2050,
Swaraj aims to save 30% of water by 2040, Abu Dhabi aims to have 50% of
renewable and clean energy - it was also observed new regulations and projects to
make the country reduce carbon emissions and pollutants. (Emiratesgbc.org. 2022)

In recent years, it was discovered that an oil/natural gas concentration in


Mozambique has led the country to join the ranks of Africa’s top natural gas
producers. However, the country still produces no oil due to its financial incapability.
(Africa-oilweek.com. 2022)

Data analyses:
Tabel 1 - Survey questions and answers
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Questions Questions

Participant Age Municipality 1 2 3 4 Participant Age Municipality 1 2 3 4


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1 14-20 Maputo 2 1 1 11 14-20 Dubai 3 2 3 2

2 14-20 Maputo 2 1 2 12 14-20 Dubai 2 1 2 1

3 14-20 Maputo 1 2 3 33 14-20 Dubai 2 1 2 2

4 14-20 Maputo 2 1 1 24 14-20 Dubai 2 1 1 1

5 14-20 Maputo 3 1 1 15 14-20 Abu Dhabi 2 1 1 1

6 14-20 Maputo 3 1 3 36 14-20 Dubai 3 1 1 1

7 14-20 Manica 1 1 1 17 14-20 Dubai 2 1 1 1

8 14-20 Sofala 1 1 1 18 14-20 Dubai 2 2 2 2

9 21-30 Cabo Delgado 1 1 1 19 14-20 Dubai 1 1 2 1

10 21-30 Maputo 1 1 1 1 10 14-20 Dubai 2 2 1 1

11 21-30 Inhabene 3 1 2 2 11 14-20 Dubai 3 1 2 2

12 21-30 Maputo 2 2 2 2 12 14-20 Dubai 2 1 2 1

13 21-30 Tete 1 1 1 1 13 14-20 Dubai 3 3 3 3

14 21-30 Maputo 1 1 1 1 14 14-20 Dubai 2 1 1 3

15 21-30 Maputo 1 1 1 1 15 14-20 Abu Dhabi 1 1 1 1

16 31-40 Nampula 2 1 1 2 16 14-20 Dubai 2 2 1 1

17 31-40 Maputo 1 2 2 1 17 21-30 Dubai 1 1 1 3

18 31-40 Sofala 1 1 1 1 18 21-30 Dubai 1 3 2 2

19 31-40 Tete 1 1 1 1 19 21-30 Dubai 1 1 2 2

20 31-40 Maputo 2 2 2 2 20 21-30 Ajman 1 1 3 2

21 31-40 Maputo 1 1 1 1 21 31-40 Dubai 3 1 1 1

22 31-40 Maputo 3 3 3 3 22 31-40 Umm Al Quwain 2 2 2 2

23 31-40 Inhambane 2 2 2 2 23 31-40 Sharjah 2 2 2 2

24 31-40 Maputo 3 3 3 3 24 31-40 Ajman 3 3 3 3

25 31-40 Maputo 1 1 1 1 25 41-50 Dubai 1 1 1 1

26 31-40 Sofala 1 1 1 1 26 41-50 Dubai 2 1 1 1

27 41-50 Inhambane 3 2 2 2 27 41-50 Dubai 2 1 3 3


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28 41-50 Maputo 3 2 2 2 28 41-50 Dubai 1 1 3 1

29 41-50 Niassa 1 1 1 1 29 41-50 Dubai 1 1 1 1

30 41-50 Maputo 1 1 1 1 30 41-50 Dubai 1 1 1 1

31 41-50 Maputo 1 1 1 1 31 41-50 Ajman 3 3 3 3

32 51-60 Gaza 3 2 2 2 32 41-50 Abu Dhabi 3 3 3 3

33 51-60 Maputo 1 1 1 1 33 51-60 Fujairah 1 1 2 2

34 61-70 Maputo 3 3 3 3 34 51-60 Fujairah 1 1 1 1

35 70+ Sofala 3 2 2 3 35 61-70 Ras Al Khaimah 3 3 3 3

Table 1 shows both data from Mozambique and UAE from 35 participants.
However, the data is still not processed; therefore to analyse the data, the
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information in the table will be broken down into tables, pie charts and figures to
focus on specific information.

Table 2 - Overall results

Analysing table 2 clearly, we can see that both countries followed a pattern and
agree with ecocentric views, where we should change our lifestyle to live a better life
and make a balance with the environment. However, summing up all the answers,
we could see what there are slit differences as in Mozambique, 80 participants voted
out all the questions on option A - meaning an ecocentric view, while 65 participants
from UAE voted on option A. Another similarity that we could see is that the number
of participants who voted in option C is quite the same.

Overall results:

Since both countries have several municipalities, for this part of the exploration it
was chosen Maputo (Cidade) and Inhambane from Mozambique and Adu Dhabi and
Dubai from UAE. Those cities are the capital and the second most developed place.
In the table below only answers made by participants of the locations above were
accounted for.

Table 3 - Results only for Maputo(Cidade), Inhambane, Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Analysing closely those results it is observed that both countries indeed agree
that the best resolution is to change our lifestyle, however, the values for
technocentric views are quite similar and low, making us assume that even though
there are huge technological improvements, generally the society is unfamiliar with
how the technology would be able to reduce environmental issues.
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Treatment of data:
Figure 1: Municipality (UAE)

Figure 2: Municipality (Mozambique)

Figure 1 - Percentage of EVSs


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According to the figure above, both countries follow a tendency to have more
beliefs related to ecocentric views than anthropocentric or technocentric views.
However, in Mozambique, we could see that the difference between the
Anthropocentric view and the technocentric view was larger - 1.53% than in UAE with
0.73%. Another aspect that we could see is that the UAE has more technocentric
views than Mozambique, showing that the UAE has a better acceptance of how
technology and humans can work together to reverse and protect the environment.
However, Mozambique has higher values for Ecocentric views than UAE, which can
be assumed that Mozambicans have more interactions with the environment. Linking
the ESVs values with the location voted, it can be considered that most of the
participants come from the capitals. Therefore, we could assume that they are in the
most developed part them and have a better income than the other parts of the
country.

Conclusion:
Overall, analysing both countries' pollution levels, it was seen that Mozambique
has higher values of pollution than UEA; this can be linked to the countries’ income.
Usually, less developed countries have high pollution levels due to low education and
regulations that protect the environment.
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Furthermore, the hypothesis could be refuted because different participants took


the surveys from different developed parts of the country, showing that their income
doesn't directly interfere with their environmental system value. In conclusion, it could
be said that there is no strong relation between a country's income and its ecological
value. However, technocentric views appear more often in the UAE than in
Mozambique.

Improvements
The questionnaires had a range of 5 questions; regarding the data, we could
consider that the number of questions was a limiting factor. More questions could
have been done to address more issues that affect both countries, such as climate
change, to improve the exploration. Also, to improve the relationship between
income and ESVs in both countries, the survey could have been done digitally and
physically to get quicker results and participants, including participants who cannot
access the internet. Moreover, an equal number of participants could be made for
each municipality to reduce bias. Another improvement would be adding personal
answers where the participants could type or write their opinion about some
environmental issues and how they are daily affected.

Looking to other issues such as education and religion, which have affected how
both countries attribute value to the environment, it how to be explored how both
countries have similar cultural values. Therefore, a new branch of investigation
could be with the research question: How far do Mozambique and UAE share similar
social values that may affect their ESV?

Evaluation:

On the one hand, while obtaining data, it was regarded how effective the digital
distribution was in both countries, as 70 participants took part in the survey, being 35
partitionists per country. Also, the survey included participants from all the
municipalities and a broad range of ages, mixing the results to avoid bias.

On the other hand, some weakness to be analysed is that since the questioners
tried to be neutral, no income data from the participants was taken into account to be
compared, more questions related to other environmental issues could be
addressed, such as climate change and clean energy, and, the questionnaire
answers could also be rephrased to avoid bias and influence participants' choice, or,
to get more realistic results and understand the differences in values we could also
analyse their education and religion to observe how both countries differ.
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Bibliography

Appendix
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Mark only one oval.


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Mark only one oval.


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Mark only one oval.

Acess the survey online by the link:


https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdk1pYeex8W21TpGfvwIseiHSGKCPAPAVS7O
dDtE9N2Ghb0CQ/viewform?usp=sf_link or https://forms.gle/E5KL8THDTSRMDXnVA
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Appendix 2 -Answers for Emirates


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Appendix 3 - Survey in Portuguese for Mozambique


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Mark only one oval.


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Mark only one oval.

Mark only one oval.


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Appendix 4 -Answers for Mozambique


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