Past Paper Questions

● loss of jobs
FEB MAR 2021 ● damage to farmland
● lack of access to clean water
impacts of ozone depletion ○ risk of water-related diseases
● more UV rays reaching the earth's
surface
why do ppl still stay in regions
● increased rate of skin cancer affected by flooding
● increased rate of cataracts ● fertile soil
● damage to vegetation ● nowhere else to move
● familial ties
why is ozone depletion an
● lack of money
international issue ● no employment
● atmosphere has no international
boundaries
earthquake formation
● atmosphere still damaged if some ● two plate slide past each other
countries don't agree ● get stuck
● need for shared expertise / ● causes a buildup of pressure
knowledge / funds ● there is a sudden release of pressure
and energy
risk of water related disease in rural ● creating a seismic wave
areas
tsunami strategies
● overcrowded
● lack of education/awareness ● monitoring and early warning
● lack of access to vaccines systems
● lack of sanitation ● evacuation
● lack of access to clean drinking water ● emergency rescue teams
● building design
factors affecting carrying capacity ● disaster prep (e.g
● climate change plans/shelters/supplies)
● change in food chain
● change in habitat MAY JUNE 2021
● competition
● natural disasters effect of low birth rate on a country
● availability of resources ● people need to work to an older age
why does national wealth = more ● need for migrant labour
● increased number of old dependant
energy consumption
● burden on medical system
● increases personal wealth ● increased pension costs
● higher usage of electrical appliances
at home pronatalist policies
● greater vehicle ownership ● tax relief
● free schooling
impact of flooding/landslides
● subsidised medical care/housing
● loss of homes ● child benefit
● damage to infrastructure
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 ways to encourage use of electric
America vehicles
● upwelling weakens ● taxation of other vehicles
● it brings up warm nutrient poor water ● raise awareness
● this has less oxygen ● increase availability of electric
● this decreases plankton in water charging points
● thus fish have little food ● incentives to purchase and use
electric vehicles
why should forests NOT cut down
● act as carbon sinks why is reducing CO2 emissions of
○ through photosynthesis global importance
● prevents soil erosion ● emissions cause climate change
● biodiversity ○ which affects ALL countries
● raw materials (medicine / timber) ● the atmosphere has no international
● ecotourism boundaries
● habitats ● requires international cooperation to
effect of climate change address
● climate change causes
● rising sea levels ○ melting of ice sheets → rising
● warmer temperatures sea levels
● more extreme weather ○ forced migration
● melting of glaciers ○ loss of biodiversity
● changes to habitat / food webs /
extinction impacts of earthquakes
reasons for water scarcity in an area ● damage to infrastructure
○ financial losses
● lack of rainfall ● fire
● water pollution ● tsunamis
● geographically inaccessible water ● landslides
sources ● loss of habitat
● poor management and distribution of ● death and trauma
water ● spread of water related diseases
ways to manage the impacts of low death rates in some countries
droughts
● availability of medicine
method benefit limitation ● availability of health care
● availability of clean water
desalination . unlimited supply . expensive ● availability of food
. safe water . needs access to
supply the ocean ● lower infant mortality

problems due to fish farming

reservoirs . multipurpose . loss of habitat
. low cost . can dry up
● water pollution
● increased risk of disease (due to
water . easily . expensive stock density)
bottles transported . plastic pollution
. drinkable water ● 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 ● recycling of water
local tribes ● reservoirs to collect run off
● mulching
● given the right to follow traditional
practices why does electricity usage vary per
○ preserves their culture and person between countries
way of life
● different climates
● able to continue fishing, farming, etc
● availability of electricity
● prevents the destruction of their
● affordability of electrical appliances
environment
● level of industrial development
biosphere reserves ● number of electrical devices in
countries
zone activity
why do death rates decrease
core area . monitoring and research
. with aim to protect the ecosystem ● improved health services
● improved sanitation
buffer zone . local tribes and communities ● improved standard of living
. ecotourism
. education and training
. area has limited access inverted population pyramid means
● greater proportion of old dependants
transition area . tourism
. recreation ● burden on medical healthcare
. controlled human activities (e.g services
sustainable farming)
● less people working
● increased burden on country for
OCT NOV 2022 pensions
● less GDP
why is international cooperation
way to prevent under-size fish from
needed to maintain fish stocks
being caught
● oceans are shared
● fish migrate across borders ● use larger mesh sizes
● international waters need ● stay away from breeding areas
international agreements how to restore a landfill site
● unless all countries work together,
● bioremediation - use of bacteria to
the effect is limited
convert toxic materials
why does continental shelf have more ● soil capping - adding a layer of
fish topsoil
● replanting - fertilisers, growing
● more light for photosynthesis
trees/grass to establish vegetation
● more food supply for fish
● creation of animal habitats -
● leached nutrients in high
introduction of animal species to
concentration
establish a food web
ways to reduce water usage in
why is exporting waste to other
agriculture
countries damaging to the
● GMO crops environment
● rainwater harvesting
● trickle drip irrigation ● uses fossil fuels
● increases risk of accidental pollution
 ● waste may not be treated effectively
impact of deforestation on water cycle
● waste more likely to get mixed
therefore harder to process ● reduction of interception by plants
● reduction in infiltration rates
reasons for deforestation ● run-off increases
● agriculture ● less effect of tree slowly down wind
● mining speeds (clouds move slower)
● urbanisation ● groundwater not taken up by tree
● reservoirs / dams roots
● fuels / logging ● decreases evapo-transpiration
● fewer leaves acting as condensation
suggest why some trees planted
points
failed to grow in Ethiopia (prone to
droughts) problems in urban areas from a
sudden increase in population
● drought
● poor soil (lack of nutrients) ● increase in air pollution
● disease ● traffic congestion
● pest / grazing livestock ● pressure on schools / hospitals
● vandalism ● lack of sanitation
● soil pollution ● lack of housing
● unemployment → more crime