Directorate: Curriculum FET

SUBJECT and GRADE ECONOMICS GRADE 11

TERM Term 4
TOPIC CONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC ISSUES: ECONOMIC REDRESS: ENVIRONMENTAL DETERIORATION
AIMS OF LESSON YOU MUST BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY:
Debate a positive and negative argument in terms of the impact that the economy has on the environment.
Analyse measures to ensure sustainable development.
INTRODUCTION ENVIRONMENTAL DETERIORATION IS LINKED TO CONTENT COVERED IN:
GR 10 – Term 1: Basic Economic Problem
GR 12 – Term 4: Environmental Sustainability and International Agreements

DURATION 1 Week

IN ORDER TO MASTER THE TOPIC, ENVIRONMENTAL DETERIORATION, YOU MUST BE ABLE TO:

1. Define and explain the relevant concepts.

CONCEPTS AND SKILLS

2. Examine the state of the environment.

3. Argue in favour of protecting the environment.

4. Analyse the measures / methods used to protect the environment.

5. Discuss measures to ensure sustainable development.

6. Discuss the global and local impact on South Africa

INFORMAL ACTIVITIES CONSOLIDATION ACTIVITIES

RESOURCES Paper based resources Digital resources

Grade 11 Core notes: Topic 14 https://wcedeportal.co.za/
Any approved Economics CAPS textbook https://www.education.gov.za/

1|Page
 TERM 4
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERIORATION
Definition: The physical surroundings and physical conditions that affect our lives.
Components:
• Physical resources, e.g. water, soil, animals, minerals, etc.
• Space, to erect buildings, transport and communication facilities, etc.
• Natural amenities, e.g. fresh water, animal and plant species, etc.
The problems of environmental deterioration
• Pollution: Waste from factories and mines pollute the rivers, air, land and sea.
• Overexploitation of natural resources: The huge demand for resources can lead to a
shortage in supply and the destruction of the resource.
• Loss of diversity: Habitats decreases, that leads to plants and animals becoming
extinct.
• Waste management: The amount of waste produced increased as economic activities
expand.
• Land degradation: Waste disposal, deforestation and soil erosion leads to land
degradation.
• Climate change: Increasing global temperatures have resulted in melting glaciers,
rising sea levels and very destructive, more frequent storms.
• Overpopulation: As the world population increases, economies are under pressure to
produce more.
Approaches to sustainability:
• Maintaining the ecological balance.
• Improving the quality of human life.
• Achieving economic prosperity, environmental quality and social equity.
• Allow generations to live comfortably in a friendly, clean and healthy environment.
2|Page
Protecting the environment:
• Technological innovations: Focus on economic growth while containing pollution.
• Price policy: Increase price of non-renewable resources, for people who use them
inefficiently.
• Public opinion: Concerned citizens lobby for environmental protection.
• Government action: World summits, laws, international agreements/protocols on
pollution and climate change.
• Vehicle emissions: Emissions tax is levied to encourage people to move towards
more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles.
• Industrial waste: The Waste act, 59 of 2008, provide for reduced generation and
environmental impact of all form of waste
Ideas for sustainability:
• Environmental management approach: Involves freshwater systems, oceans, land
and atmosphere.
• Private property rights: If people had property rights to fauna and flora species, they
would care for them and prevent them from becoming extinct.
• Focus on externalities: Negative externalities could be taxed.
• Command and control system: Legislation, prescriptive regulation and strict
enforcement of compliance deals with environmental issues.
• Voluntary environmental agreements: Allow organisations to agree to comply
voluntarily with environmental laws and regulations.
• Environmental charges, taxes and subsidies: Local authorities in South Africa
impose environmental charges on consumers, businesses and other organisations for
sewage disposal and rubbish collection.
• Ecosystem approach: Consider entire ecosystem in decision-making.
• Education: People must learn about the consequences of their actions and the
devastation that will be caused by environmental deterioration.
• Management of human consumption approach: Educating people to make
individual commitments to change their lifestyles and consumption patterns.
 Global and local impact on South Africa: International measures to ensure sustainability:

Global: • The world's biggest concerns are the loss of biodiversity, toxic and hazardous wastes
Brown Issues: and climate warming.
• Water pollution and water scarcity: More than two million deaths and billions of illnesses • South Africa is a signatory to a variety of international agreements that deal with
annually are caused by water pollution. Health problems are made worse by water scarcity. environmental issues and environmental sustainability.
• Air pollution: Creates chronic health problems, e.g. lungs, irritation of eyes, nose, mouth • The World Bank, IMF, United Nation strive to achieve the support and cooperation of
and throat, asthma. all countries for their fight against environmental decay.
• Solid and hazardous wastes: Waste affects productivity by polluting groundwater • Examples of international cooperation are the RIO summit of 1992, and Johannesburg
resources and endangers plant and animal life. Summit 2002 and the Kyoto Protocol on climate change (1997 and 2005)
• Land degradation: This affects world food security and the quality of the environment.
Green issues:
• Deforestation: Resulted in loss of economic opportunities, soil erosion, greenhouse effect.
• Loss of biodiversity: Leads to an estimated global loss of 27 000 plant and animal species
each year.
• Atmospheric and climate changes: Leads to extreme weather conditions, e.g. Heat, Rain

Local:
Brown issues:
• Increased air pollution: Declining air quality are harming people’s health.
• Increased soil erosion: The annual soil loss in South Africa is estimated at 300-400 million
tons.
• Increased consumption of natural capital: South Africa is using up its natural capital due
to over-consumption.
Green issues:
• Increased loss of biodiversity: In South Africa 15% of plant species, 37% of mammal
species, 14% of bird species, 8% of amphibian species and 4% of reptile species are extinct
or near extinction.
• Climate change: The changes to rainfall and temperature are also prevalent in South
Africa.
Deteriorating freshwater resources: According to the Water Research Commission,
South Africa is projected to run out of water between 2020 and 2030, given the current high
volumes of wastage and the projected demand.

3|Page
CONSOLIDATION ACTIVITIES:
Short Questions: Activity 2: Long Questions: 8 marks each
Activity 1: Study the information below and answer the questions that follow. Activity 3:
1.1 Name any TWO types of pollution. (2) 3.1 How can humans positively impact the
1.2 Name any TWO greenhouse gases. (2) environment?
1.3 Why is it important for us to sustain the environment? (2)
1.4 To ensure environmental sustainability, what could be an 3.2 Why do you think taking care of forests is
alternative to gasoline / petrol vehicles? (2) important for the economy and the
1.5 What is meant by clean energy? (2) environment?
1.6 Define the phrase environmental degradation. (2)
3.3 What problems would be experienced in the
economy if non-renewable resources were
consumed excessively?

3.4 How do environmental subsidies ensure

environmental sustainability?
Activity 4:
2.1 Identify from the above extract any TWO ways of protecting the 3.5 How does environmental degradation lead
Study the extract below and answer the questions that follow.
environment. (2) to poverty?
2.2 Briefly describe the concept ecosystem. (2)
2.3 Explain price policy as a method of protecting the environment. (2)
2.4 Why is it vital for human beings to protect the environment? (4)

Activity 5: 5.1 Identify TWO factors contributing the most

Study the graph below and answer the questions alongside. to soil erosion. (2)
5.2 How can technological innovation be used
4.1 List any TWO factors that contribute to the loss of to protect the environment? (4)
biodiversity. (2) 5.3 How does agriculture contribute to soil
4.2 What is the main cause of climate change? (2) degradation? (4)
4.3 Briefly explain brown environmental issues. (2)
4.4 How does climate change affect the economic
environment? (4)

4|Page