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Flashcards by tamsinnbailey, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by tamsinnbailey
almost 10 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| Sustainability | development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs |
| What are the 3 "legs" of the stool of sustainability? | environment, economy + society |
| Which report suggested that equity for all people, environmental protection + economic growth were all simultaneously possible? | United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) report : Our Common Future |
| What are the two key concepts within the classic definition of sustainable development (Brundtland Report)? | Needs such as water, food + shelter which = essential for survival of world's poor limitations imposed by state of technology + social organisation on environment's ability to meet both present + future needs |
| What is the futurity principle? | summarised as "not cheating on your children" by controlling use of finite resources e.g. fossil fuels, minimising waste + pollution + protecting natural habitats |
| What are the four major facets of the sustainability quadrant? | Futurity Environment Public participation Equity + social justice |
| What is sustainable development for the Countryside Commission? | Meeting 4 objectives: 1. social progress that recognises needs of everyone 2. effective protection of environment 3. prudent use of natural resources 4. maintenance of high + stable levels of economic growth + employment |
| What are the four levels of action towards sustainable development? | 1. Internationally/globally 2. Nationally 3. NGOs 4. Locally via Agenda 21 |
| What contribution did the Montreal Protocol make towards sustainability? | Managed the output of ozone by controlling the use of PVCs |
| Identify 2 ways in which the state of technology restricts the environment's ability to meet present-day needs | lack of infrastructure to develop ICT lack of clean technologies to replace fossil fuels |
| Explain how CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) contributes to sustainable developement | CITES controls trade in endangered species such as black coral or the export of rhino horns (for Chinese medicine) or elephant tusks (for ivory) |
| Distinguish between food availability deficit + food entitlement deficit | A food availability deficit occurs when physical factors such as drought lead to crop failures. A food entitlement deficit occurs when individual communities + countries = too poor to buy food. |
| Explain the term globesity | Globesity is short for global obesity which because of poor diet + nutrition has become a worldwide pandemic |
| Distinguish between under-nourishment + malnourishment | Under-nourished people = consuming slightly less than 2000 calories per day + thus lack capacity to sustain a healthy weight. Malnourishment = "bad feeding", often person eats too little but = also caused by incorrect mix of protein, carbohydrates, minerals + vitamins in diet leading to poor health |
| Identify 1 area (in Sudan) where the greatest food shortages were caused by (a) civil war (b) drought + (c) impact of refugees/migrants | (a) North Darfur (b) upper Nile + South Sudan (c) West Kordofan |
| In Sudan, which 2 areas had the greatest number of people suffering from food shortages? | North Darfur + northeast Sudan |
| Explain what is meant by the diet transition | As countries develop economically people have more money to purchase high-protein foods such as dairy products + meat, + confectionery. Countries such as China + India = adopting Western style diets with major consequences for their health + global food security |
| State 4 ways in which extreme weather can have a negative impact on food production | Crops can be destroyed by drought, floods, severe frosts + hurricanes |
| Define the term agribusiness | An agribusiness = a very large-scale, highly mechanised, hi-tech agricultural business usually owned by a food company which processes the farm products |
| What are food miles? | Food miles = the distance that food travels from producer to consumer |
| What are subsidies? | Subsidies = paid by governments to the farmer to support the growth of particular crops, so production = raised, as it = worthwhile + farmer makes more profits (e.g. subsidies for oilseed rape or sugar beet) |
| Summarise overall advantages + disadvantages of factory farming e.g. food lots + battery hen systems | + high yields, often uniform products > increasing food security - issues of animal welfare, disease + high environmental costs |
| Assess the advantages + disadvantages of TNCs growing cash crops in developing countries | + cash crops can improve countries' export earning + provide jobs - take up land often farmed by peasantry farmers for growing food, benefit TNCs more than local people in many cases |
| Explain why the Green Revolution was slow to come to the African continent | 1st Green Revolution concentrated on wheat + rice + didn't include many of the staples such as yams + cassava, which = widely grown in Africa. The HYVs needed very large imports of fertilisers + pesticides which were too costly for many African peasant farmers |
| Summarise the arguments against the sustainability of first-generation GM crops | threats to biodiversity because of strong pesticides needed, research into GM = carried out b multinationals who concentrated on profit making crops e.g. cotton as opposed to improving food security of world's poorest people, crops = costly to grow as new seeds had to be purchased from biotech companies each year + also concerns over possible harm to human health + development of rogue genes |
| Explain why the aid package of Russian tractors to Tanzania was considered so inappropriate | tractors= inappropriate as they = too costly to use (fuel) + when they went wrong there were no trained technicians to help them. Many peasant farmers didn't need mechanisation as their farms weren't big, with small intercropped fields |
| Explain how integrated farming can be environmentally, economically + socially sustainable | environmentally: biodiversity = encouraged (minimal use of fertilisers + pesticides) + cultivation methods minimise soil erosion economically: produce from integrated farming isn't produced at low cost, but local produce reduces fuel costs + encourages national self-sufficiency in food supplies socially: sustainability = enhanced by emphasis on local use + sales at farmers markets |
| What is meant by capacity building? | NGOs e.g. Farm Africa concentrate on capacity building as this teaches local people practical + organisational skills so they can develop resilience + take responsibility for improving the quality of life of their communities |
| Distinguish between the following: world water gap + water availability gap | world water gap = between water supplies + water demands (results from rising demand + dwindling supplies) > leading to water stress water availability gap = between the haves (largely developed nations) + the nots (developing nations) which experience either physical +/or economic water scarcity |
| Give 2 examples of how the world's rivers = ecologically threatened | eutrophication from overuse of fertilisers leads to algal blooming in rivers overuse of water can diminish the extent of wetlands + lakes (e.g. Aral Sea) irrigation can increase salinity, destroying the ecosystem |
| What is the difference between green water + blue water parts of the hydrological cycle? | Green water flow involves either interception or evapotransporation + therefore has a vital ecological function blue water flows = the visible part of the system e.g. water running on surface + supplying rivers or going underground to recharge aquifers |
| Define the term river regime | A river regime = the annual variation of the pattern of river discharge |
| Define the terms over-abstraction + hypoxia | over-abstraction occurs when humans use so much water from rivers or groundwater aquifers that the supplies cannot be sufficiently replenished by rainfall hypoxia results from extreme eutrophication, especially in lakes + shallow seas whereby all life is gradually destroyed > leading to the formation of dead zones |
| Why are many mega-dams not considered to be sustainable? | often mega-dams don't achieve their water supply targets because of sedimentation behind the dams + evaporation of the reservoirs environmentally, they can cause widespread damage to the water flow on rivers + ecosystems, as well as flooding the homes of many people (social unsustainability) |
| Explain how the "magic stones" system works. How is it an example of intermediate technology? | "magic stones" = small stone/earth mounds about 50 cm high, also known as crescent terraces, built along slopes to prevent rainwater runoff + slope erosion = cheap to construct + easy to maintain by villagers + by conserving water + preventing soil erosion, = sustainable |
| What physical factors determine the supply of water? | climate (precipitation) topography/distance from sea geology river systems |
| How can humans influence the quality of the water supply? | Human actions can pollute both surface water + groundwater supplies, diminishing the quality of both sources |
| What are the the total projected water withdrawals predicted to reach by 2025? | over 5,000 km3 per year, of which agricultural use will be 2/3 |
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