A Level H2 Geography Practice Paper 5

Answer Key - A-Level Geography H2 Quiz: Resources Sustainability

Section A: Foundational Concepts

1. Sustainable Development: Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Relationship: The three pillars (Economic, Social, Environmental) must overlap; if one is ignored (e.g., economic growth at the expense of environment), the system is unsustainable in the long term. [4]
2. Renewable: Resources that can be replenished on a human timescale (e.g., solar, wind). Non-renewable: Finite resources that take millions of years to form (e.g., coal, oil). [3]
3. Carrying Capacity: The maximum population an environment can support. It is dynamic because technological advancements (e.g., Green Revolution, GMOs) and changes in consumption patterns can increase the capacity to support humans. [4]
4. Resource Curse Factors: 1) Over-dependence on a single export leading to economic volatility; 2) Weak governance/corruption where resource wealth is captured by elites rather than invested in public services. [4]
5. Economic Viability: Technology reduces the cost of extraction or increases the efficiency of use. Example: Fracking made shale gas economically viable; improved solar cell efficiency made renewables competitive with fossil fuels. [4]

Section B: Resource Management & Analysis

6. EKC: Suggests an inverted U-shaped relationship. Initially, pollution increases as a country industrializes. After reaching a certain income threshold, the country invests in cleaner technology and regulations, leading to a decline in environmental degradation. [5]
7. Top-down: Centralized, efficient for large infrastructure (e.g., dams), but often ignores local needs and lacks community buy-in. Bottom-up: Community-led, high sustainability and local acceptance (e.g., rainwater harvesting), but difficult to scale up to national levels. [6]
8. Dutch Disease: A surge in natural resource exports increases currency value $\rightarrow$ makes other exports (manufacturing/agriculture) less competitive $\rightarrow$ leads to deindustrialization and economic vulnerability. [5]
9. Circular Economy: Focuses on closing the loop (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). By designing products for longevity and recycling materials, the demand for new raw material extraction (mining/logging) is minimized. [4]
10. Conflict: Economic development requires land for agriculture/mining (GDP growth) $\rightarrow$ leads to deforestation $\rightarrow$ loss of biodiversity and carbon sinks $\rightarrow$ undermines long-term ecological stability. [6]
11. Tragedy of the Commons: Occurs when individuals act in their own self-interest to exploit a shared resource (e.g., overfishing in international waters), leading to the depletion of the resource for everyone. [4]
12. International Treaties: Provide a framework for collective action and targets (e.g., limiting warming to 1.5°C). Effectiveness is limited by lack of enforcement mechanisms and varying national priorities. [5]
13. Desalination: Provides a weather-independent water source (NEWater/Desal plants). Drawback: High energy consumption (carbon footprint) or brine discharge harming marine ecosystems. [4]
14. Virtual Water: The volume of freshwater used to produce a product. Trade patterns shift as water-scarce nations import "water-intensive" crops (e.g., wheat, beef) from water-rich nations. [4]
15. Precision Farming: Uses GPS/IoT to apply water and fertilizer only where needed $\rightarrow$ reduces runoff into water bodies (preventing eutrophication) and prevents soil nutrient depletion. [4]

Section C: Synthesis & Evaluation

16. Political vs Tech: Tech exists (wind, solar, hydrogen), but sustainability depends on political will to subsidize transitions, tax carbon, and change urban planning laws. [6]
17. Evaluation: Agree: Linear growth requires infinite resources on a finite planet. Disagree: "Green Growth" or "Decoupling" suggests that GDP can grow while environmental impact falls through efficiency and innovation. [6]
18. Comparison: Developed cities face "legacy" infrastructure issues and high consumption levels. Low-development cities face rapid growth, lack of basic sewage/piping, and informal settlements (slums). [5]
19. Nexus: Water is needed for energy (cooling/hydro) and food (irrigation); energy is needed for water (desalination/pumping) and food (fertilizers/transport). A failure in one (e.g., drought) triggers a crisis in the others. [5]
20. Case Study: (Student must provide a specific example, e.g., Costa Rica's payment for ecosystem services). Assessment should include: Strategy used $\rightarrow$ Evidence of success (e.g., forest cover increase) $\rightarrow$ Limitations (e.g., funding gaps). [5]