Using examples, examine how environmental factors can be a cause of migration.

Both forced and voluntary migration may be relevant to this question.

Responses should consider environmental factors at both the point of origin and the final destinations and the strongest responses may refer to environmental changes, such as global warming, as well as disparities in resource availability, etc.

At the origin, push factors include: lack of water/poor water quality, soil degradation, other resource shortages, rising sea levels, changing habitats due to climatic factors.

Physical attractions of the receiving region could include the perception of attractive climate (sunbelt migration), water availability.

Responses that do not focus on environmental factors should not progress beyond band C.

Responses must make use of examples to reach bands E and F.

Marks should be allocated according to the markbands.

The best answers were well balanced, with environmental issues evaluated at both origin and destination and with sound and specific exemplification. A significant number of candidates looked at hazards, desertification, and disasters, backing up their migration with good case study material – Tuvalu, Somalia, and so on. Some good answers looked at the environment as a positive, pull factor, such as retirees from the UK to the South of Spain. In some cases candidates relied too much on historical geography and quoted examples from periods which were much older than the age of the candidate, for example, the Dust Bowl of the USA. Candidates are encouraged to use contemporary material. Another issue was that weaker candidates ignored the command that requested the examination of environmental causes.