DP Environmental Systems and Societies Questionbank

To what extent does sustainability play a role in making decisions about energy and climate change policies at national and international levels? 

With reference to information in the resource booklet, evaluate the sustainability of Canada’s management of the Large Ocean Management Area of the St Lawrence River estuary and Gulf of St Lawrence.

Environmental value systems such as ecocentrism and technocentrism may determine the approaches taken to resource management.

Discuss which of these value systems you consider most appropriate in its approach to the management of fossil fuel resources. Support your conclusion with valid reasons or evidence.

Using Figure 7, suggest one reason why per capita oil equivalent consumption is greater in some regions than in others.

Using Figure 8, estimate the percentage of world oil equivalent consumption that came from renewable sources in 2011.

Discuss how a Deep Ecologist and a Cornucopian may differ in their approach to this project.

Explain the factors which influence the choice of energy sources in two different societies.

Apart from global warming and ozone-depletion, state one pollution problem that may affect a number of countries.

Environmental value systems may be seen as having both inputs and outputs as shown in the diagram below:

As a society develops over time from an original pioneer population, various influences may have caused changes in their common value systems and decisions.

With reference to energy sources in a developed country (MEDC), discuss how historical changes in internal and external factors have influenced their environmental value systems and decisions on energy supply.

To what extent might Iceland be viewed as a role model for sustainability by other countries?

Using evidence from the resource booklet, justify from an ecocentric viewpoint why the Husab Uranium Project should not be approved.

Outline two reasons why the value of resources like Uranium can change over time.

Even though there is growing global support for ecocentric values, the global consumption of fossil fuels continues to rise each year.

With reference to energy choices in named countries, discuss possible reasons for this situation occurring.

Discuss the role of humans in the destabilization of ecological systems.

Explain how the inequitable distribution of natural resources can lead to conflict.

With reference to Figure 2 and Figure 9(c) outline two possible reasons why energy demand declined in Iceland after 2008.

With reference to Figure 9(a) outline how Iceland’s primary energy consumption has changed over time.

Increasing concern for energy security is likely to lead to more sustainable energy choices.

Discuss the validity of this statement, with reference to named countries.

The use of renewable resources is not always sustainable due to the activities involved in their production.

Justify this statement for a named source of renewable energy.

Identify two possible reasons for the projected change in CO₂ emissions for China.