Explain why the increasing needs of some countries for one or more raw materials are a cause of environmental concern.

“People living in the world’s most peripheral regions do not experience a ‘shrinking world’.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

AO1/2 Indicative content

Raw material(s) can include timber, copper, soya, oil, shale gas etc.

An account focused only on water should not progress beyond [6].

• The environmental concerns should clearly relate to the raw material chosen.
• There may be local and global dimensions (deforestation causing local degradation in addition to rising global carbon emissions).
• The countries/markets for the raw material can be identified.

Good answers may explain explicitly why there is concern over the increasing demand made by certain countries and may provide evidence to support this (eg China’s predicted growth in demand). Another approach might be to structure the explanation carefully around different categories of environmental concern.

For band C (4–6), an outline should be provided of either environmental problems/concerns linked with using raw material(s) or the needs of some countries.

For band D (7–8), expect a structured, evidenced analysis of

• either detailed environmental concerns linked with raw material(s) use/demand
• or the increasing resource needs for specified countries.

For band E (9–10), expect both band D traits.

Credit all content in line with the markbands. Credit unexpected approaches wherever relevant.

Possible AO1/2 indicative content

Peripheral regions: this is a contested term and is open to a variety of interpretations, ranging from isolated tribes, to landlocked African nations, to India and China (in relation to the G7/8 global “core”). Credit the “political periphery” of North Korea also. Each approach should be judged on its merits in terms of supporting evidence and argument.

Shrinking world: this refers to the way distant places are perceived to be nearer due to falling transport times and the instantaneous nature of electronic communications and data transfers.

Themes for synthesis from the geography guide include:

• Even peripheral places are connected to global/regional internet/mobile networks.
• Peripheral places are connected to the core via flows of aid (including internet donations following disasters).
• The global spread of consumerism affects even peripheral places through the
  availability of imported food and goods.
• Media corporations have fostered widespread consumption of films and TV.
• Peripheral societies are visited by tourists.
• Exposure to global movements of pollution/waste may foster the sense of a shrinking world.

Answers scoring highly according to the AO3 criteria for evaluation:

• might be structured around different strands of the shrinking world effect, eg use of transport, arrival of tourists, exposure to information flows
• might reflect critically on what is meant by “most peripheral”, who lives there, and the extent to which different groups of people in peripheral areas have differing experiences/perspectives on a shrinking world
• might reflect on the extent to which the world’s poor are sometimes compelled to travel as refugees or economic migrants, often considerable distances; while poor places are visited by representatives of the wealthy (charities, agencies), which provides some sense of “shrinking world” to both parties.

For band C (5–8), expect weakly-evidenced outlining of two or three relevant
shrinking world/globalization themes from the geography guide.

For band D (9–12), expect

• either a structured synthesis which links together several well-evidenced and well-focused themes from the geography guide
• or a critical conclusion (or ongoing evaluation).

For band E (13–15), expect both of these traits.