Describe the distribution of countries that produce more than 6kg of electronic waste per person.

Explain two reasons why some countries receive large international flows of consumer waste.

Reason 1: 

Reason 2:  

Suggest two implications of a warmer climate for the food security of places.

Implication 1:

Implication 2: 

Award [1] for a comment related to the general distribution and [1] for specifics of location.

Possibilities include:

• general distribution – uneven, scattered, sparse, coastal
• specifics of location may include:
  
  • Southern Africa – South Africa plus Botswana.
  • West central Africa – Gabon plus Equatorial Guinea.
  • Central north Africa – Libya.

In each case award [1] for identification of a valid reason with a further [1] for development/exemplification.

For example: Some low-income countries import waste because they receive money for it [1], eg Ghana is a low-income country and imports waste because valuable metals are found in it [1].

Other possibilities include:

• Environmental controls/policies.
• Costs of recycling.
• Lack of capacity for disposal or recycling in exporting countries.
• Demand for resources in importing countries – recovered metals.
• Use of waste as an energy source.
• Increasing awareness of the value of waste.
• Trade agreements between countries.
• Burn for power – eg Norway.
• More space to store the waste than countries that produce it – eg Singapore.
• Ocean currents.
• Fragile states with limited political/economic power.

In each case award [1] for identification of valid implication of a warmer climate with further [1] for development/exemplification linked to food security/food production.

For example: Warmer climates lead to extreme weather events, such as hurricanes [1], which can destroy crops and reduce food security [1].

Possibilities include:

• Long-term/gradual climate change risks, such as desertification, sea level rise, changing climatic belts, leading to changes in magnitude of crop production, salinization of soils, patterns of floods for irrigation.
• Access to food decreases because of increase in price – price increases because of food shortage in droughts.
• Slight increase in warming could increase the growing season, whereas a very large increase may result in reduced productivity.
• Temperature increase allows more agricultural output – increase in crop yields, changing limits of cultivation
• Income declines in agricultural sector – unable to access food.
• Spread of pests – changing climate means insects and fungi also spreading towards poles.
• Ocean acidification – acid oceans impact upon plankton, which is the basis of the food chain.
• Warmer temperatures lead to increased evaporation and possibly less water availability for crops.
• Warmer climates require more irrigation and/or increased efficiency of irrigation.