DP Environmental Systems and Societies Questionbank

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

Discuss how human activities impact the flows and stores in the nitrogen cycle.

To what extent have international agreements been successful in solving atmospheric air pollution and climate change?

The future growth of human populations is unlikely to be limited by the availability of energy resources. However, they could easily be limited by the impacts of energy production.

Discuss the validity of this statement.

To what extent is London a sustainable city? 

To what extent is the use of solid domestic waste (SDW) as an energy source beneficial to a society?

Hydropower is a resource that can be exploited from rivers. Explain how the value of this resource to a society may vary over time.

Identify one possible reason why there has been a change in the quantity of electricity generated from wind as shown in Figure 9(a).

With reference to Figure 9(b), calculate the percentage of energy consumed that came from fossil fuels in 2016.

With reference to Figure 9(c), suggest two strategies that would be most effective in reducing the use of crude oil in Costa Rica.

With reference to the information in the resource booklet, to what extent has Costa Rica’s aim to become carbon neutral led to a more environmentally-sustainable nation?

Outline how CO₂ emissions may cause a change in the global climate.

With reference to Figures 6(c), 7(a) and 7(b) explain the problems associated with land restoration in Iceland.

Evaluate the possible impacts of climate change on Iceland.

Identify two reasons why the future size of the Atlantic puffin population is difficult to predict.

Outline the evidence that CO₂ acts as a greenhouse gas.

State a greenhouse gas other than CO₂.

Disturbance of the composition and processes of the atmospheric system through human activity always disturbs the equilibria of marine systems.

Discuss the validity of this statement with reference to named examples.

With reference to named examples, distinguish between a primary and secondary pollutant.

Explain two factors which lead to a loss of marine (ocean) biodiversity.

Distinguish between the causes of recent global warming and those of ozone depletion.

Explain the impact of global warming and ozone depletion on coastal ecosystems.

Explain the potential impact of ocean acidification on environmental systems and societies.

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

Outline how climate change may affect the availability of freshwater resources.

In 2016, the Earth’s atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide reached 400 ppm. Suggest the potential impacts of high levels of greenhouse gases on human societies in different locations.

Outline two possible effects of climate change on marine coastal ecosystems within the Coral Triangle.

Climate can both influence, and be influenced by, terrestrial food production systems.

To what extent can terrestrial food production strategies contribute to a sustainable equilibrium in this relationship?

Suggest why the St Lawrence River beluga whale population has not recovered despite being given protected status in 1983.

With reference to Figure 9(a), explain why the realized niche of the mottled sculpin has changed in recent years.

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.

To what extent is pollution impacting human food production systems?

Explain, with the use of a system diagram, how human activities affect flows in the global water cycle.

To what extent do the approaches and strategies of different environmental value systems improve access to fresh water?

Using Figure 3(a), identify why Hurricane Maria was so destructive.

Describe the relationship between sea surface temperature in Figure 3(b) and hurricane wind speed in Figure 3(a).

With reference to Figures 3(c) and 3(d), outline how Hurricane Maria has reduced Dominica’s food availability.

Discuss the effect of hurricanes on the social and ecological development of Dominica.

Outline how a positive feedback loop can impact an ecosystem.

Compare and contrast the impact of two named food production systems on climate change.

To what extent does the development of different societies impact their choice of mitigation and adaptation strategies for climate change?

Identify two ways in which climate change may influence the predicted change shown in Figure 2.

Discuss the role of feedback mechanisms in maintaining the stability and promoting the restoration of plant communities threatened by human impacts.

The future growth of human populations is unlikely to be limited by the availability of energy resources. However, they could easily be limited by the impacts of energy production.

Discuss the validity of this statement.

Explain how deforestation in the taiga may impact the world’s oceans.

To what extent might it be better to consider environmental issues at a global, rather than a local level, when planning for sustainable development in Siberia?

Outline the albedo effect and its role in regulating the Earth’s global temperature.

Discuss whether biodiversity loss or climate change is a greater threat to human societies.

With reference to the information in the resource booklet, to what extent has Costa Rica’s aim to become carbon neutral led to a more environmentally-sustainable nation?

Figures 9(a) and 9(b) in the resource booklet provide information about the production of ethanol from sugar as a biofuel.

Explain how biofuel production can be used as a strategy to control greenhouse gas emissions in Brazil.

Figures 9(a) and 9(b) in the resource booklet provide information about the production of ethanol from sugar as a biofuel.

Outline one limitation for using biofuels as a strategy to control greenhouse gas emissions.

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

Identify one adaptation strategy that could be used to reduce the impacts of climate change.

Explain how the ability to implement mitigation and adaptation strategies may vary from one country to another.

Outline how the mitigation strategy shown in Figure 1 is different to an adaptation strategy for managing climate change.

Identify two mitigation strategies to manage climate change, other than carbon capture and storage.

Outline how Flows 1 and 2 shown in Figure 1 may contribute to the capture and storage of atmospheric carbon.

Environmental value systems may lead to different approaches to addressing the issue of global warming. Discuss which environmental value system(s) you consider to be most appropriate in the management of global warming.

To what extent do anthropocentric value systems dominate the international efforts to address climate change?

With reference to Figure 6, outline the effectiveness of mangroves and tropical rainforests in the mitigation of climate change.

Identify four strategies for limiting the impact of burning fossil fuels without reducing their use.

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

Discuss the effect of hurricanes on the social and ecological development of Dominica.

Discuss how human activities impact the flows and stores in the nitrogen cycle.

To what extent does the development of different societies impact their choice of mitigation and adaptation strategies for climate change?

To what extent have international agreements been successful in solving atmospheric air pollution and climate change?

In addressing environmental issues, mitigation strategies may be seen as primarily ecocentric and adaptation strategies as primarily technocentric.

To what extent is this view valid in the context of named strategies for addressing the issue of global warming?

Compare and contrast the adaptation strategies to climate change for two societies.

With reference to the information in the resource booklet, to what extent has Costa Rica’s aim to become carbon neutral led to a more environmentally-sustainable nation?