Based on spec points that have yet to come up in previous a level geography edexcel exam papers. detailed essay plans with case studies. used as my main revision technique and proved very helpful.
a level carbon prediction questions. a level essay plans carbon.
1: assess the costs and benefits of the different adaptation strategies for a changed climate
(12)
Paragraph 1 : water conservation and management
Benefits -
fewer resources used, less groundwater abstraction
Attitudinal change operates on a long-term basis: use more grey (recycled) water
Less fertilisers and pesticides used
Reusing treated blackwater
Costs -
Efficiency and conservation cannot match increased demands for water
Changing cultural habits of a large water footprint needs promotion and enforcement by
governments, e.g. smart metres
Example - DAY ZERO - south africa, arid, reliant on agriculture. Restrictions. Run out by 2030
Paragraph 2 : solar radiation management
Benefits -
The proposal is to use orbiting satellites to reflect some inward radiation back into space,
rather like a giant sunshade
It could cool the Earth within months and be relatively cheap compared with mitigation
Costs -
Untried and untested
Would reduce but not eliminate the worst effects of GHGs: for example, it would not alter
acidification
Involves tinkering with a very complex system, which might have unintended consequences
or externalities
Would need to continue geoengineering for decades or centuries as there would be a rapid
adjustment in the climate system if SRM stopped suddenly
Paragraph 3 : resilience agricultural systems
Benefits :
Higher-tech, drought-tolerant species help resistance to climate change and increase
in diseases
Low-tech measures and better practices generate healthier soils and may help
carbon dioxide sequestration and water storage: selective irrigation, mulching, cover
crops, crop rotation, reduced ploughing, agroforestry.
More 'indoor' intensive farming
Costs :
More expensive technology, seeds and breeds unavailable to poor subsistence
farmers without aid
High energy costs from indoor and intensive farming
Genetic modification is still debated, but frequently used to crease resistant strains,
e.g. rice and soya
Growing food insecurity in many places adds pressure to find 'quick fixes'
Conclusion - mix of different strategies can help properly adapt the earth for climate change
however mitigation strategies are crucial in altering the effects of climate change as it attacks
the root cause
, 2: assess the differing effects of the growing demand for food, fuel and other resources
globally on land-use cover globally (12)
As population increases and natural increase also increases, a larger population demands
more resources such as energy sources, natural resources, homes, and good.
Deforestation - clearance of timber for resources and land. and is mainly cultivated to
provide grazing for livestock or to produce cash crops.
EXAMPLE - AMAZON RAINFOREST CASE STUDY - past amazon drought released carbon -
2005 and 2010. Wildfires more common. Forest is needed as carbon store. Contributes to
climate change feedback loop. Biodiversity loss.
However - much has been done in afforestation programmes to offset the loss of tropical
rainforest “services” - mostly taking place on land that used to be agricultural - china’s three
north shelterbelt project
INCLUD3 BIOFUELS DISPLACING FARMLAND SO DEFORESTATION
Impact and scale of cycle affected - reduce interception of rainfall. Reduce in carbon storage
in soil and biomass. Increases soil erosion.
Longer term - climate enhancing. Destructive flood and drought patterns.
Increasing food demand - lead to grassland conversion. Meat production increases. Bt 1995
and 2013 arable area increased by 24 mill. Decrease in forest by 80 mill ha.
Grassland conversion - Temperate and tropical grasslands have also become heavily
exploited by agriculture. Both grassland types have suffered as a result of overexploitation.
The simple act of ploughing leads to an immediate loss of both carbon dioxide and moisture,
as well as a change in runoff characteristics. Compaction of soil by livestock increases
overland flow.
Extent:
Increase of population means more conversion of nomadic to sedentary farming. As
countries become more developed, diets may shift to healthier diets and veganism. Green
living encouraged and seen as beneficial.
Most significant - leads to other two factors. Long term. Long time before population starts
leveling off.
Urbanisation - No land-use conversion is greater than that associated with urbanisation.
Much space has already been taken over and many ecosystems completely destroyed by the
insatiable demand for space needed to accommodate a rapidly rising urban population and
their widening range of economic activities. Of all forms of development, none is having a
more disruptive impact on the carbon and water cycles than urbanisation. Towns and cities
are focal points of both GHG emissions and intense water demand.
Impermeable surface - tarmac, increases surface runoff
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