Systems & Feedback
Environmental Values
Resources & Capacity
Footprints & Data
Justice & Sustainability
100
State what is meant by negative feedback in a system. [1]
1 mark: A response that counteracts an initial change, helping stabilize the system.
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
100
A group says a wetland deserves protection even if humans gain no benefit. Identify its environmental value system. [1]
1 mark: Ecocentric. Nature has intrinsic value.
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
100
In a sustainably managed cork woodland, distinguish between natural capital and natural income. [2]
1. Natural capital is the stock of cork trees / woodland ecosystem assets. [1]
2. Natural income is the renewable flow of cork harvested from that stock / ecosystem services generated by it. [1]
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
100
Using the chart, identify the region with an ecological reserve. [1]
1 mark: Region A, because its ecological footprint is below its biocapacity.
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
100
Define environmental justice. [1]
1 mark: Fair treatment and meaningful participation of all people in environmental decisions, including fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens. Accept a clear equivalent definition emphasizing fairness.
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
200
A town replaces dark roofs with white roofs. Outline how this changes albedo and solar energy absorption. [2]
1. White roofs increase albedo: a larger proportion of incoming solar radiation is reflected. [1]
2. Less solar energy is absorbed by the roofs. [1]
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
200
Outline two factors that could shape a teenager’s environmental philosophy. Show how each factor could influence their views. [2]
Award 1 mark for each distinct influence briefly linked to a view (max 2).
1. Education about ecosystem damage may increase support for conservation. [1]
2. Family/cultural beliefs about respecting living things may encourage protection of nature. [1]
Accept linked examples involving religion, media, economic circumstances or personal experience. Naming two factors alone does not fully meet OUTLINE.
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
200
A forest grows 400 tonnes of timber per year but 650 tonnes are harvested annually. Outline why this harvest is unsustainable. [2]
1. Harvest exceeds annual regeneration by 250 tonnes. [1]
2. The timber stock / natural capital declines, reducing the potential future natural income. [1]
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
200
Using the chart, outline why Region B has an ecological deficit. [2]
1. Demand for biologically productive land/water to provide resources and absorb wastes exceeds the region’s regenerative capacity. [1]
2. The deficit is 2.8 gha per person, implying dependence on imports, depletion of natural capital and/or waste accumulation. [1]
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
200
Cabin A uses locally harvested bamboo that regrows rapidly and is air-dried; Cabin B uses imported steel produced with fossil fuels. Outline one reason Cabin A may be more sustainable, and suggest one piece of evidence needed for a fuller comparison. [2]
1. Local renewable bamboo may reduce transport / production energy and associated emissions compared with the imported steel specified. [1]
2. Evidence such as sustainable harvest rate, lifespan / maintenance needs, total life-cycle emissions or impacts on biodiversity is needed. [1]
Do not assume all bamboo buildings are automatically more sustainable.
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
300
As snow on a mountain melts, dark rock is exposed. Explain how this can create positive feedback. [3]
1. Melting exposes darker rock with lower albedo. [1]
2. The rock absorbs more incoming solar radiation, increasing warming. [1]
3. Warming causes more snow to melt, amplifying the initial change. [1]
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
300
Distinguish between ecocentric and anthropocentric reasons for protecting a mangrove forest. [2]
1. Ecocentric: protect the mangrove because species and ecosystems have intrinsic value. [1]
2. Anthropocentric: protect it for human benefits such as storm protection or fishing livelihoods. [1]
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
300
State three factors that can limit the carrying capacity of an island for its human population. [3]
Award 1 mark each, max 3: freshwater availability; food supply / productive land; space / shelter; capacity to absorb wastes; another valid distinct limiting resource.
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
300
Describe the trend in biocapacity per person shown in the graph, using data. [2]
1. Biocapacity per person decreases consistently over 2000–2020. [1]
2. It falls from 4.0 to 2.4 gha per person: a decrease of 1.6 gha / 40%, or 0.8 gha each decade. [1]
DESCRIBE reports the pattern; causes are not required.
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
300
A port handles imported goods for wealthy consumers. Diesel trucks pass mainly through a low-income district, whose residents have little say in route planning. Explain how this illustrates environmental injustice. [3]
1. Low-income residents bear a disproportionate share of diesel air pollution / noise. [1]
2. This exposes them to health risks while many benefits of the goods go to consumers elsewhere. [1]
3. Limited influence over route planning reduces meaningful participation / reinforces unequal distribution of burdens. [1]
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
400
A rise in rabbits is followed by more foxes; increased predation then reduces rabbit numbers. Distinguish positive from negative feedback and identify which is illustrated. [3]
1. Positive feedback amplifies an initial change. [1]
2. Negative feedback counteracts an initial change. [1]
3. This is negative feedback: increased predation counteracts the initial rabbit increase. [1]
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
400
Villagers leave part of a woodland untouched because its species have a right to exist, even when timber prices rise. Identify and define their EVS, and explain how their decision illustrates it. [3]
1. Ecocentric. [1]
2. An EVS that recognizes intrinsic value in nature / prioritizes ecological integrity. [1]
3. They protect species despite the opportunity for human profit, applying this value in their decision. [1]
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
400
An island reduces food waste and collects rainwater for crop irrigation. Explain how these measures may increase its human carrying capacity. [3]
1. Reducing food waste makes more of the existing food supply available for consumption. [1]
2. Rainwater collection increases water available for food production / reduces pressure on limited freshwater. [1]
3. More people may be supported sustainably because limiting resources are used more efficiently / made more available. [1]
Do not assume carrying capacity becomes unlimited.
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
400
A region’s population grows while productive land area stays constant; its residents also shift from public transport to petrol cars. Suggest a reason for declining biocapacity per person and outline a reason for increasing EF per person. [2]
1. More people share the same productive area, reducing biocapacity available per person. [1]
2. Greater petrol-car use raises fossil-fuel consumption / carbon emissions, increasing the footprint per person. [1]
Population growth alone does not necessarily raise EF per person.
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
400
A coastal wind-energy project generates renewable electricity and local jobs but blocks a traditional public fishing access route. Explain one impact on each pillar of sustainability, including positive and negative impacts. [3]
1. Environmental: renewable electricity may displace fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. [1]
2. Economic: local jobs provide income / employment. [1]
3. Social: blocked access disrupts traditional practices / fair access to the coast and may harm community well-being. [1]
Award equivalent valid causal impacts; ensure all three pillars and both positive and negative effects are covered.
Accept equivalent scientifically valid wording.
500
A warming region loses snow cover. Explain why this change can accelerate the original warming. [3]
1. Snow loss exposes darker land with lower albedo. [1]
2. More solar radiation is absorbed, increasing temperature. [1]
3. This causes further snow loss, amplifying the initial warming through positive feedback. [1]
500
Two groups support restoring a marsh. Group A says its species have a right to exist; Group B wants flood protection for homes. Distinguish their environmental value systems, using their reasons. [2]
1. Group A is ecocentric: it recognizes intrinsic value / rights of non-human species. [1]
2. Group B is anthropocentric: it values the marsh for benefits to humans, specifically flood protection. [1]
500
A city doubles its food production with vertical farms, but its freshwater supply is already fully used. Explain why its human carrying capacity may not double. [2]
1. Carrying capacity is limited by several resources; more food does not remove the freshwater constraint. [1]
2. Unless water availability / efficiency also increases, water can remain the limiting factor preventing support for twice as many people. [1]
500
Using the graph, explain why an ecological reserve in 2025 does not guarantee future sustainability. [3]
1. In 2025 biocapacity (3.5) exceeds EF (3.0) by only 0.5 gha per person. [1]
2. Biocapacity is decreasing while EF is increasing, narrowing the reserve. [1]
3. If these trends continue, EF may exceed biocapacity, creating a deficit / demand beyond regeneration. [1]
Accept approximate graph readings; future crossing is conditional.
500
A reservoir improves drought protection for a city, but a small rural community loses its land and receives no compensation or voice in planning. Explain why the project may be environmentally unjust despite benefiting more people overall. [3]
1. Benefits go mainly to city residents, while a smaller rural group bears displacement / livelihood losses. [1]
2. This unequal distribution of environmental benefits and burdens is unfair, reinforced by lack of compensation. [1]
3. Excluding the rural community from decisions denies meaningful participation; majority benefit alone does not establish justice. [1]