Sustainable Development & Global Strategies
This term describes meeting current needs without compromising future generations.
Sustainability
This kind of pollution raises the temperature of rivers and lakes, often caused by power plants.
Thermal pollution
This type of resource includes solar energy, wind, and biomass.
Renewable resources
This term describes the maximum population an environment can sustain indefinitely.
Carrying Capacity
This term refers to the variety of life in all its forms, levels, and combinations.
Biodiversity
The UN launched these global targets in 2015 to replace the Millennium Development Goals.
The Sustainable Development Goals
This pollutant, commonly found in old paint and water pipes, is especially harmful to children’s development.
Lead
Name one benefit and one drawback of using groundwater as a water source.
Benefit: It’s a relatively cheap and sustainable source of water. Drawback: Over-extraction can cause land subsidence or deplete the resource.
These two types of resources are under the most stress in rapidly urbanizing cities.
Water and energy resources.
These types of species, when introduced to a new area, can disrupt local ecosystems.
Invasive species
This type of equity emphasizes fairness between today's population and future generations.
Intergenerational equity
Name one major human health impact and one ecological impact of air pollution in industrial areas.
respiratory diseases such as asthma; ecological impact: reduced biodiversity in ecosystems due to air and water pollution.
Explain how poor land management in farming can cause soil degradation.
Soil degradation often occurs from overgrazing, deforestation, or monoculture farming, which leads to erosion and nutrient depletion.
Explain how the demographic transition model relates to changes in population growth and resource use.
The demographic transition model shows how population growth slows as a country industrializes and urbanizes, resulting in lower resource consumption per capita in advanced stages
Explain how deforestation can lead to the loss of ecosystem services.
Deforestation leads to the loss of ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, water regulation, and habitat provision. It also disrupts food chains and contributes to climate change.
This major international agreement aims to combat climate change by reducing carbon emissions.
The Paris Agreement
This type of planning document is used before building large projects to minimize environmental harm.
Environmental Impact Assessment
Analyze the benefits and trade-offs of large-scale hydropower dams in LEDCs.
Large-scale hydropower can provide significant energy for LEDCs, but it often displaces communities, harms aquatic ecosystems, and disrupts local economies.
Analyze how population pressures in Sub-Saharan Africa affect food security and land use.
Population pressures in Sub-Saharan Africa lead to increased demand for food and land, contributing to deforestation and soil degradation, and exacerbating food insecurity.
Protected areas like national parks aim to preserve this — but often face challenges like poaching or human encroachment.
Protected areas are essential for preserving biodiversity, but issues such as poaching, encroachment, and limited funding can undermine their effectiveness.
Compare the successes and limitations of the SDGs in achieving environmental sustainability in two developing nations.
Some successes include improved healthcare access and poverty reduction, but challenges remain, especially in achieving environmental sustainability and economic equality.
Evaluate the effectiveness of one international agreement aimed at reducing ozone-depleting substances.
The Montreal Protocol is a highly effective agreement that has led to the reduction of ozone-depleting substances. It’s been successful, though challenges like compliance and illegal trade still exist.
Evaluate whether mining in tropical rainforest regions can ever be truly sustainable
Mining in tropical rainforests is rarely sustainable due to the damage to biodiversity, destruction of ecosystems, and soil erosion, though sustainable practices like selective logging and responsible mining exist, they are difficult to implement effectively.
Evaluate the effectiveness of China's One-Child Policy in balancing population growth and environmental sustainability.
China’s One-Child Policy successfully slowed population growth, but it led to unintended consequences like gender imbalances and an aging population, and may have long-term economic consequences for the workforce.
Evaluate how successful community-based conservation is in balancing ecosystem preservation with local livelihoods.
Community-based conservation can be successful when it involves local communities in management, benefits, and decision-making, but it often faces challenges such as conflicting interests and lack of resources.