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What is a natural resource?
nature-based /environmental good/raw material/natural material
Answer: Materials from the environment that humans use to meet needs or wants.
Give one environmental impact of burning fossil fuels.
Air pollution / CO₂ emissions / acid rain.
Why are plastics considered a major SDW challenge?
They degrade very slowly and accumulate in landfills/ ecosystems.
Explain how SDW contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
Organic waste in landfills decomposes anaerobically, producing methane.
Resource that replenishes naturally.
renewable
Give one strategy for transitioning to sustainable energy use.
Subsidising renewables, carbon tax, improving grid infrastructure, conservation policies.
Explain why biodiversity loss can reduce resource security.
Lower biodiversity reduces resilience, making ecosystems less able to supply renewable resources.
What is Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)?
Policy requiring manufacturers to take responsibility for post-consumer waste
Give one example of a provisioning service from natural resources.
Food, timber, freshwater, fibre.
Why is energy demand increasing globally?
Population growth, urbanisation, rising affluence, industrialisation
Give one reason why material footprint per capita increases with income level.
Higher incomes increase consumption of goods and infrastructure.
What does a high ecological footprint indicate about a society’s consumption?
It consumes resources faster than Earth’s capacity to regenerate them.
Explain one factor that affects the availability of natural resources in a country.
Climate, geology, technology, political stability, population pressure.
Two features of an effective circular economy policy for SDW.
EPR; reuse/repair incentives; strong recycling.
How does waste-to-energy technology reduce landfill use?
It burns waste to generate energy, reducing waste volume.
Name one indicator used to assess national resource security.
Import dependency OR per-capita resource availability.
Define sustainable yield.
The rate at which a renewable resource can be used without reducing its ability to replenish.
Compare incineration vs. landfill for long-term pollution & land use.
Incineration: emissions but low land use; landfill: leachate & large land need.
Explain one reason why solar power may still have environmental impacts.
Mining materials (silicon, rare metals) for panels causes habitat disturbance.
Give one ethical concern associated with hydropower in mountainous regions.
Displacement of indigenous communities
Habitat loss
Biodiversity loss
Loss of natural river systems
Impact on endangered or endemic species