🟦 CATEGORY 1: ECONOMIC SECTORS
Which economic sector involves collecting natural resources, such as farming, fishing and mining?
primary sector
What does environmental degradation mean?
The damage or deterioration of the natural environment.
Which period came before large-scale industrialisation?
Pre-industrial period
What happens to resource demand when a population increases?
Resource demand generally increases.
A farmer grows wheat. Which sector?
Primary
Which sector involves manufacturing raw materials into finished or semi-finished products?
secondary
Give one way that population growth can put pressure on the environment.
More demand for food, water, land, energy or housing.
During which period did factories and mass manufacturing become increasingly important?
Industrial period
Name one natural resource that humans consume.
Water, forests, minerals, fossil fuels, soil, fish, etc.
A factory turns wheat into flour. Which sector?
Secondary
Which economic sector involves knowledge, information, research and highly skilled services?
Quaternary sector
How can increased industrial activity contribute to environmental degradation?
It can increase pollution, resource extraction, waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
In a pre-industrial economy, which sector would employ a large proportion of the population?
Primary sector
Why might a larger population require more land?
Land is needed for housing, farming, infrastructure and industry.
A supermarket sells the flour to customers. Which sector?
Tertiary
A doctor, teacher or hairdresser works in which economic sector?
Tertiary sector
Explain how overconsumption can lead to environmental degradation.
Consuming more resources creates greater demand for raw materials and energy, leading to increased extraction, pollution and waste.
Why did the secondary sector become more important during industrialisation?
The development of factories, machines and mass production increased manufacturing employment.
What is the difference between population growth and overconsumption?
Population growth means the number of people increases, while overconsumption means people use resources at an unsustainable or excessive rate.
Scientists develop a new drought-resistant variety of wheat. Which sector?
Quaternary
A company employs scientists to develop new technology and analyse large amounts of data. Which sector does this mainly belong to, and why?
Quaternary sector, because it focuses on knowledge, research and information.
Explain how population growth, industrialisation and overconsumption can work together to increase environmental degradation.
A growing population increases demand; industrial activity produces goods to meet this demand; and overconsumption increases the amount of resources extracted, energy used and waste produced. Together, these can increase pollution, deforestation, resource depletion and greenhouse gas emissions.
Explain why the tertiary and quaternary sectors have become more important in many post-industrial economies.
Economic development, automation and technological change reduced the need for workers in primary and manufacturing jobs, while demand increased for services, education, healthcare, finance, technology, research and information-based jobs.
A country's population is stable, but its environmental impact continues to increase. Give one possible explanation.
Consumption per person may have increased, meaning people are using more energy, materials and goods despite there being no population growth.
Trace the wheat from the field to scientific research and explain how all four economic sectors can be connected.
Primary: wheat is grown. Secondary: wheat is processed into products. Tertiary: products are transported and sold. Quaternary: scientists conduct research to improve crops, production or technology.