Changing and Managing the Environment
List the 4 "S" of ecosystem services.
Sources (provisioning)
Sinks (regulating)
Services (supporting)
Spirituality (cultural)
Define the term 'coastal erosion'.
Erosion is the natural process of wind and water wearing away at natural materials and depositing them elsewhere. Coastal erosion sees cliffs, beaches, rocks and dunes become worn away.
List what is measured as part of the Human Development Index.
GNI, infant mortality, literacy rates.
List the stages of the business cycle.
Material: food, house.
Non-material: freedom of speech, level of crime.
Greenhouse gases are naturally occurring and can trap heat in the atmosphere. An example is CO2.
Outline the difference between 'hard' and 'soft' engineering.
Hard engineering: heavy artificial structures to physically resist wave energy e.g., sea walls.
Soft engineering: natural systems to soften impact of wave energy e.g., dune restoration.
Define the term 'human wellbeing'.
The ability of people to access the things they need to live happy, healthy, and contented lives.
Gross Domestic Product. Measures the total value of goods and services produced in a country over a period of time.
Compare the term 'wealth' and 'income'.
Wealth is the total value of one's assets.
Income is the amount of money earnt through work or passive income.
Briefly explain the term 'custodial responsibility'.
Aboriginal Australian's approach to caring for Country. The belief that people belong to the land and are responsible for it's health.
Outline two examples of services that coastal landscapes provide.
Source: provision of food e.g., fish
Sink: carbon capturing and water purification
Services: provide oxygen, prevent seawater intrusion
Spirituality: recreation and tourism
Interpret what a high infant mortality rate could mean for a country's human development.
Suggests that there is limit health care, which may be a reflection of corrupt government structures, or lack of wealth to implement universal health standards.
Expansion: increase in production (increase in GDP) as more goods/services and supplied and demand increases. Increase in employment as more jobs offered as more production is required. Increase in consumer spending as more disposable income.
Contraction: business shut down as decrease in demand (reduced GDP). High unemployment as workers not required to keep up with supply. Decrease in consumer spending due to unemployment.
Explain why GDP per capita can correlate to a country's living standards.
Represents the amount of the total value of goods and services produced by a country divided by the population. A higher GDP per capita could reflect a larger investment into public goods and services by a government, which would increase living standards.
Compare the Greenhouse Gas Effect with the Enhanced Greenhouse Gas Effect.
GHG Effect is the natural occurring release of GHG (e.g., CO2, CH4) that trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere. They help to ensure that the Earth's temperature is liveable.
The Enhanced GHG Effect occurs when there are human-made emissions of GHGs, which cause too much heat to be trapped in the atmosphere and are contributing to heating the world up at an unsustainable rate. These are emitted from things like burning of fossil fuels and livestock.
Explain the impact of population growth on coastal landscapes.
Engineered structures have changed the natural cycle of erosion and deposition. This changes the structure of the coast, but can protect the coastal landscape from continued detrimental erosion.
Discharge of sewage into the ocean as well as other contaminants e.g., fertiliser.
Overfishing as many people around the world rely on this source of food.
UNDHR - rights are inalienable and universal.
Freedoms such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from fear/torture, freedom of movement.
Greater rights and freedoms ensures that people's wellbeing is prioritised. People have the right to attain employment to increase the GNI, the right to access a quality education to improve literacy rates, and access to health care.
Explain how consumer spending and interest rates play a role in inflation.
When interest rates fall, demand for goods and services increases as consumers increase their spending. This is because they have more money available to them. This can see producers not being able to keep up with supply. As a result, they raise prices. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the price increase of thousands of goods. If there is an increase in the price of goods, it shows that inflation has increased.
Assess how wealth is distributed in Australia.
Gini coefficient: measures income inequality. Australia's Gini coefficient is around 0.34, which suggests a lower rate of wealth inequality than other places around the world. Australia uses a progressive taxation system to assist in transfer payments to equalise the wealth of the highest earners in the country and the lowest.
Judge the impact climate change has on Australia and support your answer with examples.
A significant impact. Severe impact on biodiversity (decrease in range of flora and fauna), impact on vital services and functions.
Increase in extreme weather events e.g., 2019 - 2020 bushfires across NSW and Victoria.
Change in rainfall, increased temperatures and rising sea levels e.g., erosion on coast of NSW.
Using an example, evaluate the impact of climate change on a coastal landscape.
Answers could vary e.g., Tuvalu has experienced a 21cm rise in sea levels over the past 30 years. High tides could see 95% of the Pacific Island's landmass being submerged.
Seawater intrusion contributing to agricultural collapse. Tuvalu's population being classified as climate refugees.
Analyse the human wellbeing of one country.
GDP: 2.5% annual growth
Inflation: 4.8%
Cash rate: 4.35%
Unemployment:4.5%
GDP and unemployment are within sustainable growth brackets, inflation continues to be higher than the recommended 2-3%. This is having an impact on cost of living.
Fiscal policies: continue to provide some cost of living packages e.g., fuel subsidies.
Monetary policies: continue to maintain or raise the cash rate to discourage consumer spending and bring inflation down.
Analyse why living standards vary between countries. Examine two countries in your response.
Answers could vary.
Increased freedom of work - individuals can work and increase the GNI.
Government playing a limited role in the economy increases the ability of individuals and business to engage in the free market, increasing GDP.
Natural resources of a country can play a part in their earnings e.g., Australia has lots of minerals.