The increasing global temperatures experienced in the past few decades may increase the frequency, intensity, and distribution of tropical storms. The enhanced greenhouse effect leads to less radiation escaping from the Earth’s atmosphere, which increases the ocean’s surface temperature, so far this has occurred by between 0.25 and 0.5⁰C. This allows more energy to create…
How are climate, permafrost, soils, plants and animals interdependent in polar and tundra environments?
Interdependence is the term used to describe how all the biotic and abiotic elements of an ecosystem are dependant on each other. The high latitudes of polar environments lead to a very cold and dry climate. This means much of polar ice or snow remains that even in summer, and therefore there is a limited…
How do physical factors contribute to energy insecurity?
Energy insecurity is a lack of adequate, reliable, safe energy and can be a chronic, or acute situation. Most chronic (long standing) energy insecurity is caused by physical factors, whereas human factors are more often to blame for acute energy insecurity (short term). One physical cause of energy insecurity is a lack of fossil fuels…
Why do some countries have an energy deficit?
A deficit is not having enough of something. Some countries do not have enough energy for their needs, in some regions of sub-Saharan Africa for example, around two thirds of the population do not have access to electricity. Chad and Burundi only provide electricity to approximately 6.5% of their populations. There are several reasons behind…
How national migration can lead to change in the character of UK towns and cities
Migration into UK cities from elsewhere in the country means pressure is placed on existing housing provision. One way to solve this is by building new housing estates. Some of these new estates have attracted criticism for not being in keeping with the character of the rest of the urban area, Augusta Park on the…
Suggest strategies that might decrease regional differences in the UK
There are real and perceived differences between the North and South of the UK. Unemployment is generally higher in the North than the South, 9.9% in the North East compared to 4.4% in the South East for example. Real economic differences lead to differences in quality of life such as life expectancy, shown by the…
What is the impact of international aid on Nigeria?
Although Nigeria is a rapidly growing newly emerging economy, there are many issues faced by the country, some of which receive aid from other countries. One issue is the conflict with the Islamic militant group Boko Haram. They operate in the northeast of the nation and consequently, hundreds of thousands of northeast Nigerians have become…
Explain the impact of population decline at stage 5 of the Demographic Transition Model on economic development
Countries in stage 5 of the DTM have lower birth rates than death rates, which means the population total is declining, and the population structure is aging. An example is Japan where around 28% of the total population is aged over 65. Most elderly people are retired and no longer paying income tax, therefore the…
To what extent is economic development linked to the demographic transition model?
There is a strong relationship between the DTM and economic development, but there are also many exceptions. For example, some HICs, such as Germany have very low birth rates and falling population. These countries have a high GNI per capita, so they could be said to have a high economic development, and they are…
Local adaptations to the threat of climate change
A good example of how climate change threatens people on a local scale is the islands of the Maldives. Most of the country is less than 1m above sea level and therefore there is a great risk that the country may be completely lost if sea levels continue to rise due to climate change….
Will the development of roads in the Peruvian Amazon lead to sustainable development?
“The development of roads in the Peruvian Amazon will lead to sustainable development.” ………………. To what extent do you agree with this statement? I partially agree with this statement because it is clear that the road development will bring some jobs to the rural parts of Peru, at least during their construction. It is…
I believe the proposed road development in the Peruvian Amazon should NOT go ahead.
I believe that the proposed road project in the Peruvian Amazon should NOT go ahead. My main justification is that the Amazon is a global resource, it should be protected and conserved for the benefit of the whole of humanity, especially in consideration of the impact that deforestation has upon global climate change. Some people…
I believe the proposed road development in the Peruvian Amazon should go ahead
I believe that the proposed road project should go ahead. My main justification in saying this is that Peru needs the roads in order to develop economically. At present Peru is a middle-income nation, ranked 77th (out of 187) on the Human Development Index and over half of Peruvians are classed as “poor” (fig 3)*….
Giltbrook 2019 Human Fieldwork
How sustainable is Giltbrook retail park? This is an appropriate question because it is linked to our learning about sustainability and industrial developments. It is not too broad, this means it is a focussed question on a small part of the urban unit. It means it’s manageable for us to study as we can…
Burbage Brook 2019 Physical fieldwork
To investigate channel changes in Burbage Brook, specifically velocity Our aim To investigate channel changes in Burbage Brook, specifically velocity This is an appropriate aim because it is linked to our learning about rivers and therefore will support our understanding. Also, it is not too broad. This means it is a focussed question…
What is a “social opportunity”?
Geography Cat has noticed that some exam questions ask about social opportunities, especially in urban areas. Education and health care: The most fundamental social opportunities are the chance to go to school, and the chance to use health care facilities. This means that those things have to be available a location you can reach, and…
How has the increased use of fossil fuel and recent changes in agriculture contributed to global changes in temperature?
The average global temperature has increased by 0.85ᵒC since 1880, most of this increase has happened since the 1970s and scientists estimate a further rise of between 1.8 to 4ᵒC by the end of the century. The increase in global temperature is caused…
Assess the challenge of providing services to a city’s population (LIC/NEE)
Use the photograph and a case study of a city in a LIC/NEE to assess the challenge of providing services to a city’s population The case study I am going to use is Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, which is a newly emerging economy (NEE). Providing services to the whole population of a city…
Why does the UK have diverse landscapes?
The UK has a range of landscapes for a number of reasons, the most important of which is the underlying geology. Areas of more resistant rock are more likely to be upland areas than rock which is less resistant to erosion. A good example is the Grampians in Central Scotland, this is an upland…
Describe the locations of the major upland and lowland areas of the UK
Major upland areas of the UK are concentrated in the north and west of the country, particularly in Scotland which has the highest mountains, the Grampians, including the highest peak, Ben Nevis (1345m). Almost all of Wales is upland, the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia together forming the Cambrian mountains. Northern Ireland’s Antrim Mountains are in…
Suggest reasons why coastal pollution could have both an economic and environmental impact
The example I am going to use is Rio de Janeiro, on the southeast coast of Brazil. It is situated around Guanabana Bay and it is rapidly expanding as Brazil becomes more urbanised. The water in Guanabana Bay is highly polluted by rivers that flow into it bringing 200 tonnes of raw sewage into…
Describe and explain the main plant adaptations in a tropical rainforest environment.
Most plants in the tropical rainforest have adapted to the strong sunlight, heavy rain, thin soils and dark conditions in the undergrowth. For example, some trees, such as the kapok, grow very tall because of the competition for sunlight. Also, some leaves have flexible stems so they can turn toward the sun, another adaptation is…
Discuss the reasons why people in LICs or NEEs move from rural to urban areas
People in LICs move from rural to urban areas for a variety of reasons. Push factors encourage people to leave the rural area where they have been living, this could be a local outbreak of disease for example, as happened recently in the Democratic Republic of Congo when there was an outbreak of ebola in…
How are rural areas changing in the UK?
Rural areas in the UK have been changing in recent years, some rural settlements are growing, whilst others are declining. South Cambridgeshire is a rural area with a growing population. Most of the growth in population is due to counter-urbanisation, people moving out of urban areas. The population of the region is now…
How do science parks contribute to the UK’s post-industrial economy?
The number of science parks and business parks has grown rapidly in recent years in the UK. You can read about business parks here. Science parks are a specific type of business park. Science parks are clusters of businesses with a scientific and technological focus, located together on purpose-built, landscaped estates. Most of…
Geography Cat looks at the post-industrial location of business in the UK
Since the decline of the manufacturing industry in the 1970s, the UK has become a post-industrial economy. The majority of jobs are now in the tertiary sector (providing a service), and a growing number are in the quaternary sector (research and development and ICT). The location of almost all factories was determined by…
How can food supply be increased?
Increasing food supply does not automatically solve food insecurity issues. There is already enough food produced in the world for everyone to be well-nourished. However, the distribution of this food, its affordability and people’s access to food are the bigger issues of food security, rather than simply producing more food. However, the following…
What are the impacts of food insecurity?
When a country cannot supply enough food to feed its population it is in a state of food insecurity. You can read more about it here. The first impact of food insecurity is the inflation of food prices, and therefore the poor can afford less and less food, both in quantity and quality….
Global food supply and consumption
Geography Cat has already written about food security and how it can be increased, see here to read more. Globally there are some countries with high food consumption, the USA, for example, consumes around 3500 calories per person per day, whereas many countries have low food consumption, for example Sudan has an average…
Energy provision in the UK
Total energy consumption has fallen rapidly in the UK since the 1970s, this is due to the decline of heavy industry and the rise of more energy-efficient methods. Fossil fuels predominated in the 1990s when almost 75% of UK energy was provided by coal and oil. Since then there has been a decline…
How does world trade benefit HICs, at the expense of LICs?
Trade is the exchange of goods and services. Between different countries this means imports and exports. If a country is buying/importing cheap goods, and selling/exporting expensive ones then it will become richer. LICs mainly trade low-value exports such as unprocessed agricultural products (coffee, cacao, etc.) and raw materials (iron ore, coltan, etc.). Therefore, they are…
What is fair trade?
Fairtrade is an international movement that helps farmers in poorer countries get a fair deal for their labour and produce. It does this by setting standards for trade so that the farmer receives a fair price for their crop, by helping to ensure that farming is conducted in an environmentally sustainable way, and…
What is debt relief?
Many poorer countries borrowed vast sums of money in the 1970s to pay for large scale development schemes, however by the 2000s it was clear the ordinary people of these countries were suffering because of their governments having to pay back the loans with high rates of interest. The IMF (International Monetary Fund) and World…
What is microfinance?
Microfinance is a way of providing small loans to people with low interest rates so they can invest in items that will help them make a living, the tools of their trade such as a sewing machine, shoe repair equipment, or even just a mobile phone. The recipient of the loan uses the…
Eight ways to close the development gap
INVESTMENT by other nations, NGOs and TNCs Google, Walmart, the World Bank, and over 2000 Chinese companies have invested in Africa, in large schemes such as an HEP station in Madagascar and a railway in Sudan INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT TNCs opening production plants in LICs and NEES, see an article about Unilever and Shell…
Evaluate the effectiveness of tourism as a strategy to reduce the development gap for an LIC or NEE
Jamaica is a middle-income country in the West Indies; however, its economy has suffered from slow growth, debt, and high unemployment for a long time. In terms of human development Jamaica rates 85th out of 187 countries, this is much better than it used to be fifty years ago and the rise in…
What is social deprivation?
Social deprivation is the extent to which a person, or a community, lacks what they really need to have a decent life, such as work, money, housing, and services. For example, a person who has no employment, no money, poor quality housing and no access to training or education which might help them…
Questions on urban growth and/or urbanisation
Urbanisation is the proportion of the total population who are living in cities and large towns, whereas urban growth means the growth of the physical space that the city takes up, the changes that are made to the city and the population growth within the city. Therefore you could get a question about urbanisation…
Urbanisation in Nigeria and the UK
Urbanisation means the proportion of people who live in cities or large towns. The rate of urbanisation means how quickly this proportion is increasing. In most high-income countries the urban population is already over 60%. In the UK, the urban population is currently 82%, in 1950 it was already 79%, therefore the rate…
What is appropriate technology?
This is a method of doing something in a more sustainable way. It needs to be affordable to the end-user, it should be easy to use and maintain, and it should not be wasteful of resources. An example is the rocket stove. Poor people in low-income countries usually cook their food on a small…
How can tropical rainforests be managed sustainably?
Sustainable management can ensure that the world’s tropical rainforests, such as those in Amazonia or Malaysia, remain a lasting resource for future generations whilst human activity continues to harness their valuable resources in a way that does not cause lasting damage to the environment. The threat to tropical rainforests is deforestation due to logging,…
Is desertification an unavoidable consequence of population growth?
Desertification is the gradual change of previously fertile land into infertile deserts, such as what is happening on the edges of both the Sahara and Thar Deserts. Population growth is certainly a cause of desertification because it leads to the conditions in which soil is eroded. For example, an increase in the number of…
What are the causes of desertification?
Desertification is when previously fertile land becomes a desert. This happens most often on the edges of an existing desert, such as the Sahara or the Thar. Desertification happens when the land is stripped of vegetation, this exposes the soil to the weather. The sun dries it out and bakes it hard, it cracks…
To what extent can the coastal management at Lyme Regis be considered a success?
Lyme Regis is in Dorset, on the South West Coast of Britain. The waves here come from the southwest and are very powerful, causing rapid erosion. The cliffs of Lyme Regis are unstable and especially prone to landslides and slumps. Many properties have already been destroyed or damaged due to the foreshore erosion over the…
Costs & benefits of hard & soft engineering for coasts & rivers
Hard engineering is the construction of something artificial to protect a coastline from erosion or to prevent river flooding, whereas soft engineering is making use of the natural processes in order to do the same. Hard engineering at the Coast Sea walls – REFLECT wave energy, cost £5000-10000 per metre! EFFECTIVE but EXPENSIVE Groynes –…
S.E.E. Geography
Exam questions often ask for an answer about social, environmental or economic challenges, opportunities or impacts, therefore it is important that you know what each includes: Social Education and training Health Birth Rate, Death Rate, Life expectancy, Infant Mortality Disease Housing Diet (access to affordable good quality nutritious food) Environmental Water quality in rivers,…
“Primary impacts are more damaging than secondary impacts” To what extent do you agree with this statement in the case of a tropical storm?
Geography Cat believes that both are very damaging, but that the primary impacts of a tropical storm are more damaging than the secondary impacts. For example, the most devastating primary impact of Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines in 2013, was the death of 6 300 people. This is a large number of people and…
Making sense of tectonic hazards
This article should help you when you are revising this topic. Don’t forget that you also need to know a few specific details of your case studies and examples so that you can achieve good marks! Natural hazards are natural events that cause risk to life, limb or property. Some natural hazards are tectonic, this…
Why do people live in areas at risk from tectonic hazards?
Millions of people live in areas of the world where volcanic eruptions and/or earthquakes are a constant threat. Most tectonic hazards occur on plate margins and those margins just happen to coincide with areas that have many advantages for humans, such as flat coastal areas that are favorable for settlement and trade. A benefit of…
Should the proposed reservoir go ahead?
Geography Cat has written this answer but he knows it’s too long, read it through and decide which bits are most important. I believe that the proposed reservoir at Abingdon should go ahead, however, I am aware that others may disagree. The most compelling argument in favour of the reservoir is the need…
Geography Cat 