Natural resourcesIB Environmental Systems and Societies HL: Topic test

1. 1
   The Sundarbans, a vast area of mangrove forest in India and Bangladesh, supplies local people with timber, honey, fish and crabs. The trees also shelter the coast from storm surges, trap sediment and act as nursery areas for fish, and the forest is a major attraction for tourists who come to see Bengal tigers. Collectors may harvest honey and wood each year, but the forest is shrinking in places because of cutting and shrimp farming.

   (a)

   Which of the following is a harvested good that forms part of the natural income from the Sundarbans?

   [1 mark]

   • AProtection of the coast from storm surges
   • BThe stock of mangrove trees in the forest
   • CThe total area of the forest
   • DHoney collected each year

   (b)

   Which of the following is a regulating ecosystem service provided by mangroves?

   [1 mark]

   • ATrapping sediment and reducing the damage from storm surges
   • BProviding timber for building
   • CProviding a place for tourism
   • DProducing fish and crabs for food

   (c)

   Explain how the honey and wood harvest could be managed sustainably.

   [2 marks]

   Total for question 1: 4 marks

2. 2
   South Australia obtains about 70% of its electricity from wind and solar power. Output from these sources rises and falls with the weather, and on some sunny, windy days they produce more electricity than the state needs. A large lithium-ion battery has been installed on the grid to store surplus electricity and release it when demand is high. The batteries contain lithium and cobalt, which have to be mined.

   (a)

   Why is energy storage needed on a grid that depends heavily on wind and solar power?

   [1 mark]

   • ABecause wind and solar power are non-renewable
   • BBecause wind and solar power produce no electricity at all
   • CBecause the output from these sources is intermittent and does not always match demand
   • DBecause the batteries produce the electricity

   (b)

   Which statement describes an environmental or social concern about large-scale battery storage?

   [1 mark]

   • ABatteries remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
   • BMining of materials such as lithium and cobalt causes pollution, emissions and sociopolitical tensions
   • CBatteries make electricity intermittent
   • DBatteries do not need any raw materials

   (c)

   Explain how a battery allows South Australia to use more of its wind and solar electricity.

   [2 marks]

   Total for question 2: 4 marks

3. 3
   A secondary school collected and sorted its solid waste for one week. The total mass was 240 kg, made up of 96 kg of food waste, 48 kg of paper and card, 36 kg of plastic, 24 kg of glass, 12 kg of metal and 24 kg of other mixed waste. Recycling bins are provided for paper, plastic, glass and metal. The food waste and mixed waste are currently taken to a landfill site.

   (a)

   Calculate the percentage of the school's waste that is food waste, and the percentage that could be recycled using the existing bins.

   [3 marks]

   (b)

   Compare landfill with composting for the food waste.

   [4 marks]

   Total for question 3: 7 marks

4. 4
   In 2018 Cape Town in South Africa came close to running out of water, after three years of drought left its reservoirs very low. The city imposed restrictions of 50 litres per person per day, raised water prices for heavy users, reduced pressure in the pipes to cut leaks and ran public campaigns asking residents to save water. Daily water use fell by about half and the crisis, nicknamed Day Zero, was avoided.

   (a)

   (HL) Explain how the management and intervention strategies used in Cape Town influenced the use of water as a natural resource.

   [6 marks]

   (b)

   (HL) Explain how the Sustainable Development Goals provide a framework for managing natural resources such as water, and discuss one limitation of this framework.

   [6 marks]

   Total for question 4: 12 marks

5. 5
   Phosphate rock is mined and processed to make the phosphorus fertiliser that crops need to grow. It forms over millions of years and cannot be manufactured. About 70% of the world's known reserves lie in a single country, Morocco (including the territory of Western Sahara). Price spikes in 2008 led to food price rises and shortages for farmers in several countries, and some governments now treat phosphate as a critical resource.

   (a)

   Why is phosphate rock classed as a non-renewable resource?

   [1 mark]

   • AIt is formed so slowly that it cannot be replaced on a human timescale
   • BIt is made from living plants
   • CIt is produced by recycling waste
   • DIt can be manufactured quickly in factories

   (b)

   What does resource security depend on?

   [1 mark]

   • AOnly the price of the resource
   • BThe ability of a society to ensure the long-term availability of enough of the resource to meet demand
   • CThe resource being renewable
   • DThe resource being found in just one country

   (c)

   Explain why the concentration of phosphate reserves in one country could threaten the resource security of other countries.

   [2 marks]

   Total for question 5: 4 marks

6. 6
   Poland generates more than half of its electricity from coal, much of it mined in its own coalfields. Coal is cheap to produce there and the coal industry employs many thousands of people, especially in Silesia. At the same time, the burning of coal causes air pollution and large carbon dioxide emissions, and Poland has to meet European Union climate targets. The country has historically bought natural gas from outside suppliers.

   (a)

   Which of these is a fossil fuel?

   [1 mark]

   • AUranium
   • BWind
   • CCoal
   • DGeothermal heat

   (b)

   Which factor best explains why Poland has historically used so much coal?

   [1 mark]

   • ACoal is not available in Poland
   • BCoal is more expensive than all other energy sources in Poland
   • CThere is no demand for electricity in Poland
   • DPoland has large domestic reserves and an established coal industry

   (c)

   (HL) Outline two ways in which Poland could improve its energy security.

   [2 marks]

   Total for question 6: 4 marks

7. 7
   A mining company plans an open-cast lithium mine in a rural region of northern Portugal. Local farmers graze cattle on the land and rely on wells for water, and the area contains oak woodland, a hiking route and a village festival tradition. The mine would supply lithium for electric vehicle batteries and create jobs. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been prepared and is open to public comment.

   (a)

   Identify three types of value that the natural capital of this region may have, giving an example of each.

   [3 marks]

   (b)

   (HL) Explain the role of an environmental impact assessment and why it is important that this one is open to public comment.

   [4 marks]

   Total for question 7: 7 marks

8. 8
   Every year the world produces about 90 million tonnes of textile waste. In the Atacama Desert of Chile, thousands of tonnes of unsold and discarded clothes from richer countries are dumped near the town of Alto Hospicio, where the synthetic fibres do not decompose and fires release toxic smoke. Some fashion brands now offer repair services, take-back schemes and resale, and some design clothes from a single recyclable fibre.

   (a)

   Explain how the principles of a circular economy could be applied to reduce the clothing waste described.

   [6 marks]

   (b)

   Evaluate preventative and restorative strategies for managing textile waste.

   [6 marks]

   Total for question 8: 12 marks

End of questions