Managing the Issues (AQA A Level Geography)
Revision Note
Written by: Jacque Cartwright
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Atmospheric Pollution Controls
Air pollution is the second highest risk factor for noncommunicable diseases (modifiable habits such as lack of activity, diet etc. is the highest)
Unfortunately, air pollution is beyond the control of most individuals and it becomes necessary for local, national and regional level policy-makers working in energy, transport, waste management, urban planning sectors to take action
Examples of Successful Policies
Sector | Example |
|---|---|
Transport | Congestion charges; limiting car usage; walking and cycling networks; prioritising rapid urban transit methods; improving public transport and increasing access and routes available; moving to cleaner heavy-duty diesel vehicles and low to zero-emission vehicles and fuels; reducing sulphur content in fuels; removing lead from fuels; electric / hybrid vehicles; fitting catalytic converters to vehicle exhausts |
Industry | Clean technology; fitting filters on smokestacks to remove harmful particulates and pollutants; improved management of urban waste; capture of methane gas from landfill and anaerobic digesters; and energy recovery from incineration |
Energy | Use of low and zero emission fuels and renewables such as solar, wind etc.; co-generation of heat and power and distributed energy generation from mini-grids, rooftop solar power etc. |
Urban Planning | Energy efficient buildings; greening of urban areas; compact building to increase energy efficiency; rapid urban transit etc. |
MSW Management | Improvements to waste processing, incineration, recycling and reprocessing; improved methods of organic waste disposal including anaerobic waste digestion to produce biogas |
Water Pollution Controls
All pollutants from point or non-point sources threaten waterways and pose risks to health
Urban waste water collection, treatment and monitoring is mandatory in HDEs
LDEs and EMEs water processing is highly variable
IGO and NGO investment is helping to secure water quality and supply - Water Aid etc.
Combined sewerage systems collect surface and foul water and waster water treatment involves four stages:
Preliminary treatment:
Screens and grit chambers; large non-organic solids settle at the bottom of the tank through gravity
Screens large solids, removes grit and gravel
Primary treatment:
Settling tanks - to settle large, suspended, organic matter
Slow agitation, allows the suspended, organic solids, to settle to the bottom of the tank for transfer to secondary treatment
Larger organic matter is sent for biosolid processing where water is removed and then reprocessed for fertiliser
Primary treatment only gives wastewater a small degree of cleaning
Secondary treatment:
Consists of trickling filter beds, activated sludge beds and chemical lagoons
Used when pathogens and faecal matter are in high concentrations
Tertiary (advanced) treatment:
Harmful nutrients are removed - specific pollutants are targeted
Pharmaceuticals, viruses, bacteria, and protozoa are removed at a high rate to produce potable water
Clean water is returned to streams and rivers
Other strategies include:
Regulations on the type and amount of fertilisers and pesticides used
Improvements to drainage systems that allows for the break down of pollutants in rainwater, in the soil
Education - government campaigns on usage and wastage of water (not leaving the tap on whilst cleaning teeth), not disposing of oil or wet wipes down the toilet
Laws and legislations - the UK and EU have strict laws for water to ensure that domestic, industrial and agricultural processes to not pollute waterways
Re-use of domestic greywater - easier to treat and recycle as it hasn't been in contact with faecal matter. Cannot be drunk, but used for flushing toilets, wash clothes and water the garden
Maintenance of current treatment plants and upgrade of water pipes
Water quality in LDE example - Mumbai, India
Approximately 77% of households have poor water quality
Levels of nitrates and dissolved solids exceed safe limits
Toxic chemicals such as arsenic and lead, along with bacteria and protozoa are contributing to increased water contamination and water borne diseases such as cholera, jaundice, typhoid and diarrhoea
Dereliction Solutions
Urban dereliction is when areas of cities are abandoned and the buildings become dilapidated
The solutions to dereliction are regeneration and use of brownfield sites
UK cities have a sizeable supply of brownfield land that can be utilised and returned to use
Town centre mixed developments blends residential, commercial, cultural, institutional and entertainment uses
Cultural and heritage quarters, where the cultural quarter has a presence of cultural consumption, activity, and production (making goods and products)
Sometimes linked with a heritage quarter and its focus on historical industries
Both areas attract tourists and people into a place and help areas to develop a unique 'sense of place'
Positives and Negatives of Building on Brownfield Sites
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
Brownfield | Helps revive old and disused urban areas Reduces the loss of green belts, and countryside for agricultural or recreational use Services such as water, electricity, and sewage, are already in place Located near to main areas of employment, therefore, reduces commuting and pollution Reduces the risk of squatter settlements developing Listed buildings are preserved for future generations | Often more expensive because old buildings must be cleared, and land made free of pollution Often surrounded by rundown areas so does not appeal to more wealthy people Higher levels of pollution needs dealing with before building can commence |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
You need to know an example of an area which has gone through a regeneration project such as London Docklands, or the Olympic Park Regeneration Project.
Create a mind map of your chosen case study under the following headings:
Why did it need regenerating?
What were the features of the regeneration?
What costs were involved?
How successful has the project been?
Remember to categorise your answers into political, environmental, social and economic factors.
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