Extreme Environments & Sustainable Development (DP IB Geography)
Revision Note
Written by: Jacque Cartwright
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
New Technology & Sustainable Development in Cold Environments
The ecosystems of cold environments are naturally fragile and provide one of the last wilderness spaces on Earth
Economic growth risks pushing these ecosystems into a decline that is impossible to recover from
With careful management, it is possible to find a balance between economic growth and saving the cold environments
Strategies include:
Use of technology to monitor wilderness areas
Using appropriate technology to increase sustainability in areas at risk of damage
Sweden
Sweden is a heavy consumer of energy due to its development and cold climate
However, it has some of the lowest carbon emissions of any developed country
Sweden has invested money into renewable energy sources like solar and wind power
Sweden gets more than half of its energy from clean sources such as wind, sun, and water
95% of these green energy sources come from hydroelectricity, but solar and wind power are becoming more important
Solar panels in Stockholm
Nepal
The population of Nepal is mainly rural, with only 16% of the population living in towns and cities
Nepal has no coal, oil or gas reserves, so these have to be imported
The landscape is mountainous and includes much of the Himalayas, which are an obstacle to providing modern energy
Only 10% of the mountain villages have access to electricity, with the remaining villages relying on fuelwood
Nepal does have a good supply of water, enabling the use of small-scale hydroelectric projects
Micro-hydro harnesses the power of water to produce electricity
Cheaper, faster and less damaging than large hydroelectric dams, these micro-hydro projects have improved the standard of living in the communities
The reliance on kerosene and fuelwood has reduced and emissions have fallen
Method of cooking using a pressurised kerosene stove
New Technology & Sustainable Development in Arid Environments
The use of sustainable and suitable technology in arid regions involves major investments in projects that some countries would find difficult to fund
Deserts are good for solar energy since they receive high levels of sun
Solar panels are expensive to build and buy, so they are only affordable in wealthier nations or where governments or charities can fund them
Instead of technology, traditional desert communities use passive cooling and convection currents to make their homes cooler
HICs use solar energy more
New Mexico earthship homes
Earthship homes in New Mexico's deserts are an example of sustainable housing
Earthship houses are passive solar homes made from natural and recyclable materials that are designed to be 'off-the-grid' and consume no fossil fuels or energy
Earthship homes are thermal-mass constructed, which is when they are naturally insulated
To achieve this, walls made of thick mud bricks or old car tyres rammed with earth that are half-buried
The design promotes natural convection and cross-ventilation, allowing air to enter the house through windows or louvres and leave through skylights, providing a nice breeze
The homes are oddly shaped to maximise solar energy
In winter, sun-facing windows provide heat, while in summer they are shaded
Earthship homes use water sustainably by collecting water from their surroundings
Water is collected from occasional rain, winter snow, and condensation
Water collects on house roofs and travels through a tiny gap into storage cisterns inside
Wind energy supplements solar power, and each home has one or more wind turbines that produce electricity to store in batteries
Earthship house
Desalination
Involves the removal of salt from seawater to make it drinkable
It is a costly method of increasing fresh water supplies
Seawater, overland flow, and groundwater can be used for desalination
The two main methods are:
Distillation
The traditional way
Seawater is heated and boiled
The steam produced is condensed
The salt is left behind in the boiler
Reverse osmosis
Seawater is filtered at high pressure
Small tubes syphon off drinkable water
The saline solution left behind is pumped back to sea
Both methods are still used but reverse osmosis is more modern and efficient
Desalination plants are expensive to build and maintain, so they mainly operate in HICs in water-stressed regions
Saudi Arabia: water desalination has doubled over the past decade to reach 2.2 billion ㎥ in 2021, up from 1.1 billion in 2010
Oman, UAE, Australia and USA are the other big users of desalination
Pros and cons of desalination
Hydroponics
Hydroponics is a type of agriculture that grows plants without soil
Plants can be grown indoors in carefully-controlled conditions
Their roots are suspended into an aqueous solution that contains all the nutrients that they need to grow
The solution flows around the greenhouse in channels so all the plants are well supplied with nutrients
Lighting can be supplied via solar panels
Conditions can be monitored carefully and yields can be improved
Yields are not dependent on good weather
Tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, lettuces and peppers are examples of hydroponically-grown crops
This uses 90% less water than traditional farming methods
Disadvantages of hydroponics
High setup costs
There is a high running cost for fertilisers, artificial light and perhaps heat
Disease can spread quickly around a hydroponic greenhouse and damage a lot of crop in a short space of time
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