Risks of Economic Development (AQA GCSE Geography): Revision Note

Value of cold environments

• Wilderness areas are wild, natural environments that are mostly unchanged by people

• They are mainly undisturbed, undeveloped, and usually uninhabited

• They are considered important and worthwhile areas to protect because:

  • They provide niche habitats for organisms, which protect biodiversity

  • Scientists can research plants and animals in their natural habitats

  • Comparing natural ecosystems to managed ecosystems is useful

  • They are the last remaining areas that are unaltered by human activity

• Cold environments are fragile and take a long time to recover if damaged

• Climate change is one of the main threats to extreme environments

• Other factors which can damage them are mainly caused by humans

  • Plant growth is already very slow: If plants are damaged (e.g. by vehicle tyres), they take even longer to regrow, if at all

  • As species are already highly specialised, they would find it difficult to adapt to further change; e.g., polar bears are adapted to hunt on sea ice, and their number are decreasing as sea ice melts earlier each year

  • Pollution: Oil spills, such as the Exxon Valdez, have caused environmental catastrophes in the past

  • Land degradation: Permafrost melting due to buildings heating up land, especially around big urban centres

Management of cold environments

• In order for cold environments to survive, there needs to be some sustainable management

• Sustainable management:

  • Makes sure an environment can recover quickly from any use

  • Prevents damage to the environment

  • Helps local people get benefit from their environment

  • Helps local people understand the benefits

• Basic management strategies include:

  • Using geothermal power where available

  • Having conservation zones to protect Arctic fauna and flora

  • Promoting native cultures

  • Protecting the environment from pollution

  • Promoting ecotourism

  • Use of technology

• Sustainable management at a local level:

  • Iceland uses many sustainable energy supplies

  • Because it is volcanic, the heat under the earth can be used for geothermal energy

  • The steam from the heat drives turbines to generate electricity but is also used to heat greenhouses where crops are grown

How global actions can protect:

• One example of how global actions have protected a polar region is the 1961 Antarctic Treaty

• It is one of the most successful international agreements, which restricts commercial exploitation of Antarctica

• Subsequently, the 1998 Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty established guidelines for permitted activities in the region:

  • No new activities are allowed until their impact has been thoroughly assessed

  • Cruise ships to the area are restricted to no more than 500 passengers

  • There are visitor quotas of 100 and no more

  • No military or nuclear activities

• Climate change is damaging the Arctic, and in 2008, polar bears were placed on the Endangered Species List

Government role:

• Regulation of development is needed to prevent damage to the environment; e.g., mineral and energy mining can cause ground and water pollution and logging activities destroy habitats

• Environmental protections laws can be put in place, such as the 1964 Wilderness Act, which designates wilderness areas but also protects them from future development. large parts of Alaska have protection laws in place

• The USA invests in environmental science initiatives like NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) to safeguard marine habitats and fisheries and to assess the sustainability of any activities 

Conservation groups:

• Conservation groups have less power than governments, but they can put pressure on governments to protect cold environments at risk or damaged

  • Groups such as Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) encourage sustainable management and pressure governments to prevent any actions that would cause damage

  • They collect data and information independent of governments and monitor the reliability of other data

  • Create petitions, lobby and campaign for change

  • Report on issues and release findings to the public and governments, which spreads awareness on issues and boost donations