AQA GCSE Geography
Challenges in the human environment
Section A: Urban issues and challenges
A growing percentage of the world’s population lives in urban areas.
The global pattern of urban change
Urban trends in different parts of the world
including HICs and LICs.
Factors affecting the rate of urbanisation –
migration (push–pull theory), natural increase
The emergence of megacities.
Urban growth creates opportunities and challenges for cities in LICs and NEEs.
A case study of a major city in an LIC or NEE to illustrate:
• the location and importance of the city, regionally, nationally and internationally
• causes of growth: natural increase and migration
• how urban growth has created opportunities:
• social: access to services – health and education; access to resources – water supply, energy
• economic: how urban industrial areas can be a stimulus for economic development
• how urban growth has created challenges:
• managing urban growth – slums, squatter settlements
• providing clean water, sanitation systems and energy
• providing access to services – health and education
• reducing unemployment and crime
• managing environmental issues – waste disposal, air and water pollution, traffic congestion.
An example of how urban planning is improving the quality of life for the urban poor.
Urban change in cities in the UK leads to a variety of social, economic and environmental opportunities and challenges.
Overview of the distribution of population and
the major cities in the UK
A case study of a major city in the UK to
illustrate:
• the location and importance of the city in the UK and the wider world
• impacts of national and international
migration on the growth and character of the city
• how urban change has created opportunities:
• social and economic: cultural mix, recreation and entertainment, employment, integrated transport systems
• environmental: urban greening
• how urban change has created challenges:
• social and economic: urban deprivation, inequalities in housing, education, health and employment
• environmental: dereliction, building on brownfield and greenfield sites, waste disposal
• the impact of urban sprawl on the
rural–urban fringe, and the growth of commuter settlements.
June 2013 Brownfield site
An example of an urban regeneration project to show:
• reasons why the area neededregeneration
• the main features of the project
Urban sustainability requires management of resources and transport.
Features of sustainable urban living:
• water and energy conservation
• waste recycling
• creating green space.
2013 sustainable strategies
How urban transport strategies are used to
reduce traffic congestion.
Section B: The changing economic world
There are global variations in economic development and quality of life.
Some LICs and NEEs are experiencing rapid economic development which leads to significant social, environmental and cultural change.
Various strategies exist for reducing the global development gap
An overview of the strategies used to reduce
the development gap: investment, industrial development and tourism, aid, using intermediate technology, fairtrade, debt relief, microfinance loans.
An example of how the growth of tourism in an LIC or NEE helps to reduce the development gap.
Major changes in the economy of the UK have
affected, and will continue to affect, employment
patterns and regional growth.
Economic futures in the UK
causes of economic change: deindustrialisation and decline of traditional industrial base, globalisation and
government policies
moving towards a post-industrial
economy: development of information
technology, service industries, finance,
research, science and business parks
impacts of industry on the physical
environment. An example of how modern
industrial development can be more
environmentally sustainable
social and economic changes in the rural landscape in one area of population growth and one area of population decline
improvements and new developments in
road and rail infrastructure, port and airport capacity
the north–south divide. Strategies used in
an attempt to resolve regional difference
the place of the UK in the wider world.
Links through trade, culture, transport, and electronic communication. Economic and political links: the European Union (EU) and Commonwealth.
Section C: The challenge of resource management
Resource management
Food, water and energy are fundamental to
human development.
The significance of food, water and energy to economic and social well-being.
An overview of global inequalities in the supply and consumption of resources.
The changing demand and provision of resources in the UK create opportunities and challenges.
An overview of resources in relation to the UK
Food
the growing demand for high-value food
exports from low income countries and
all-year demand for seasonal food and
organic produce
larger carbon footprints due to the
increasing number of ‘food miles’
travelled, and moves towards local
sourcing of food
the trend towards agribusiness.
Water
the changing demand for water
water quality and pollution management
matching supply and demand – areas of
deficit and surplus
June 2015 UK water deficit
the need for transfer to maintain supplies.
Energy
the changing energy mix – reliance on
fossil fuels, growing significance of
renewables
reduced domestic supplies of coal, gas
and oil
economic and environmental issues
associated with exploitation of energy
sources.
Energy
Demand for energy resources is rising globally
but supply can be insecure, which may lead to
conflict.
Areas of surplus (security) and deficit (insecurity)
• global distribution of energy consumption and supply
reasons for increasing energy consumption: economic development, rising population, technology
factors affecting energy supply: physical factors, cost of exploitation and production, technology and political factors
Impacts of energy insecurity
exploration of difficult and environmentally sensitive areas, economic and environmental costs, food production, industrial output, potential for conflict where demand exceeds supply
Different strategies can be used to increase
energy supply
Overview of strategies to increase energy supply
renewable (biomass, wind, hydro, tidal, geothermal, wave and solar) and nonrenewable (fossil fuels and nuclear power) sources of energy
an example to show how the extraction of a fossil fuel has both advantages and disadvantages.
Moving towards a sustainable resource future
individual energy use and carbon footprints. Energy conservation: designing homes, workplaces and transport for sustainability, demand reduction, use of technology to increase efficiency in the use of fossil fuels
an example of a local renewable energyscheme in an LIC or NEE to provide sustainable supplies of energy.
Geographical applications
Living with the physical environment
Section A: The challenge of natural hazards
Section B: The living world
Ecosystems
Tropical rainforests
Tropical rainforest ecosystems have a range of distinctive characteristics.
The physical characteristics of a tropical
rainforest.
The interdependence of climate, water, soils,
plants, animals and people.
How plants and animals adapt to the physical
conditions.
Issues related to biodiversity.
Deforestation has economic and environmental impacts.
Changing rates of deforestation.
A case study of a tropical rainforest to
illustrate:
• causes of deforestation – subsistence and
commercial farming, logging, road building, mineral extraction, energy development, settlement, population growth
• impacts of deforestation – economic development, soil erosion, contribution to climate change.
Tropical rainforests need to be managed to be sustainable.
Value of tropical rainforests to people and the
environment.
Strategies used to manage the rainforest sustainably – selective logging and replanting, conservation and education, ecotourism and international agreements about the use of tropical hardwoods, debt reduction.
Cold environments
Section C: Physical landscapes in the UK