Possible Approaches for H1 Geography A-levels 2024 (Essays)

1 Possible Approaches for H1 Geography A-levels 2024 (Essays) Q4: Evaluate the demands placed on the natural environment by the growth of large urban areas. [13] Cambridge Examiner Comments: Most candidates described the impact that urbanisation and deforestation had on the local environment. Weaker responses tended to focus too much on the impact on the enhanced greenhouse effect, thus reducing their focus on large urban areas. Stronger responses did consider a variety of features of the natural environment, including climate, hydrology, pollution, vegetation and ecosystems, and many had clear cause and effect links between human activity in large urban areas and the environment, for example: ‘When waste generated by the urban area is dumped in landfill sites, it may rot and produce toxic fumes and leachate, which gets into the water table and pollutes the water supply.’ Most responses showed the lack of evaluation as to the scale, frequency and nature of the various ‘demands’, and which was the most important and why. Stronger responses recognised this would vary both with the nature of the demand and the characteristics and location of the large urban areas, for example: ‘Large urban areas in developing countries struggle with the demands placed on their environment, typified by areas such as the slums of Mumbai. On the other hand, developed countries have the knowledge, technology and willingness to do something about it, thus their demands are far less threatening to the natural environment.’ Introduction The growth of large urban areas places significant demands on the natural environment, both within city boundaries and beyond. These demands stem from the need to sustain large populations and complex economies, often without viewing waste as a potential r esource. As a result, cities absorb vast quantities of natural resources and generate substantial waste, causing environmental impacts on surrounding areas and distant regions. These effects vary with development levels and are shaped by urbanisation trends, management strategies, and levels of poverty. Body Paragraph 1: Resource Extraction and Surrounding/Faraway Impacts Large urban areas depend heavily on natural resource extraction to sustain liveability, demanding water, energy, food, and construction materials. These resources are sourced from the surrounding hinterlands and faraway rural or forested regions. For insta nce, minerals for infrastructure, rare earths for electronics, and agricultural produce to feed urban populations are typically sourced from outside city boundaries. In rapidly urbanising countries like China and India, cities such as Guangzhou and Bengalu ru rely on distant forested regions, including Southeast Asia and the Amazon, for timber, palm oil, and beef. This causes deforestation thousands of kilometres away, releasing stored carbon and reducing the planet’s ability to absorb emissions. Meanwhile, developed ci