SQA Higher Geography Global Issues overview quiz quiz

Burning fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide

A large volcanic eruption that throws ash and gas into the upper atmosphere

Slow natural changes in the shape of the Earth's orbit

Variation in the amount of energy given out by the Sun

Mitigation copes with the change that happens; adaptation cuts the emissions causing it

Mitigation reduces emissions; adaptation copes with unavoidable change

They are simply two different words for exactly the same process

Mitigation only ever applies to richer, more developed countries

It cools the planet too much by reflecting incoming sunlight back to space

It strips almost all of the carbon dioxide out of the lower atmosphere

Extra greenhouse gases trap more outgoing heat, raising global temperatures

It only affects the polar regions and leaves the rest of the world untouched

Having very few people who would need to be relocated from the area

Closeness to the towns and cities that need the water supply

Good road and rail access for moving in construction materials

A narrow, deep valley with solid impermeable rock

Land and settlements are flooded, people are displaced, and the reservoir silts up

It generates clean hydroelectric power without burning any fossil fuels at all

It controls flooding downstream and protects farms, roads and homes built on the floodplain

It provides a reliable supply of water for irrigating crops in dry seasons

It is far too easy and quick to calculate for any country in the world

It is an average that hides inequality, ignores the informal economy and quality of life, and is distorted by exchange rates

It is always set far too high, so every single country appears far wealthier than it really is, which makes fair comparison between places impossible

It measures the health of a population far better than it measures its wealth

Drinking contaminated water, in cold climates with long, harsh winters

Tiny airborne droplets that are breathed in, in hot and very dry deserts

The female Anopheles mosquito, which breeds in warm, stagnant water

Houseflies landing on food, in cool and damp upland areas

Building large hydroelectric dams to provide electricity for hospitals and clinics

Planting more conifer forests across the warm, low-lying tropical regions

Increasing the use of fossil fuels to power new factories and homes

Insecticide-treated bed nets and draining stagnant water to remove breeding sites

Population growth, industrialisation in countries like China and India, and higher living standards

Population is falling everywhere, so far fewer people now need energy for their homes, cars and transport

People are choosing to use far less transport, walking and cycling instead of driving cars

Fossil fuels are becoming far more plentiful and much cheaper to extract everywhere

It has very high temperatures and long hours of strong summer sunshine

Its exposed coasts and uplands are consistently windy

It has large, hot desert areas with cloudless skies for most of the year

It has only a very large tidal range and nothing else useful for energy

They run out very quickly, just like coal, oil and natural gas reserves do

They release large amounts of carbon dioxide when they generate electricity

Many are intermittent, expensive to build, and can affect the landscape

They cannot generate any usable electricity at all under any conditions

It has very low rainfall and wide areas of flat, low-lying land in the Highlands

It has no rivers or lochs at all that could ever be dammed for storing water

It relies entirely on solar energy and gets very long hours of strong, reliable daily sunshine

Its high Highland rainfall and steep, glaciated valleys are ideal for dams and reservoirs