How can we manage resources and the environment more sustainably?
Key Idea 8.2 (Theme 8): managing environmental challenges sustainably, the meaning of sustainability, strategies to reduce resource use and waste (reduce, reuse, recycle), the move to renewable energy and sustainable living, and the role of individuals, governments and international agreements.
A focused answer on Key Idea 8.2 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 2 (Theme 8): the meaning of sustainability, strategies to reduce resource use and waste, the move to renewable energy and sustainable living, and the role of individuals, governments and international agreements.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point covers Key Idea 8.2 of WJEC Unit 2 Theme 8: managing environmental challenges sustainably. You need the meaning of sustainability, strategies to reduce resource use and waste (reduce, reuse, recycle), the move to renewable energy and sustainable living, and the role of individuals, governments and international agreements.
What sustainability means
Reducing resource use and waste
Renewable energy and sustainable living
The role of individuals, governments and agreements
Try this
Q1. What does sustainability mean? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Meeting the needs of the present without harming the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, by using resources and the environment so they last for the future.
Q2. Explain one advantage of using renewable energy. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Renewable energy such as wind or solar does not run out and produces little or no greenhouse gas, so it reduces both the depletion of finite fossil fuels and the emissions that cause climate change, making energy supply more sustainable.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC Unit 2 (Theme 8)4 marksDescribe ways individuals can live more sustainably.Show worked answer →
A short data-response describe question. Reward described individual actions.
Reduce and reuse. People can buy less, repair and reuse items, avoid single-use plastics, and choose products with less packaging.
Energy and travel. They can save energy at home (insulation, LED lights), recycle waste, walk, cycle or use public transport, and eat less meat and more local food.
Top marks. Two or three clear, realistic actions, such as recycling, saving energy and reducing waste.
WJEC Unit 2 (Theme 8)8 marksAssess how effectively environmental challenges can be managed sustainably.Show worked answer →
An assess/extended question (levels marking). Reward a balanced look at scales of action with a judgement.
Individual and local. Reduce, reuse, recycle, energy saving and sustainable travel cut footprints, but rely on people changing behaviour and have limited reach alone.
Government and international. Renewable-energy targets, laws on waste and emissions, taxes and recycling schemes have wide impact, and international agreements (such as on climate change) coordinate action, though countries may disagree or fall short.
Judgement. Conclude that lasting change needs action at all scales together, and judge which are most effective.
Related dot points
- Key Idea 8.1 (Theme 8): consumerism and its impact on the environment, the growth of consumerism and the rising demand for resources and energy, the ecological footprint, and the environmental impacts including pollution, waste, resource depletion and climate change.
A focused answer on Key Idea 8.1 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 2 (Theme 8): the growth of consumerism and rising demand for resources and energy, the ecological footprint, and the environmental impacts including pollution, waste, resource depletion and climate change.
- Key Idea 7.2 (Theme 7): the consequences of and responses to uneven social development, the effects of poor health, education and gender inequality, and the strategies used to improve social development, including aid, education and health programmes, the role of governments and NGOs, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
A focused answer on Key Idea 7.2 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 2 (Theme 7): the consequences of uneven social development, and the strategies used to improve it, including aid, education and health programmes, the role of governments and NGOs, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Key Idea 5.1: climate change during the Quaternary period, the evidence for natural climate change (ice cores, tree rings, pollen and historical records), the natural causes of climate change (orbital changes, sunspots, volcanic activity), and the contribution and consequences of recent human-induced (anthropogenic) warming.
A focused answer on Key Idea 5.1 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 2: climate change during the Quaternary, the evidence (ice cores, tree rings, pollen), the natural causes (orbital changes, sunspots, volcanoes), and the contribution and consequences of recent human-induced warming.
- Key Idea 5.4: human activity and ecosystem processes, the interdependence of the tropical rainforest (climate, soils, nutrient cycle, plants and animals), the causes and impacts of deforestation, and strategies for the sustainable management of an ecosystem.
A focused answer on Key Idea 5.4 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 2: the interdependence of the tropical rainforest, the causes and impacts of deforestation, and strategies for the sustainable management of an ecosystem.
- Key Idea 6.3: water resources and their management, the global pattern of water supply and demand, the causes of water surplus and water deficit (scarcity and stress), the impacts of an inadequate water supply, and the strategies used to manage water resources sustainably.
A focused answer on Key Idea 6.3 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 2: the global pattern of water supply and demand, the causes of water surplus and deficit, the impacts of an inadequate water supply, and the strategies used to manage water resources sustainably.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC GCSE Geography (Wales) specification (3110) — WJEC (2019)