Geography Paper 2

Describe Rio’s national importance

-second largest city

-lots of major universities - UFRJ

-a major centre for banking, finance and media

Why is energy supply still a challenge in Rio?

-people illegally tap into electricity so supply is unreliable

-in poorer areas, infrastructure hasn’t kept up with population growth, so demand outstrips supply

Describe how London’s transport system is integrated

The Oyster card system works across buses, trains, the Tube, trams, showing integration between different transport modes

Describe how urban greening is used in London

creating green roofs, parks eg. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, protecting greenbelt land

What is urban deprivation annd how does it affect London

-when people lack basic needs as a result of living in an urban area

-huge wealth gap - Kensington vs Newham have drastically different life expectancies and school outcomes

Describe environmental challenges caused by building of greenfields sites

-destroys habitat, increases flood risk, increases commuting, removes carbon sinks so worsens greenhouse effect

What is the rural-urban fringe, and how has London’s urban sprawl affected it?

-the edge between city and coutnryside

-leads to new housing estates, loss of farmland, traffic congestion, growth of commuter towns

Describe a regeneration project in London - Stratford

-Stratford became the site of the Olympic Park Regeneration from 2012 onwards

-Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, new housing, Westfield shopping centre, transport upgrades

-aimed at improving a previously deprived area

Features of sustainable urban living

-Water conservation - Thames Water promotes use of smart metres

-Energy conservation - the BedZED eco-village in South London uses solar energy, thick insulaton and biomass boilers

-Waste recycling - waste collection in Camden, incineration

-Creating green space - Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park added 100+ hectares of green space

Urban transport strategies to reduce traffic congestion

1. integrated transport systems - Oyster cards

2. Congestion charging - £15/day in Central London

3. Encouraging Public transport - bus lanes, cycle hire schemes

4. Park and ride/Bike hire - Drive to outskirts, then use train/bus into city centre

5. Pedestrianisation - Oxford Street and Covent Garden prohibit vehicles

Explain why GNI per capita can be an unreliable indicator of development in countries with high levels of income inequality. Refer to a real or hypothetical example.

GNI per capita is an average, so a small elite earning massively inflates the average while most citizens may live in poverty.

Describe the 5 stages of the Demographic Transition Model

• Stage 1: High birth/death rate = stable population

• Stage 2: Death rate falls rapidly (medical/public health improvements), birth rate remains high → rapid growth

• Stage 3: Birth rate starts to fall (education, family planning), population growth slows

• Stage 4: Low birth/death rate = stable, high population

  • Stage 5: (some models) Birth rate drops below death rate = population decline (e.g. Japan, Germany)

Explain how foreign direct investment (FDI) by TNCs might help close the development gap — but also why this could widen internal inequalities in an LIC/NEE like Nigeria.

Give one example of how global inequality is seen in energy use

-USA consumes 10x more energy per person than India
-HICs have high industrial activity, heating and cars, while LICs and NEEs rely more on manual labour and biomass

Describe the causes of water pollution in some UK rivers

-agricultural runoff
-sewage discharge into rivers
-leaking landfill sites
-oil from road surfaces (urban runoff)
-water companies leaking pipes

Where in the UK is there a water surplus, and where is there a deficit?

-surplus - Nothwest England eg. Cumbria, Northumberland - high rainfall, low population

-deficit - Southeast England - low rainfall, high demand

Desrcibe the Kielder Water Transfer Scheme

• Built in 1980s to transfer water from Kielder Reservoir to the northeast (e.g. Newcastle).

• One of Europe’s largest man-made reservoirs.

• Supplies water via gravity-fed tunnels and pipes.

• Stores excess water during high rainfall periods.

• Criticisms: expensive, disrupted ecosystems, but benefits supply security.

What is happening to the UK’s domestic supply of coal, gas and oil?

-the UK closed most coal mines (too expensive and polluting)

-North Sea oil and gas is in decline