IB ESS HL 1.1.4 Values visibility and policy evaluation Question Bank

12. Evidence [4 max]: the population is stabilizing which will benefit the environment; they are employing mitigation strategies that will address issue of global warming / climatic change; they are improving efficiency of food production limiting area of environment impacted / small increase in amount of arable/agricultural land;
a high proportion of renewable energy/biofuel/hydropower is used that could reduce emissions of GHGs/global warming;
a high proportion of renewable energy/biofuel/hydropower is used that could reduce use of fossil fuels/non-renewable resources/non-renewable natural capital / rapid increase in number of cars using flex fuel / reducing number of petrol/gasoline cars; Brazil has adopted energy efficiency methods/policies; compared to other countries, Brazil still has a relatively low proportion of developed/arable land;
NGOs and other organizations are supporting conservation projects (restoring habitats / encouraging sustainable use of forest resources) in the Atlantic Rainforest; Brazil has maintained a relatively low/stable ecological footprint (despite increase in GDP);

Limitations [4 max]: population is not yet stabilized so demands on environment still increasing/urban growth continues; there are still a significant number of threatened species / high biodiversity loss; there is still land clearance/deforestation for sugar cane/coffee/soy bean/biofuels/commercial logging/urban growth/urban development/infrastructure development/mining; the conversion of agricultural land to growing crops for biofuels is causing problems with sufficient production/availability of food; pollution from mining/manufacture of goods/oil production/commercial agriculture; high proportion of renewable energy still comes from hydropower that impacts environment; energy consumption continues to increase; decrease in biocapacity suggests unsustainable practices / degradation of natural resources / depletion rates are greater than rates of growth / increase in ecological footprint suggest greater use of resources/unsustainability; Brazil has large number of cattle that leads to high production of methane; there are still gasoline only cars in use / there has been a reduction in/there are no ethanol only vehicles;

Opinion/conclusion [1 max]: there are clear indications in a number of areas that Brazilians are currently taking global warming very seriously / valuing environment over development; despite the results of this survey, there are clear indications that Brazilians are not taking global warming seriously / there is clear evidence that Brazilians are not valuing the environment over development;

Marking guidance:

[6 max]
Award [5 max] if there is no opinion/conclusion.
Accept other reasonable responses supported by information in the resource booklet.
An isolated statement/opinion eg "Brazil is concerned about the environment" should not be considered a valid opinion/conclusion without supporting evidence.