Practise IB ESS HL 1.3 by evaluating sustainability metrics, resource trade-offs and case-study strategies across environmental, social and economic systems.
Figure:A family of Chukchi outside their yaranga in Siberia
Figure:Modern city house in Siberia
With reference to Figures: A family of Chukchi outside their yaranga in Siberia and Modern city house in Siberia, outline one reason why the yaranga is more sustainable than the modern city house.
Figure:International tourist arrivals to Hokkaido
Figure:Natural forests and coniferous forest monocultures
| Region | Fertility rate | Birth rate | Death rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 1.40 | 7.39 | 10.97 |
| Hokkaido | 1.28 | 6.21 | 12.22 |
Table:Demographic data for Japan and Hokkaido, 2018
Figure:Age-gender pyramid for Hokkaido, 2018
Figures:Potential and actual sources of electricity
Hokkaido is working towards a sustainable future.
With reference to the information provided in the resource booklet, discuss this statement.
- Hokkaido contains 20% of Japan's land area and had a population of 5,286,000 in 2018.
- 31% of inhabitants are over 65 years old; the main city is Sapporo.
- Hokkaido is Japan's largest producer of rice, soybeans and wheat, and is known for nature/recreational tourism.
- It has 198 ski resorts and receives over two million national tourists each year.
- Hokkaido has six of Japan's 34 national parks and 10% of its land area is protected.
- Many birds, amphibians, butterflies and mammals are endemic subspecies.
- About 25% of hiking trails in Shikotsu-Toya and Daisetsuzan have been heavily degraded due to intensive use.
- In 2000, the IUCN listed red-crowned cranes as Endangered; in 2020 it recommended changing status to Vulnerable.
- 50% of the world's population is found on Hokkaido; breeding in captivity has been unsuccessful.
- Habitat loss occurred because wetlands were drained for agriculture; they are protected from hunting across their habitat.
- Winter feeding stations are overcrowded; the Hokkaido resident population has lower genetic variability than the migratory Eurasian population.
- They feed on fish, frogs, salamanders, cereal crops and insects, and are considered pests by some farmers.
- Since the 1950s, natural forests have been replaced by coniferous forest monocultures.
- 71% of Hokkaido land area is forest; 30% of forest area is coniferous forest monoculture.
- A 2006 plan proposed returning one third of coniferous monocultures to natural forests or grasslands to protect biodiversity, protect aquatic recharge areas and improve recreation.
Table: Demographic data for Japan and Hokkaido, 2018 demographic data
• Japan — fertility rate 1.40; birth rate 7.39; death rate 10.97.
• Hokkaido — fertility rate 1.28; birth rate 6.21; death rate 12.22.
- Japan aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 26% by 2030 to meet Paris Agreement targets.
- Japan is resource-poor in fossil fuels and imports 94% of the energy it needs.
- All potential hydroelectric sites have already been developed.
- All future electricity-generation developments require an Environmental Impact Assessment.
| Year | Percentage of forest cover |
|---|---|
| 1940 | |
| 1962 | 54\% |
| 1987 | 22\% |
| 1998 | 43\% |
| 2010 | 53\% |
Table:Variation in forest cover in Costa Rica between 1940 and 2010
Figure:Economic activity (GDP) in Costa Rica by sector
Figure:Land used in Costa Rica for pineapple production between 1961 and 2013
Figure:Growth in international tourism in Costa Rica (1988-2016)
Figure:Electricity generation in Costa Rica by energy source (1990-2016)
Figure:Total energy consumption in Costa Rica (including electricity) between 1990 and 2016
Figure:Consumption of crude oil in Costa Rica by sector (2016)
Figure:Ecological footprint and biocapacity per person in Costa Rica (1961-2016)
Figure: Fact file on carbon neutrality
- Costa Rica pledged to become carbon neutral by balancing carbon dioxide output with carbon dioxide input.
- Since the mid-1980s, national methane emissions have decreased and a twenty-year ban was placed on oil exploration in 2002.
- Government encourages public transport, lower-emission vehicles, electric/biofuel/hybrid/hydrogen vehicles, renewable electricity and carbon offset schemes.
- The world's first certified carbon-neutral coffee producer was established in Costa Rica.
forest policy
- PES pays landowners to plant trees in deforested areas and manage land sustainably.
- In 1996, deforestation of mature forest was banned.
- The goal is to achieve 60% forest coverage.
With reference to the information in the resource booklet, to what extent has Costa Rica's aim to become carbon neutral led to a more environmentally-sustainable nation?