IB ESS HL 4.2.15 Water Stress Causes Question Bank

Identify three factors that may lead to an increase in water stress for a given agricultural area.
increased demand through increased population / domestic/agricultural/industrial use;
increased water consumption through more affluent lifestyles / shift to meat-rich diets;
move towards more intensive agriculture/irrigation / unsustainable abstraction of water;
movement of water out of drainage basin eg aqueducts / upstream use by other countries; growing of inappropriate/heavily water-dependent crops;
deforestation in drainage basin / pollution/contamination of water sources; drought/reduction of rainfall (due to global warming/El Niño);

Marking guidance:

Award [1] for each correct factor identified, up to [3 max].
For last MP, do not accept simply a description of a regular climate eg low rainfall/dry season. The question asks for what will increase stress, so there needs to be a suggestion of change.
Marking points above may be stated as given or explicitly demonstrated through reference to examples/case studies (eg cotton around Aral Sea absorbs excessive water from an environment at risk).