Practise IB ESS SL 2.1.14 by comparing human carrying capacity across places and evaluating how technology, consumption, mobility and waste reshape sustainability.
Outline four reasons why the carrying capacity of human populations can vary between countries.
Countries may have higher carrying capacity because:
a. They have more efficient resource use (e.g. energy efficiency/more productive agricultural methods);
b. They have a greater land area / natural availability of resources;
c. Their advanced technology grants them access to wider range of resources (e.g. nuclear / newly discovered oil reserves) / substitutes "natural" resources with synthetic (e.g. plastic, synthetic textiles / more efficient waste management;
d. They have more advanced sanitation/health care;
e. They have EVS that favours sustainable development practices/conservation/pollution management:
f. They have more funds available for sustainable development practices / conservation / pollution management;
g. They import a greater amount of resources;
Countries may have lower carrying capacity because:
h. They have higher levels of resource consumption per capita;
i. They have higher degree of environmental degradation / lower natural productivity / harsher climate;
Note to examiners: Credit any valid converse statement and any statement of equivalent significance and validity.
Do NOT credit responses referring to different sizes of populations as this does not affect carrying capacity.
Credit identification of any factor causing variance without stating higher/lower.