Year 9 - Geography
Consumption and climate change
Natural resources: Can Earth meet our needs?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit teaches pupils about the growing demand for natural resources and the different renewable and non-renewable ways humans try to meet their needs. Pupils will learn the impact of overexploitation and some of the ways natural resource exploitation can be managed.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain how consumption of resources contributes to climate change and identify solutions to reduce impact.
Key Notes
- More greenhouse gases means more insulation of the planet, causing global warming.
- Human energy and food consumption can worsen global warming.
- Individual consumer choices, innovative farming practices and government policies can reduce global warming.
- The UK committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 81% by 2035, compared to 1990 levels.
Vocabulary To Learn
- consumption: the process of using up resources
- climate change: a large-scale and long-term change in the planet's climate, including weather patterns and average temperatures
- greenhouses gas: gases in Earth's atmosphere that trap heat
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Methane from cow flatulence causes global warming.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this geography topic using two clear key points.
More greenhouse gases means more insulation of the planet, causing global warming. Human energy and food consumption can worsen global warming.
2. Define this geography term and use it in an example. 'consumption'
the process of using up resources.
3. Correct this common geography misunderstanding.
Mistake: Methane from cow flatulence causes global warming. Correction: Ruminant animals (like cows and sheep) produce methane during digestion, 90–95% of this is released through eructation (burping). Methane is a greenhouse gas, which insulates our planet.
More Lessons In This Unit
- A solution: genetically modified crops Study Guide
- Energy in the UK Study Guide
- Energy use around the world Study Guide
- Fish resources Study Guide
- Food resources Study Guide
- Natural resources: The things we use Study Guide
- Rare earth materials Study Guide
- Sustainable fishing Study Guide
- The future: hydroponics and aquaponics Study Guide
- The palm oil dilemma Study Guide
- Windfarms: Decision making exercise Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 9 Geography guide library.