12. Environmental management
12.1 Sustainable energy supplies
- Renewable and non-renewable energy resources.
- Factors at the national scale affecting demand for and supply of energy and the balance between different sources (including sustainability, levels of development, resource endowment, climate, income, technology, pollution, energy policy and energy security).
- Trends in the consumption of fossil fuels, nuclear power and renewables (hydroelectric power (HEP), wind, biofuels) in LICs, MICs and HICs.
- The environmental impacts of energy production, transport and usage at local and global scales.
12.2 The management of energy supply
- Case study: candidates must study one country’s overall electrical energy strategy showing some of the issues of changes in demand for and supply of electricity, in power production and its location, and evaluate the success of the overall strategy.
- Case study: candidates must study one named located scheme to produce electricity (e.g. a power station), showing some of the issues of changes in demand and supply, in power production and its location, and evaluate the success of the scheme.
12.3 Environmental degradation
- Pollution (land, air and water): nature, causes, solutions.
- Demand for and supply of water and issues of water quality.
- Factors in the degradation of rural environments (e.g. overpopulation, poor agricultural practices, deforestation).
- Factors in the degradation of urban environments (e.g. urbanisation, industrial development, inadequate waste management).
- Constraints on improving the quality of degraded environments.
- The protection of environments at risk at the local or regional scale: needs, measures and outcomes.
12.4 The management of a degraded environment
- Case study: candidates must study one degraded environment, showing the causes of its degradation, problems faced, issues in attempts to improve the environment and evaluate the attempted solutions.