Running head: GEO 424

GEO 424 Essay Questions

Kelsey Dyisnger
Ferris State University

GEO 424

Question 1
Major rivers that have been dammed for hydroelectric power production include the
Xingu River, Bului River, and the Yangtze River. While all these rivers have provided a lot of
energy, it comes at a price. Energy production is the positive byproduct, but peoples
communities are killed and the changing of landscapes has some known negative aspects as well
as some suspected future changes.
The Xingu River has affected several indigenous people including the Jurana, Arara, and
Xoko people. Osava, (2014) states, the result of the large dams that have eliminated the regular
seasonal rises in river level of the Sao Francisco, making it impossible to cultivate rice in the
floodplains as before and drastically reducing the fish catch. The geological structures of the
surrounding areas have changed so much that it has impacted the overall features of the land and
potentially the world climate system.
Not only did the building of dams on these rivers affect the land, but it affected the
people in a great way. Sovacool and Bulan (2011) found several social challenges with the Bului
river including community relocation and resettlement, boom and bust towns and inflation,
navigation and community livelihood downstream, and unfair compensation (p. 4852).
Sovacool and Bulan (2011) also stated, it appears that the social and environmental costs,
such as the loss of precious virgin rainforests and exacerbation of inequality, were not anticipated
or fully appreciated by decision makers when the project was given the green light (p. 4857).
The Yangtze River, while bringing almost 10% of Chinas energy output has several
negative sides (Marston, 2014, p. 312). In its making, the dam submerged 19 cities, 150 towns,
and 4,500 villages and hamlets, and displaced millions of residents (Marston, 2014, p. 312).The
dam is potentially threatening to the ecosystem as it changes the landscape and could be killing
some species.
References
Marston, S.A., (2014). World regions in global context: People, places and environments (5th
edition). Boston: Pearson.
Osava, M. (2014). Hydro power: Dammed rivers create hardship for Brazils native peoples.
Interpress Service. GALE database accession number A356365580.
Sovacool, B. K., & Bulan, L. C. (2011). Behind an ambitious megaproject in Asia: The history
and implications of the Bakun hydroelectric dam in Borneo. Energy Policy, (39) 48424859.

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Question 2
Craciun (2013) found two reasons why there is lack of regional development in Europe.
She states:
The first one is the geographic barrier: the inability to make labor division due
to barrier restrictions. The second one is the lack of an entrepreneurial culture.
The entrepreneurial culture provides the flexibility of economy - in particular, the
structural flexibility to cope with changes in the division of labor. (p. 451)
When the country of Greeces economy started to take a turn for the worst, The European Union
(EU) was unable to solve the issue. According to Marston (2014), the EU was Not unified
enough to develop a single legal remedy of policy to address the problem and continued on to
add that the new political connections that make up the EU created complex and uneven
outcomes within the region (p. 32-33).
Reference
Craciun, L. (2013). Regional development disparities in Europe. Oeconomica, 9(4), 451-461.
Marston, S.A., (2014). World regions in global context: People, places and environments (5th
edition). Boston: Pearson.

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Question 3
Serious effects of global climate change include the warming of the continent and
therefor lead to melting of ice. These two things have a huge impact of the Russian federation,
Central Asia, and the Transcaucasus. A few of the changes include milder winters which means
for a change in growing season to the people who live there, change in oil and gas that is
economic key, reduced energy, and increase water.
The Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2007) state:
The survival of indigenous peoples, who depend on fishing, hunting and
agriculture, also depends on the success of their fragile environment and its
resources. As bears and other wild game disappear, the local villages and the
people that live in them will suffer particular hardships. Worse, unique
indigenous cultures, traditions and languages will face major challenges in
maintaining their diversity. (p. 8)
In turn, the climate change could wipe out indigenous people as well as change the way the
country functions.
References
Marston, S.A., (2014). World regions in global context: People, places and environments (5th
edition). Boston: Pearson.
The Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2007). Climate change; an overview.
Retrieved from www.un.org/esa/socdev/.../Climate_change_overview.doc

Question 4

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According to Marston (2014) people have adapted to live with the regions water
condition by new architecture, finding shade and adapting their clothing. Some people migrate to
avoid extreme temperatures. People have learned to use oases wells and desalinization as a way
of getting fresh water. Because of a shortage of fresh water and oases, the land is drying out even
more. Some water-control schemes, such as those employed on Iraq, are destroying the natural
habitat of wildlife (p.136). Pandya (2012) states, Demographic shifts, rapid urbanization,
political uncertainty, and shifting climate patterns are collectively pushing the MENA region into
uncharted territory as far as water resource management is concerned. In the years and decades
ahead, it will be in the region's enlightened self-interest to pursue collaborative approaches to
managing scarce water resources, at both the domestic level and regionally.
Reference
Marston, S.A., (2014). World regions in global context: People, places and environments (5th
edition). Boston: Pearson.
Pandya, A. (2012). Water challenges and cooperative response in the Middle East and North
Africa. Retrieved from http://www.stimson.org/summaries/water-challenges-andcooperative-response-in-the-middle-east-and-north-africa/

Question 5

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Two campaigning groups for African wildlife include the African Wildlife Foundation
and the Jane Goodall Institute. The African Wildlife Foundation works at wildlife conservation,
land and habitat protection, community empowerment, and economic development. The wildlife
foundation is able to accomplish this by using sniffer dogs to decrease poaching, creating
community conservancies, focusing on people and wildlife, and using research.
The mission of the Jane Goodall institute is to:
Improve global understanding and treatment of great apes through research,
public education and advocacy
Contribute to the preservation of great apes and their habitats by combining
conservation with education and promotion of sustainable livelihoods in local
communities
Create a worldwide network of young people who have learned to care deeply for
their human community, for all animals and for the environment, and who will
take responsible action to care for them (The Jane Goodall Institute, 2013).
The Jane Goodall Institute has worked hard to remove snares and steel-jaw traps, provide
veterinary care, and educate the community, and conserves land.
References
African Wildlife Foundation. (n.d.) What we do. Retrieved from http://www.awf.org/
The Jane Goodall Institute. 2013. About JGI. Retrieved from http://www.janegoodall.org/aboutJgi

Question 6

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The climate of the world is constantly changing. Some of this change is a result of our
habits as humans, and the rest is a result of Mother Nature. There are two major climate changes
that occur in the Pacific Ocean; El Nio and La Nia. These are two climate changes that will
have contrasting effects felt throughout the world. The effects of these climate changes would be
felt through all forms of life from agriculture to tourism. If I heard that meteorologists were
expecting an intense El Nio season I would be able to assume that different parts of the world
would be experiencing different things. Droughts would ensue in some areas of the world while
flooding would occur in others. El Nio is, a periodic warming of sea-surface temperatures in
the tropical Pacific off the coast of Peru (Marston, 2014, p. 267). Since the point of origin for
this climate shift is off the coast of Peru, the effect will be felt more in the Latin America and the
Caribbean areas than anywhere else. Specifically, the countries of Peru and Ecuador would
experience warmer temperatures, wetter winds, and higher rainfall amounts (Marston, 2014, p.
267-268). Conversely, droughts in Brazil, Southern Africa, Australia, and Indonesia will be
experienced. When considering the amount of hurricanes that will be experienced throughout an
El Nio season one can assume that the amount will be less in the Caribbean.
References
Marston, S.A., (2014). World regions in global context: People, places and environments
(5th edition). Boston: Pearson.

Question 7

GEO 424

The green revolution increased food production and awareness of genetics and crops to
be able to use fewer pesticides. On the negative side, it increased the use of fertilizer, water, and
pesticides. The increased use of pesticides caused many deaths in China, and the increase in
fertilizer caused an increase in nitrogen which affected the surrounding water sources. Marston
(2014) states that, The environmental impacts of these changes are potentially enormous,
especially considering the vast areas of East Asia under cultivation (p. 314). The health hazards
of the green revolution technology include many illnesses. Talbott explains that, Exposure to
nitrogen compounds, such as nitrates in drinking water, can cause blue-baby syndrome,
reproductive problems, and some forms of cancer. And while nutrient enrichment can improve
human health and reduce malnutrition, human introduction of such nutrients frequently correlate
with increases in prevalence, severity or distribution of infectious diseases in nature, (para. 9).
References
Marston, S.A., (2014). World regions in global context: People, places and environments (5th
edition). Boston: Pearson.
Talbott, C. (n.d.). Green Revolutions dark side effect: Disease. Retrieved from
http://artsandsciences.colorado.edu/magazine/2010/06/green-revolutions-dark-sideeffect-disease/

Question 8

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Landholders and government officials in Pakistan resorted to building large scale

engineered structures in the Indus Valley to prevent flooding and irrigate the land. Marston
(2014) states These infrastructural changes reduce the risk of typical, shorter-term, smaller
floods and maximize producer profits" (p. 354). These man-made structures change the
environment and have negative effects in the long run. The World Commission on Dams (2000)
states, Unsustainable irrigation practices have affected more than a fifth of the worlds irrigated
area in arid and semi-arid regions. As a result, soil salinity and waterlogging either make
agriculture impossible, or limit yields and the types of crop that can be grown (p. 13). Not only
does it change the agriculture, but the climate and landscape of the world is changing over time.
While the efforts in Pakistan where made to reduce flooding, the engineering and management of
human involvement makes the flooding even worse. The flooding in the area is a natural event
and the changing of it makes for negative outcomes.
References
Marston, S.A., (2014). World regions in global context: People, places and environments (5th
edition). Boston: Pearson.
The World Commissions on Dams. 2000. The report of the world commission on dams.
Retrieved from http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wcd_dams_final_report.pdf

Question 9

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10

Deforestation is huge in Southeast Asia. According to Marston (2014), The impact of

deforestation includes loss of species habitat, flooding and soil erosion, and smoke and pollution
from forests burning (p.396). Not only are species losing there habitat, but it is causing them to
become extinct or endangered. Some species may not even be found or discovered yet and there
existence may never be known due to the human involvement in Southeast Asia. Not only is the
deforestation causing damage to the habitat of animals, but indigenous people as well.
Fixing the disaster in Asia will not be an easy task. Wilcove, Giam, Edwards, Fisher, and
Koh (2013) state preserving logged forests as a cost-effective way to enlarge the network of
protected areas in the region; identifying and targeting for protection those forests that are
unsuitable for either logging or oil palm cultivation; and mobilizing public pressure to get large,
multinational purchasers of palm oil, rubber, and paper products to buy their materials from
companies that agree not to clear forests for new plantations (p. 538).
References
Marston, S.A., (2014). World regions in global context: People, places and environments (5th
edition). Boston: Pearson.
Wilcove, D.S., Giam, X., Edwards, D.P., Fisher, B., & Koh, L.P. (2013). Navjots nightmare
revisited: logging, agriculture, and biodiversity in Southeast Asia. Trends in Ecology &
Evolution, 29(9), 531-540. doi:10.1016/j.tree.2013.04.005

Question 10

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11

With any situation there will be pros and cons. This is none more evident than how
minerals in Oceania are able to connect the region to the rest of the world, while also causing
conflict between local residents. There may be some residents who view that the finding and
exporting of the minerals are a positive, and other residents may view the same situation of
finding and exporting minerals as a negative.
This paradigm is easily seen in the situation involving coal in Australia. According to
Pellegrino and Lodhia (2011) Australia is the worlds largest coal exporter and coal is
Australias largest export commodity (p. 72). With the mining of coal, carbon pollution is sure
to ensue. This will lead to residents who are weary of climate change in their area to be upset
because of the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.
Historically, in Papua New Guinea an open-pit copper mine that produced nearly 25% of
the countrys total exports in the 1980s was the center of dispute among residents. On one hand
the mine was essential to the health of the economy. Yet, the mine was developed in the forests
without the participation of the resident Indigenous Nasioi and has polluted several rivers that
provided fish and drinking water to other groups (Marston, 2014, p. 434).
Another of Australias major exports is Uranium. Australia should, within a decade or
so, climb back up the worlds uranium production rankings currently it is the third ranked
supplier behind Kazakhstan and Canada) (Clarke, 2011). Anytime nuclear power is being
discussed, because of the uranium, the public will naturally have concerns. These concerns range
from greenhouse gas emissions, like coal, to transportation issues with the materials from the
mine.
References
Clarke, M. (2011). Australias uranium trade the domestic and foreign policy challenges of a
contentious export. Retrieved from http://0site.ebrary.com.libcat.ferris.edu/lib/ferris/docDetail.action?docID=10509107
Marston, S.A., (2014). World regions in global context: People, places and environments (5th
edition). Boston: Pearson
Pellegrino, C., & Lodhia, S. (2011). Climate change and the Australian mining industry:
exploring the links between corporate disclosure and the generation of legitimacy.
Journal of Cleaner Production, (36) 68-82.