Page 159 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies

D. SYSTEMS: INTERACTION AND INTERDEPENDENCE
OVERALL EXPECTATIONS
By the end of this course, students will:
D1. Sharing the Physical Environment: analyse issues relating to natural and human impacts on the environment and the sharing of natural resources between population groups (FOCUS ON: Interrelationships; Geographic Perspective)
D2. Population and Disasters: analyse the influence of human settlement choices and the earth’s physical processes on the impacts of disasters (FOCUS ON: Patterns and Trends; Interrelationships)
D3. Earth’s Planetary Characteristics and Life: explain the significance of Earth’s planetary characteristics and history for the development and maintenance of life on Earth (FOCUS ON: Spatial Significance; Interrelationships)
SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS
D1. Sharing the Physical Environment
FOCUS ON: Interrelationships; Geographic Perspective
By the end of this course, students will:
D1.1 explain how natural events or human activities in one part of the world can have impacts on other parts of the world (e.g., downstream impacts of dams, climatic effects of volcanic eruptions, effects of fossil-fuel combustion on global climate and acidity of precipitation, effects of the use of ozone-depleting chemicals on the ozone layer)
Sample questions: “What impact does a large volcanic eruption have on climate, and what natural processes are responsible for this impact?” “What impact is rapid economic development in Brazil, Russia, India, and China having on global climate change?”
D1.2 analyse issues relating to the sharing of resources by different countries or population groups (e.g., water extraction, water level, and water quality issues in the Great Lakes basin; resource exploration and extraction and wildlife management in the Arctic; conflict between herders and farmers in the Sahel region of Africa; conflict between ranchers and ecologists over the reintro- duction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park)
Sample questions: “Who owns the oceans?” “Should governments allow resource extraction
in sensitive environments such as the High Arctic or Antarctica?” “How might Aboriginal treaty rights affect agreements between Canada and the United States for managing shared water resources?” “How have various countries tried to manage shared water resources such as the Rhine, Brahmaputra, and Jordan rivers?” “What were the main issues surrounding the Cochabamba Water War in Bolivia? How did this conflict contribute to the UN’s recognition in 2010 that water is a human right?”
D1.3 make predictions about geopolitical issues that may emerge in the future and the regions that they will affect on the basis of current trends in human activities and environmental conditions
Sample questions: “How will climate change affect the availability of water in different parts of the world, and what issues will countries
in water-rich and water-poor regions face as a result?” “What countries are likely to face severe challenges due to rising sea levels, and what are their options for responding?” “How does the distribution of wealth affect the amount and quality of water that different population groups have access to, and how might it affect their ability to respond to related challenges due to climate change?”
SYSTEMS: INTERACTION AND INTERDEPENDENCE
157
Physical Processes and Disasters
Forces of Nature:
CGF3M