Page 205 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies

C1.4 analyse the effectiveness of policies, programs, and initiatives in various countries in enhancing sustainability (e.g., polluter-pay policies, eco-fees, carbon taxes, emission trading, zero-population- growth initiatives)
Sample questions: “How have domestic waste management programs, such as recycling, evolved in your community, and what have the environmental benefits been?” “How are public transportation systems in different parts of the world being developed to improve sustainabil- ity?” “Has the availability of ‘green’ products contributed to sustainability?” “Which countries have the strongest records of environmental protection? Which have the weakest?”
C1.5 assess the effectiveness of local sustainability initiatives in building sustainable communities (e.g., hazardous waste collection programs; com- munity gardens; green roofs; no-till agricultural practices; participation in events such as Earth Hour, Earth Day, and World Environment Day)
Sample questions: “Is it possible to have sus- tainable development if water supply services have been privatized?” “What is the possibility of organizing a community garden in your area? How might this lead to a more sustainable community?” “How do no-till farming and other conservation tillage practices make farming, and therefore rural communities, more sustain- able? What other environmental benefits do these practices provide?” “Why might it be difficult to get people to participate in initiatives that help the natural environment?” “What
are some institutional and individual barriers and/or challenges that might prevent some communities or countries from acting with more sustainable intent?”
C2. Population Growth
FOCUS ON: Spatial Significance; Patterns and Trends
By the end of this course, students will:
C2.1 analyse the impacts of population growth and related trends (e.g., urbanization, migration, increased international travel) on the natural environment
Sample questions: “What regions of the world are experiencing population growth? How is the environment being changed in these regions to accommodate more people?” “How has urbanization affected the availability of habitat for wildlife? How has it affected the quality
of the environment outside cities?” “What environmental stresses are associated with large-scale population movements and with increased international travel?”
C2.2 analyse theories relating to the impact of global population growth on the carrying capacity of the earth (e.g., the Gaia hypothesis, I=PAT, limits of growth, the demographic transition model)
Sample questions: “What does the idea of limits of growth suggest about the carrying capacity of the earth?” “How does affluence affect population growth, according to the demo- graphic transition model? How does it affect the impact of population growth, according
to the I=PAT equation?” “In what ways has technological change amplified the impact of population growth on the natural environment? In what ways has it diminished it?”
C3. Caring for the Commons
FOCUS ON: Interrelationships; Geographic Perspective
By the end of this course, students will:
C3.1 explain the meaning and geographic significance of the commons (i.e., common-pool resources such as water, fish, fishing grounds, forests, common pastures) and the global commons (i.e., the atmosphere, the oceans, outer space, and Antarctica)
Sample questions: “Who owns a common-pool resource? Who uses it? What determines how much of the resource can be used by any one person or group?” “What makes the global commons different from other common-pool resources?” “What is the value of the atmos- phere? Of the oceans?”
C3.2 analyse the impacts of human activities on the commons (e.g., overfishing, atmospheric pollution, water pollution, water depletion)
Sample questions: “How are fish affected by industrial and agricultural activities in your area?” “How does the existence of the Internet contribute to climate change and the acidification of the oceans?” “How does space exploration affect the global commons?” “How do the different types of ‘waste’ that a country produces contribute to the pollution of the global commons?”
Using spatial skills: Students can use satellite imagery of areas such as the Alberta oil sands or the Three Gorges hydro development in China to investigate changes in vegetation over time. Changes in coral reefs or tropical rainforests can be studied in this way as well. Students can also use the time function in a GIS to determine how emissions of gases related to climate change have varied throughout the world. Circle graphs can be used to compare present total and per capita emissions from the top ten emitting countries.
SUSTAINABILITY AND STEWARDSHIP
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World Issues: A Geographic Analysis
CGW4U