Page 223 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies

field with respect to the environmental obliga- tions of businesses?” “Should governments impose environmental taxes? Should we, as individuals, be willing to pay higher taxes
to support sustainable communities?” “How much environmental risk are we willing to accept in order to create or maintain jobs?”
C2.2 evaluate, through research, the effectiveness of selected greening initiatives in urban communities (e.g., rooftop gardens, community gardens, bike lanes, public transit improvements, alternative energy projects), and assess the potential for implementing such initiatives
in their own community
Sample questions: “What criteria can be used to measure the success of these initiatives?” “How were communities persuaded to adopt these initiatives? What obstacles or barriers did these initiatives face?” “Could any of these initiatives be implemented in our own community? What would the benefits be? Would any members
of the community be opposed? Why? How would the initiative be funded?” “How might
a community garden unite a neighbourhood?”
Using spatial skills: Students can construct
an annotated map of green initiatives in their community, explaining why projects are located where they are and noting any barriers that may inhibit the success of these projects.
C2.3 describe actions that individuals can take to contribute to the sustainability of their own communities
Sample questions: “How is community sustainability linked to personal behaviour? What can you do to increase awareness of these links in your community?” “What can you and other individuals do to reduce your personal contributions to waste generation, energy consumption, and water and air pollution?” “How does buying locally contribute to the social, economic, and environmental sustaina- bility of your community?” “What could
you and your fellow students do to make our school ‘greener’?”
C3. Modifying the Environment
FOCUS ON: Spatial Significance; Geographic Perspective
By the end of this course, students will:
C3.1 describe how populations in different regions have modified their physical environment to improve economic productivity, and assess the impacts of these modifications on the economic,
social, and environmental sustainability of these regions (e.g., terrace farming in China, reclaimed land in Toronto, diverted rivers in India, polders in the Netherlands)
Sample questions: “How does the physical environment limit the opportunities of this region? How could the physical environment be modified to reduce these limitations? How would these modifications affect the sustaina- bility of the region? What kinds of compromises would be necessary to achieve the region’s economic goals while ensuring its social and environmental sustainability?”
C3.2 describe how populations in different parts of the world have modified their built and natural environments to make them more resilient to impacts from natural disasters (e.g., hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, volcanoes)
Sample questions: “What kinds of modifications are commonly made to the built and natural environments in areas that regularly experience hurricanes and flooding?” “How have structures and natural features along the Yangtze River been modified to control flooding?” “Why are people in economically poorer settlement areas more likely to be injured or killed, even in moderate earthquakes, than people in wealthier areas?” “What kinds of modifications will be needed in the future to adapt to climate change?”
C3.3 describe how different cities/regions have modified their built and physical environments in order to host a global event (e.g., FIFA World Cup, Olympics, world fairs, Pan Am Games),
and assess the impacts of these modifications on the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of these cities/regions
Sample questions: “What immediate impacts did the upgrading of British Columbia’s Sea-to-Sky Highway for the 2010 Winter Olympics and the building of the highway to Sochi for the 2014 Olympics have on communities in the region and on the environment? What benefits have these upgrades had since, and were they worth the cost?” “What use is now being made of facilities constructed for Expo 67 in Montreal and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing?”
“Do such events contribute to the long-term economic, social, and environmental sustaina- bility of a region, or are there better ways of achieving sustainability objectives?”
SUSTAINABILITY AND STEWARDSHIP
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World Geography:
Urban Patterns and Population Issues
CGU4M