Page 279 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies

degradation, loss of agricultural land, increased demand on services and infrastructure, social tensions, greater economic opportunities)
Sample questions: “What are the environmental and economic impacts of using arable land for housing?” “What are some social issues that might arise in a community with a very high population density?” “What are some of the social, economic, and political consequences
of having an urban population that is aging?” “What are some of the forms that transitory housing can take in cities (e.g., squats, tent cities, shantytowns)?” “How does urbanization contribute to homelessness?” “What are some challenges relating to water and sanitation management that a local government might face as a result of population increases?” “How might increasing urbanization affect the production and distribution of food?”
E2. Population Growth and Demographic Change
FOCUS ON: Patterns and Trends; Geographic Perspective
By the end of this course, students will:
E2.1 analyse trends in global and regional popu- lation growth (e.g., continuing global population growth, rapid population growth in underdeveloped countries, negative population growth and aging population in some developed countries) and their causes, and assess their social and economic impacts
Sample questions: “What is the world’s popula- tion now? What is it expected to be in 2050?” “In what regions of the world is the population growing fastest? Which regions are showing the slowest population growth? Do any countries have shrinking populations?” “How do you explain these trends? For example, how does a better standard of living affect the rate of popu- lation growth? What effect does improvement in women’s rights have on population growth?” “How will additional population growth affect the environment?” “Which countries have the youngest populations? Which ones have the oldest populations? What are the economic
and social advantages of a young population? What are the potential problems and challenges? What challenges does a society face as its population ages?” “How does immigration help countries with older populations deal with economic problems related to aging? What are the effects on the countries that younger people are leaving?”
E2.2 analyse the impact of population growth and rising standards of living on the world’s food
supply and its characteristics, and assess options for meeting future global food requirements (e.g., increasing productivity through high-yield crop varieties, genetically modified crops, intensive farming, industrial farming, aquaculture; increasing amount of land under cultivation through irrigation, forest clearance, and other means; making greater use of existing resources by reducing the amount of animal protein in our diets)
Sample questions: “How has the world’s output of staple foods such as wheat and rice changed over the past half-century?” “What was the ‘Green Revolution’? Can the same approach expand food production enough to feed the world’s population in 2050?” “How do practices such as industrial agriculture, intensive farming, and aquaculture increase food production? What impacts might they have on the environment, human health, and animal welfare?” “What environmental challenges make it difficult
for indigenous peoples to restore or maintain traditional diets?” “Can you identify some areas of the world where irrigation would provide a major increase in food output? What are the potential environmental dangers?” “How has forest clearance in the Amazon affected food production in Brazil? How does forest clearance contribute to climate change? How do you think Brazil should manage this problem?” “How might agricultural productivity in tropical countries be affected by climate change over the next century?” “What changes in your personal habits and choices might you consider to support food sustainability?” “Why are large corporations and countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, and Japan buying large amounts of farmland in Africa?” “How is the family farm changing in North America? Can small-scale farms in developing countries be part of the solution to the problem of feeding more people?” “How might improvements in food distribution systems prevent local and regional food shortages?”
E3. Human Rights and Quality of Life
FOCUS ON: Interrelationships; Geographic Perspective
By the end of this course, students will:
E3.1 analyse interrelationships between demo- graphic characteristics, economic development, and quality of life for selected countries (e.g., interrelationships between fertility rate, GDP per capita, and lack of education for girls; interrelation- ships between ownership of land and resources and possession of wealth and power)
Sample questions: “How are economic under- development, quality of life, and birth rates
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World Issues: A Geographic Analysis
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