Global Contexts: Practice Questions

• a.

  Heavy metal contamination in the Yangtze River delta due to textile manufacturing.

• b.

  Desertification and seasonal sandstorms originating from the Gobi Desert and Inner Mongolian grasslands.

• c.

  The accumulation of plastic waste in the South China Sea impacting maritime biodiversity.

• d.

  Acid rain caused by the burning of high-sulfur coal in southern industrial hubs.

• a.

  By building a physical concrete barrier to prevent unauthorized migration between northern and southern provinces.

• b.

  By creating a network of high-speed rail lines to reduce the carbon footprint of domestic air travel.

• c.

  By mandating that every citizen plant ten trees a year as a condition for maintaining urban residency permits.

• d.

  By implementing large-scale afforestation to create a windbreak against the expansion of the Gobi Desert and to sequester carbon.

• a.

  A lack of technological capability to produce solar panels or wind turbines within domestic borders.

• b.

  A cultural aversion to renewable energy sources based on traditional beliefs about geomancy (Feng Shui).

• c.

  The economic reliance on the coal industry for energy security and the need to maintain employment in heavy-industrial 'rust belt' regions.

• d.

  The government's refusal to acknowledge the scientific consensus on global climate change trends.

• a.

  It provides a cultural framework for the 'Ecological Civilization' (Shengtai Wenming) initiative, emphasizing sustainable development over raw GDP growth.

• b.

  It focuses strictly on urban aesthetics and landscaping rather than addressing industrial pollution or carbon neutrality.

• c.

  It advocates for a total return to agrarian lifestyles, rejecting all forms of modern industrialization.

• d.

  It serves as a justification for prioritizing economic expansion, as 'Nature' is seen as an infinite resource for human use.

• a.

  It aims to flood the Taklamakan Desert to create new arable land for agricultural expansion.

• b.

  It is designed to prevent the melting of glaciers in the Tibetan Plateau by redirecting warm ocean currents inland.

• c.

  It redistributes water resources to alleviate chronic shortages in the arid North, though it raises concerns about ecological displacement and water quality maintenance.

• d.

  It focuses solely on generating hydroelectric power for the Pearl River Delta to reduce carbon emissions from coal.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.