Key term
CCEA A-Level Environmental Technology 3930
Fossil Fuels
Global Action on Energy Conservation and Climate Change
Macrogeneration
Microgeneration
Energy From Wind
Topic overviewHorizontal and vertical axis wind turbinesKinetic energy, wind power and the Betz limitPower curves, rated output and energy lossesSwept area, blade length and turbine massAir density, hub height and turbine sitingPower control, yawing and survival speedChoosing a location for a commercial wind farm
Energy From the Sun
Topic overviewSolar radiation, tracking and concentrating solar powerFlat plate and evacuated tube collectorsSizing a domestic solar thermal systemPhotovoltaic cells and semiconductor wafersTypes of photovoltaic module comparedPlanning regulations and solar incentivesPassive solar design in new and existing buildings
Energy From Biomass
Energy Storage
Plastics for the Future
Topic overviewCrude oil as a fuel and a feedstockRefinery gases and the making of polymersPersistent plastic waste and the Great Pacific Garbage PatchToxic gases from incinerating plasticsBiodegradable, photodegradable and compostable plasticsTesting photodegradable plastic against polytheneBio-derived polyethylene and a sustainable plastics future
Renewable Energy Investigations
Sustainable Development
Waste Management
Waste to Energy Technologies
Land Contamination and Remediation
Topic overviewContaminated land, risk and traditional remediationBioremediation principles and bioreactor systemsMicro-organisms that degrade named pollutantsBioremediation benefits and genetically engineered microbesPhytoremediation of metals and other elementsPhytoextraction with Indian mustard and alpine pennycressBiohydrometallurgy and phytomining of ores
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Transport System Challenges
Energy Performance of Buildings
Emerging Technologies
Sustainable Urban and Rural Communities
The Code for Sustainable Homes
Topic overviewPurpose, levels and assessment of the CodeEnergy, carbon dioxide and water categoriesMaterials, surface water run-off and waste categoriesPollution, health and wellbeing, management and ecology categoriesMeasuring the performance of an existing buildingPerformance profiles, improvements and evaluation
Sustainable Development
- 3 subtopics
- 9 things to know
- A2 1
What Sustainable Development covers
Sustainable Development is examined in Unit A2 1, Building and Managing a Sustainable Future, a written examination. It covers population growth and demand for resources, the I = PAT equation and the role of technology and ecological footprints, carbon footprints and One Planet Living.
Where it is assessed
A2 1
Building and Managing a Sustainable Future — a written examination.
Check the CCEA specification ↗The 3 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Population growth and demand for resourcesWorld population and the UN projections, consumption per person, demand for fuel, fresh water, food and shelter, urbanisation, finite and renewable resources, and competition, conflict and inequality.Open →
- The I = PAT equation and the role of technologyEhrlich and Holdren's I = PAT, population, affluence and technology, worked impact calculations, techno-optimism and its critics, the rebound effect and the Jevons paradox, and the limits of the equation.Open →
- Ecological footprints, carbon footprints and One Planet LivingEcological footprints in global hectares, biocapacity and overshoot, a footprint calculation, carbon footprints and CO₂e, the carbon share of the footprint, and One Planet Living's ten principles for a housing development.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Key term
Debate whether reducing affluence or improving technology is the better way to lower environmental impact.
Numbers
How has world population changed in recent decades?
Numbers
How is world population expected to change by the end of this century?
Key term
Who proposed the I = PAT relationship, and when?
Key term
Define the term ecological footprint.
Key term
Why does a growing world population increase demand for the Earth's resources?
Key term
What does each term in the equation I = PAT represent?
Key term
In what unit is an ecological footprint measured?
Take Sustainable Development further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Ecological footprint vs Carbon footprint
Ecological footprint: the productive land and sea area needed to supply consumption and absorb wastes. Carbon footprint: total greenhouse gas emissions caused by a person, product or activity.
Biocapacity vs Ecological overshoot
Biocapacity: the ability of ecosystems to regenerate resources and absorb wastes. Ecological overshoot: demand on nature exceeding what ecosystems can regenerate.
Finite resource vs Renewable resource
Finite resource: a stock that exists in a fixed amount and can be used up. Renewable resource: a supply replenished naturally within a human timescale.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
How has world population changed in recent decades?
Model answer
World population passed 8 billion in November 2022, according to the United Nations. Population is still growing, but the rate of growth has been slowing since the late 1960s.
- 2
How is world population expected to change by the end of this century?
Model answer
The UN's 2024 projections suggest population will peak at around 10.3 billion in the mid-2080s. Population is then expected to level off or decline slightly.
- 3
Why does a growing world population increase demand for the Earth's resources?
Model answer
Every extra person needs fuel, water, food and shelter. Total demand rises even if each person's consumption stays the same.
- 4
Why is rising consumption per person as important as population growth in driving resource demand?
Model answer
As incomes rise, people use more energy, eat more meat and buy more goods. Demand can therefore grow faster than population itself.
- 5
How does population growth affect demand for fuel?
Model answer
More people need energy for heating, cooking, transport and industry. Most of this energy still comes from finite fossil fuels, which are being depleted.
- 6
Why is fresh water under increasing pressure as population grows?
Model answer
Only a small fraction of the Earth's water is accessible fresh water. More people need it for drinking, sanitation, farming and industry.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Sustainable Development revision questions
- What does Sustainable Development cover in CCEA A-Level Environmental Technology?
- 3 subtopics: population growth and demand for resources, the i = pat equation and the role of technology and ecological footprints, carbon footprints and one planet living. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Sustainable Development organised?
- By the CCEA 3930 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Sustainable Development, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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