Volume 30, Number 1, September 2016

Volume 30, Number 1, September 2016

Teaching notes

Using this issue

Simon Oakes

These notes are intended for use with Geography Review Vol. 30, No. 1. They suggest ways in which you might develop further some of the articles in the magazine with your A-level and IB Diploma students. Ideas for new GCE teaching from September 2016 are highlighted.

Forced migrants in the UK (page 2)

For new course teaching in 2016–17, this article providesa useful resource for deliveryof the twin core topics of global systems and global governance. Itdetails the influence of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)and also the UK government’s obligation, under the 1951 Refugee Convention, to provide for the ‘essential living needs’ of thoseseeking asylum (this means housing and a small amount of cash support equating to around £5 a day). Asylum seekers do not have the right to work in the UK

Possible follow-up activities

1Use Figures 1, 2 and 3 (below) to help develop important analytical and interpretive skills.

Using Figure 1, describe variations shown in the country of origin for refugees.
Using an atlas, identify pairs of neighbour countries in Figures 1 and 2 which are most likely to be source and host countries for particular refugee flows.
Using Figure 3, suggest possible reasons why the countries shown have received high numbers of asylum applications. (Tip: Economic factors matter but so too do physical reasons, including proximity to the country of origin; this is because many refugees hope to return home at some point in the future.)

2Ask students to carry out independent research on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)and the UK government’s legal obligation, under the 1951 Refugee Convention, to accept genuine refugees. Possible starting points for inquiry include: and

Climate change updateUnderstanding the 2015 Paris Agreement (page 18)

This column provides an important update on the progress made thus far towards a global climate-change agreement.This important example of global governanceis also relevant to the study and teaching of the carbon cycle topic which features in all new A-level geography specifications.

Possible follow-up activities

1Construct a global governance timeline showing concern with, and progress towards, climate change mitigation and adaptation. For instance:

Global concern about climate change has been mounting since the late 1980s. In 1988, the UN Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organisation set up the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which began detailed research on the enhanced greenhouse effect and the role played by human activities in driving up atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.
Key political players first began to discuss their official response to IPCC findings at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio. A treaty signed by 190 countries agreed that the world community should ‘achieve stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a low enough level to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.’
In 1997, world leaders met again in Kyoto to develop the treaty into a more detailed binding agreement known as a protocol. The resulting Kyoto Protocol required all signatories to agree to a legally binding GHG emissions reduction target. For instance, the official EU target was 8%, a goal later increased to 20%, by 2020. However, the effectiveness of the Kyoto Protocol was weakened when some countries, including the USA, chose not to sign it, fearing the cost of emissions reductions (either through paying for new green technology or reducing industrial output).
Successive conferences since Kyoto have failed to arrive at a firm agreement, until now. Global agreement on the specific elements of the Paris accord has been a major achievement (although it is notyet legally binding).

A good starting point for research would be:

(2) Students can practise their AO2 assessment skills by writing an essay with the title: ‘Assess the level of success of the 2015 Paris Agreement’. In addition to the Geography Review article, they can read:

Energy matters Cheap oil: is it a good thing? (page 26)

This columnprovides a starting point for students to think about the complex global interrelationships which exist on account of trade in oil. It supports teaching of legacy energy and development courses particularly well.

Possible follow-up activities

Investigate synoptic links between falling oil prices and the economic and political development of several key global players which remain heavily dependent on income from oil.

Nigeria has seen its national income collapse over the last 2 years. As a result, its government may need to seek assistance from the World Bank:
Venezuela is facing political turmoil. Its government has traditionally taken a hostile stance towards the World Bank and IMF. It is therefore unclear who will lend Venezuela the money it needs to borrow:
Saudi Arabia’s leaders have doubled their efforts to diversify the economy and become less dependent on oil:
Finally, viewpoints differ on whether Scotland can still make a strong case for independence now that the barrel price of North Sea oil has plummeted:

Natural flood management: what solutions does it offer? (page 35)

This article supports teaching and learning for the IB diploma and new A-level courses. The focus is management of the water cycle, specifically ‘soft’ or ‘natural’ approaches to flood management which aim to slow water cycle movement in ways which attenuate peak river flows.

Possible follow-up activities

1Study Photograph 2 in the article. Analyse this photograph for evidence of water-cycle management. Comment on the strengths and weaknesses of the approaches shown.

2Carry out an assessment of the viability of the soft management techniques detailed in the article. There is a supporting PowerPointpresentation at:

3The article explains on page 39 that: ‘If NFM reducesthe frequency of flooding, then there will befewer losses, but there may also be a change inthe associated return periods, as floods becomerarer. Thus, NFM may reduce the economicjustification for other kinds of flood protection.’ In class, students should discuss this important issue further:

Why is it an interesting and important point to raise when assessing the success of NFM?
Could the same issue arise in the management of other hazardous environments, such as coasts?