Geography in Everyday Life - Topic 2

Question 1

Define “standards of living”

Answer 1

Measure of the consumption of goods and services by an individual or group

Question 2

Define “social sustainability”

Answer 2

To ensure that societies are inclusive and resilient, where residents have a voice

Question 2

Define “economic sustainability”

Answer 2

To ensure that all human beings can enjoy prosperous, fulfilling lives and economic progress anc occur in harmony with nature

Question 3

Define “social sustainability”

Answer 3

To ensure that societies are inclusive and resilient, where residents have a voice

Question 4

Define (urban) neighbourhoods

Answer 4

A sub-division of an urban area that is distinguished by some characteristic or quality, where residents share commonalities

Question 4

Define “environment sustainability”

Answer 4

To sustainabily manage natural resources and take urgent action on climate change to support the needs of present and future generations

Question 5

What is development?

Answer 5

Development refers to the economic, social and political process which is an improvement of standard of living for a population

Countries may be classified according to their level of development based on a combination of economic and social indicators.
* Economic indicators: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita
* Social indicators: Life expectancy and adult literacy rate

Question 6

What does sustainable development refer to?

Answer 6

Sustainable development refers to development that:
* Meets the needs of the present population by achieving high standards of living for all
* Ensures the ability of future generations to meet their own neeeds

Question 7

What are the three key aims of sustainable development?

Answer 7

• Economic
• Environmental
• Social

Question 8

How are the key aims of sustainable development related to one another?

Answer 8

An overfocus on one dimension may lead to other dimensions overlooked:
* If economic growth is prioritised by the government, the environment may be neglected and destroyed resulting in loss of biodiversity, and deterioration in the quality of the environment for the present and future generations. Hence it is important for the government to also ensure that the environmental and social dimensions are considered.

The approach to sustainable development should vary from place to place and across time.
* It does not mean that all three dimensions of sustainability are always balanced.
* While all three dimensions should be considered, greater emphasis might need to be placed on one dimension over others at different places

Key example!
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) were introduced to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
* It is a shared goal that aims to achieve high standards of living and peace for current and future generations

Question 9

How can urban neighbourhoods achieve economic sustainability?

Question 9

How can urban neighbourhoods achieve social sustainability?

Answer 9

• Achieved by ensuring residents feel included and have a sense of shared identity
• This can be fostered by having shared community spaces to promote regular social interactions
• If the population size in urban neighbourhood is kept small, it can facilitate regular interactions among residents:
  → Residents may come together to discuss issues affectig the neighbourhood and find solutions to various challenges
  → This builds resilience and positive relationships between residents, as this helps to maintain a culture of open communication, mutual respect and understanding, thus reducing misunderstandings and conflicts
• A majority of the problems faced by local residents are day-to-day, mundane issues which can mostly be resolved locally with an adequate neighbourhood structures

Question 10

Give evidence to support the claim that urban neighbourhoods can achieve social sustainability

Answer 10

Example:
* In Singapore, the Residents’ Networks (RN) was set up to promote neighbourliness and community cohesiveness amongst residents
* Each neighbourhood is divided into smaller designated zones
* Regular activities are organised at the designated zonal level to cater to the small population size in the zone
* This encourages residents to voice their opinions and participate in decision-making processes regarding issues affectibg their neighbourhood

Question 10

How can neighbourhoods be sustained environmentally?

Answer 10

Ther are varioud ways environmental sustainability can be achieved in an urban neighbourhood, such as:
* Ample protection for nature
* Having facilities that support watse minimisation and recycling
* Energy and water-efficient design approaches for buildings and lanscapes

Question 11

How can neighbourhoods be sustained environmentally via ample protection of nature?

Answer 11

• When there is ample protection for nature, wildlife can trhive in our urban spaces and human-wildlife coexistence can be fostered.
• Concerted efforts should be made to portect existing native species habitats and ecosystems, and to re-establishb species that once existed
• Biodiversoity in urban neighbourhoods can be maximised by having a wide variety of habitats including street trees, pocket parks and roof gardens in the neighbourhood, instead of just having. large uniform areas of grass
• The types of plants and trees planted in an area should be of different varieties and species
• This provides adequate shelter and food for a wider variety of wildlife to thrive, thus maximising biodiversity in an urban neighbourhood

Question 12

Give evidence supporting that neighbourhoods can be sustained environmentally via ample protection of nature

Answer 12

Example 1:
* The National Parks Board has developed multiple startegies aimed at safeguarding Singapore’s habitats and ecosystems for long-term sustainability. Some of these strategfies include the implementation of species conservation and recovery programmes

Example 2:
* The existing 44 Nature Ways in Singapore connects areas of high biodiversity across Singapore

Question 13

How can neighbourhoods be sustained environmentally via facilities that support waste minimisation?

Answer 13

• Conveniently located recycling facilities and infrastrcuture such as blue recycling bins around the estates can encourage residents to recycle
• Having a high enough poopulation density in a neighbourhood ensures waste can be collected and recycled in an economically viable manner
• Waste recycling cab be encouraged through neighbourhood-scale recyling acitivities organised by either the residents or the town council

Example:
* The town council may out up posters or baners to educate and encourage their residents to recycle properly

Question 13

How can neighbourhoods be sustained environmentally via energy and water-efficient design approaches for buildings and landscapes?

Answer 13

Buildings and landscaping in urban neighbourhoods may be designed to be energy and water-efficient to minimise the use of resources:
* Smart technology and eco-friendly features can be installed

Question 14

Give evidence supporting that neighbourhoods can be sustained environmentally via energy and water-efficient design approaches for buildings and landscapes?

Answer 14

Example:
* Under the large-scale Housing Development Board (HDB) Green Towns Programme, cool paint is going to be used in neighbourhoods to lower temperatures by up to two degrees Celcius, reducing energy consumption
* Water harvested from rain is used for block washing of void decks are corridors to red,luce overall water consumption

Question 15

Define “ecosystems”

Answer 15

A dynamic complex of plant, animal and microrganism communities and the non-living environment interacting as a functional unit

Question 16

Define “living communties”

Answer 16

Communties of living (biotic) things, inclduing living organisms like humans, animals, plants, insects and bacteria

Question 17

Define “non-living environment”

Answer 17

The environment which consists of non-living (biotic) components like rocks, soil water, sunlight and the built environment

Question 18

Define "aquatic"

Answer 18

Related to water bodies such as rivers and lakes

Question 18

Provide evidence on why urban neighbourhoods are regarded as ecosystems?

Answer 18

**Example:** * A man-made concrete canal in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park was transformed into a naturalised river allowing more organsisms to thrive in this aquatic ecosystem * This brought widlife back into the park, enhancing the neighbourhood's biodiversity

Question 18

What are ecosystem services?

Answer 18

* **Ecosystem services** refer to the benefits brought about by nature or people. * These services are produced by the living communties and non-living environments of ecosystems * These services are critical to our survival and their benefits are optimised when we have a healthy and thriving natural environment * These ecosystem services consists of: **→ Provisioning services** **→ Regulating services** **→ Cultural services** **→ Supporting services**

Question 18

Why are urban neighbourhoods regarded as ecosystems?

Answer 18

* An ecosystem is a geographic area where living communties and non-living environments interact with each other to form a bubble of life * Ecosystems vary in size * Every aspect in ecosystems depends on one another, directly or indirectly * People are integral parts of ecosystems and dynamic interactions exist between people and other parts of the ecosystem * Activities carried out by people may directly and/or indirectly change the ecosystems in both positive and negative ways

Question 18

What are provisioning ecosystem services?

Answer 18

* Provisioning ecosystem services refer to the tangible resources that people can get from ecosystems such as food, water and wood. * Food is one of the msot important provisioning services provided by nature to people and it can be obtained throguh mwans such as agricultural activities and fisheries * They can also be found in an urban neighbourhood ecosystem.

Question 19

Give an example of provisioning ecosystem services?

Answer 19

**Example:** * Food is grown in urban communty gardens focused on planting edibles on rooftops at Tampines' HDB blocks

Question 19

What are regulating ecosystem services?

Answer 19

Regulating ecosystem services refer to the benefits obtained from the regulation of various ecosystem processes. * Include services such as **climate regulation, disease outbreak regulation** and **flood regulation** In an urban neighbourhood, these include microclimate regulation, flood mitigation as well as air and water quality control

Question 19

Give an example regulating ecosystem services being used

Answer 19

*Case Study: Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park* **Regulating the local climate** * Trees in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park can lower surface and air temperatures by providing shade to residents * On a larger scale, forests can help to cool areas by generating rainfall **Regulating water flows** * The vegetation cover in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park can reduce surface runoff by retaining water in the soil. This is also known as water flow regulation → It is a key service provided by natural land cover **Regulating local air quality:** * The trees or other plants in the park play and important role in regulating air quality by removing pollutants from the atmosphere

Question 20

What are supporting ecosystem services?

Answer 20

* Supporting ecosystem services refer to services that are necessary for the functioning of all other ecosystem services, including soil formation, pollination, and photosynthesis * For instance, soil is formed when micro-organisms and physical processes decompose organic matter and break them down into smaller particles * Soil is essential for the health of all terrestial ecosystems as it provides a habitat for billions of organisms, contributes to biodiversity, and acts as a water filter. * Soil formation, as a supporting ecosystem service, ensures that human activities such as agriculture can take place. * In urban neighbourhoods, animals like wild bees play a significant role in crop pollination which is vital as it ensures that crops are able to reproduce to provide food for animals and humans * During photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, and this maintain the oxygen content of the Earth's atmosphere. This ensures that all other ecosystem services can function

Question 20

What are cultural ecosystem services?

Answer 20

* Cultural ecosystem services refer to the intangible benefits people obtain from ecosystems, inclduing aesthetic experiences, educational opportunities and recreational activities * In an urban neighbourhood, the presence of green spaces can provide many cultural ecosystem services such as aesthetic appreciation and opportunties for stress-relieving activities * These activities may improve people's physical and mental health and foster social belonging and group identity, thus strengthening their sense of place. * Residents may gain aesthetic experiences from natural objects in urban neighbourhoods such as heritage trees, skjyrise greenery and community gardens.

Question 21

Give an example of cultural ecosystem services being used?

Answer 21

**Example:** * The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is a site for residents to engage in recreational activities such as hiking, as well as a space which provides educational opportunities, such as when geography students engage in fieldwork

Question 22

What are hazards?

Answer 22

* A hazard refers to a process, phenomenon, or human activity that may cause loss of life, other health impacts, property damage, as well as social and economic consequences * Can be classified as natural or man-made * Some examples of natural hazards include earthquake and volcanic eruptuions while examples of man-made hazards include traffic hazards?

Question 23

What are fire hazards and their impacts?

Answer 23

* In urban neighbourhoods, fire hazarda may occur in both residential and non-residential areas * Common causes include unattended cooking and faulty electrical appliances and wiring qhich can ignite nearby flammable materials, resulting in a fire The impacts of fire hazards include: * Health impacts * Property damage

Question 24

Give an example of a fire hazard

Answer 24

**Example:** * In 2021, there were a total of 358 cases of fires due to unattended cooking reported in Singapore * There has also been an increase in fire cases involving Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs) which typically occur in residential areas

Question 25

Explain how fire hazards can lead to health impacts?

Answer 25

* During a fire, people may suffer from burn injuries if they are unable to evacuate in time, and severe burn injuries may lead to disabilities or deaths. * High levels of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide may be relaeased during a fire, and may cause carbon monoxide poisoning. This may cause headaches, dizziness, weakness and confusion, and even leading to loss of consciousness and death. They can make it more difficult for people to escape a fire * Other irritants from a fire, such as acid gases, can permanently damage a person's respiratory system * Smoke inhalation can cause breathing difficulties and suffocation, which may lead to death **Evidence:** * There were a total of three fire fatalities and close to 200 fire injuries in Singapore in 2021.

Question 26

Explain how fire hazards can lead to property damage?

Answer 26

* Fires can destroy commercial or residential properties which leads to economic losses of goods, furniture, and important documents may be destoyed. * Further costs may also be incurrred after the fire is over as money is required to repair and rebuild the properties that were damaged in the fire

Question 27

What are air pollution hazards?

Answer 27

* Air pollution occurs due to the presence of contaminant or pollutant substances in the air that do not disperse properly and hence interfere with human health, ware or produce other harmful environmntal effects

Question 28

What are the common causes of fire hazards?

Answer 28

* Burning vegetation: carbon dioxside and other pollutants are released into the atmosphere when vegetation burns, causing air pollution * Industrial and motor emissions: increase in car ownership and usage led to an increase in air pollution hazards. → Vehicels produce significant amounts of exhaust emisions such as nitrogen oxisde, carbon monoxide and other pollutants

Question 29

Explain why fire hazards results in health impacts?

Answer 29

* Some of the negative health impacts of air pollution include respiratory infections, heart diseases and lung cancer * Nitrogen dioxisde is emitted in areas of high vehicle traffic * PM2.5, also known as particulate matter such as soot, smoke, dust and liquid droplets measuring less than 2.5 millimetres in diameter, may be produced in urban neighbourhoods * These pollutants may lead to poor health: → High levels of exposure to nitrogen dioxide may lead to higheer risks of asthma in childen → It may also cause lung function decline in older adults as PM 2.5 can enter the bloodstream and lodge deep in human lungs

Question 30

What are the common causes of traffic hazards, provide evidence to substantiate your claim

Answer 30

Common causes include: * Speeding * Red-light running * Drink-driving These road accidents are often caused by irresponsible motirist who put other road users and themselves at risk. **Evidence:** * In 2021, there were a total of 969 speeding-related traffic accdients, abd 153 accidents that were caused by drink-driving

Question 31

Explain how traffic hazards results in health hazards? Provide evidence with your answer

Answer 31

* People may suffer injuries when involved in a traffic accident, which may lead to disabilities * Elderly pedestrians and motorcyclisst typically account for a high percentage of traffic accidents resulting in injuries or death **Evidence:** * In 2021, there were a total of 100 traffic accidents in Singapore that resulted in fatalities. 8 were caused by drink-driving

Question 32

Define "environmental stewardship"

Answer 32

* Environmental stewardship refers to the actions taken by indivduals or groups, to protec, care for or responsibly use the environment to pursue environmental and/or social outcomes

Question 33

How can environmental stewardship be achieved?

Answer 33

Environmetal stewardship can be broadly achieved through two ways: * Promoting **volunteerism** among neighbourhood residents to share knowledge with others about the importance of healthy ecosystem. This helps residents become more aware of what they can and should do to responsibly use and protect the environment * Partnership of public and private sectors contributes to environmental stewardship efforts → Different stakeholders may have different perspectives, resources, and expertise to enhance the environmental stewardship efforts, hence it is crucial for them to come together to steward the environment.

Question 34

Who can practice environmental stewardship, what should they do it, and why should they do it?

Answer 34

Environmental stewardship can be practised by individuals, organisations and/or governments. Actions should: * Seek to conserve natural resources * Preserve the existing natural environment * Repair the damages and reverse the negative impacts caused by humans to ensure its sustainability Hence, environmental stewardship can help to build sustainable urban neighbourhoods

Question 35

Give an example of promoting volunteerism to achieve environmental stewardship

Answer 35

**Example:** * The National Parks Board (NParks) promotes volunteerism in communties through ground-led initiatves such as the *Friends of the Parks.* Participants may gain greater community ownership and stewardship of park in their neighbourhoods.

Question 36

Give evidence on why partnership of public and private sectors contributes to environmental stewardship efforts.

Answer 36

**Evidence:** * Urban neighbourhoods produce large amounts of waste, so it is important that waste materials are recycled * Residents and public and private stakehoders must all play their part in ensuring an efficient and sustainable waste recycling process * A portion of waste is disposed of in recycling bins cannot be recycled. Hence, to ensure that recycling is optimised, public agency like the National Environmental Agency (NEA) should continue to engage residents on the importance of waste recycling as well as how and what they should recycle. * Residents play a vital role in the proper recycling of their waste, public agencies enhance awareness and education, while private stakeholders provide recycling facilities. Through this partnership, environmental stewardship efforts can be enhanced and sustained.

Question 37

What are disaster risks?

Answer 37

* Disaster risks refer to the likelihood of damage to the properties, injuries and loss of lives from a disaster in a given period of time

Question 37

What are the factors of disaster risks?

Answer 37

* Disaster risks are the product of the interction between three man factors: → **Nature of hazard:** The characteristics of the hazrd → **Vulnerability:** The condition determined by physical, social, economci and environmental factors, which increases the susceptibility of people and their belonggings to the imacts of hazards → **Exposure:** The situation of people and their belongigns located in hazard-prone areas * To determine disaster risks, we cannot consider these factors in isolation. It is the interaction of all the factors that determine disaster risks

Question 38

What is Singapore's disaster risk management plan?

Answer 38

**Evidence:** * Singapore has a comprehensive disaster risk management plan. The main agnecy responding to disaster is the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). Town Councils also have the responsibility to cooperate with other government agencies in securing public safety and preventing disease or injury

Question 38

What does Singapore do to increase residents' preparedness to respond to natural and technological hazards?

Answer 38

**Example:** * The SCDF conducts a Community Emergency Preparedness (CEPP), which focuseds on key lifesaving skills and important emergency procedures

Question 38

What is disaster risks management?

Answer 38

* **Disaster risk management** refers to plans and actions that are implemented to prevent new risks from happening, reduce existing risks and manage disaster risks * This strengthens **community resilience**

Question 38

What do disaster risk management strategies do?

Answer 38

Disaster risk management strategies aim to reduce: * a neighbourhood's exposure to hazards, * the vulnerability of people and properties to handle Singapore's disaster risk managament strategies primarily focus on: * Improving residents' emergency preparedness to respond to natural and technological hazards * Implementation of monitoring and warning systems

Question 39

What does Singapore do to implement of monitoring and warning systems?

Answer 39

**Example:** * SCDF has a Public Warning System (PWS) which is a netwrok of sirens placed at strategic point throughout the city. It wans the public of imminent threats that may endager lives and property such as natural and man-made disasters.

Question 40

What is community resilience?

Answer 40

* Community resilence refers to the ability of a community to resist, adapat to and recover from impacts of disasters in a timely and effective manner

Question 41

How can community resilience be developed by?

Answer 41

It can developed by: * Strengthening relationships among residents and raising their awareness of potential hazards * Developing residents' ability to resist adapt and recover from a disaster

Question 42

Why is it important to strengthen relationships among residents and raising their awareness of potential hazards?

Answer 42

* Disaster risk management plans may only be effective and sustainable if there is widepspread support and long term participation * Residents are encouraged to get to know their neighbours so that they can depend on one another during an emergency * It is important to note that neighbour relations are highly diverse

Question 43

Give an example of how to strengthen relationships among residents and raising their awareness of potential hazards

Answer 43

**Example:** * The People's Association (PA) organises a wide range of community activitiesaimed at fostering positive relationships amongst residnets living in the neighbourhood * Some of the programmes include active ageing, emergency preparedness and community sports - bringing people of different ages and backgrounds together * The community's resilience was evident throughout the Covid-19 pandemic as residents came together to provide assistance to others in need (e.g. mask and food distribution)

Question 43

Give an example of how to develop residents' ability to resisy adapt and recover from a disaster

Answer 43

**Example:** * In Singapore, Community First Responders (CFRs) volunteers are important in supporting the government in search and rescue operations, relife work as well as educating the public on simple first-aid and basic firefighting * The Community First Responders (Fire) are alerted to minor rubbish chutes and bin fires within their immediate vicinity and help put out the fires. This helps SCDF optimise its emergency resources to attend to life-thretening and other higher-priority cases **Evidence:** * The total defence framework is an all-round response to threats and challeneges involving everyone in Singapore. It emphasises that everyone has a part to play, individually and collectively, to build a strong, secure and cohesive nation

Question 44

Why is it important to develop residents' ability to resist adapt and recover from a disaster?

Answer 44

* Residents in the neighbourhood can be involved in an inclusive planning process that involves community leaders, civil society organisations and the government * When residents actively participaye in projects to minimise potential hazards in the nieghbourhood, they can better understand the risks and adaptation options to communicate to the planners and government