2.4 Can sustainable water supplies be maintained in the future?
Draw together above ideas to critically
assess attitudes towards the sustainability of water supplies.Key Idea 2.4 Can sustainable water supplies be maintained in the future?
Whether supplies can be increased or demand reduced often depends on the level of technology and/or funding available.
Supply may be increased, or demand reduced, but this may have social implications that are unacceptable
Other solutions may have environmental impacts that outweigh any benefits.
At international level, political agreement is needed and this may often not be possible.
As with food supplies, as well as having a sound knowledge and understanding of water supplies, students should be able to show an ability to evaluate. This should be particularly directed towards the sustainability of present day water supplies, and ways of managing supply and demand in the future. It is not so much the ability to reach a conclusion or make a stand on an issue that is important, but to show understanding of two (or more) sides to an argument. Points of view should be based on evidence. Some forms of evidence can be given greater weight than others. Awareness of these assessment issues will be tested.
Identify links between topics above and other parts of the specification
For all studies, identify both desirable outcomes and disadvantages of issues
Develop writing frames that encourage assessment and evaluation, e.g.
In the short term , but in the long term
This benefits interest group A in that , but for interest group B
The effect in the local area is , but globally '
The competition for declining water supplies in the Murray-Darling Basin in Australia are provided in
http://www.wac.ihe.nl/dialogue/Basin/Murray-Darling/documents/Murray-Darling%20Report.pdf