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Unit notes and practice questions

Grade 12 Economics unit 8: Economy, Environment and Climate Change

Everything here is for unit 8 of the Grade 12 Economics textbook: what the chapter covers, the short notes, practice questions with their answers, and the lesson video where one exists.

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4
Cards
10
Practice questions on unit 8
182–205
The textbook pages for unit 8

What unit 8 covers

  1. 1.Economy and the Environment
  2. 2.Rural Development and Environment
  3. 3.Urban Development and Environment
  4. 4.Population, Resources and the Environment
  5. 5.Global Warming and Climate Change
  6. 6.Global Warming
  7. 7.Climate Change
  8. 8.Scope of the Problem and the Causes of Climate Change
  9. 9.Indicators of Climate Change
  10. 10.Impacts of Climate Change
  11. 11.Vulnerability to Climate Change
  12. 12.Means to Address Climate Change Challenges
  13. 13.Green Economy and Green Growth
  14. 14.Overview of Environment and Climate Change in Ethiopia

Short notes for unit 8

The cards filed under this chapter on the Grade 12 Economics page. Open one at a time.

Adaptation StrategyMechanism and Function
MobilityAvoids risks across space
StorageReduces risks experienced over time
DiversificationReduces risks across assets owned by households or collectives
Communal poolJoint ownership, resource sharing, and collective mobilization during scarcity

When you use it

Use this table to distinguish between the four primary mechanisms households and communities use to adapt to climate risks.

Watch out

Storage manages risk across time, whereas mobility manages risk across geographic space.

Drafted from Grade 12 Economics, page 183 onwards, then checked twice before it went up

When you use it

Use this rule when analyzing the relationship between economic growth, per capita income, and environmental degradation.

Watch out

Environmental degradation does not decrease immediately as an economy grows. It first rises and then falls in an inverted-U pattern.

Drafted from Grade 12 Economics, page 183 onwards, then checked twice before it went up

When you use it

Use this when classifying climate change policy responses as either tackling causes or dealing with consequences.

Watch out

Mitigation is a preventive policy addressing the causes by reducing emissions, whereas adaptation is a reactive policy adjusting to the consequences.

Drafted from Grade 12 Economics, page 183 onwards, then checked twice before it went up

Greenhouse GasFormulaShare in Greenhouse Effect
Carbon dioxideCO2\text{CO}_277%77\%
MethaneCH4\text{CH}_414%14\%
Nitrous oxideN2O\text{N}_2\text{O}8%8\%
Water vapour and OzoneH2O, O3\text{H}_2\text{O}\text{, }\text{O}_3Other primary GHGs

When you use it

Use this table to recall the primary greenhouse gases driving global warming and their respective shares.

Watch out

Do not confuse oxygen (O2) with ozone (O3). Oxygen is not a greenhouse gas.

Drafted from Grade 12 Economics, page 183 onwards, then checked twice before it went up

Practice questions on unit 8

10 multiple-choice questions written against this chapter, each with its answer and the reason. Try one before you open the answer.

Question 1

What does the term global warming refer to?

  1. A.Falling average rainfall over many years
  2. B.The growth of mega-cities
  3. C.Increasing average air and ocean temperatures
  4. D.Loss of topsoil on farmland
Show the answer and why

Answer: C Increasing average air and ocean temperatures

Why

The chapter defines global warming as increasing average air and ocean temperatures. The other options are real environmental problems, but they are not the definition of global warming.

Question 2

Which greenhouse gas contributes the largest share, about 77 percent, to the greenhouse effect?

  1. A.Methane (CH<sub>4</sub>)
  2. B.Carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>)
  3. C.Nitrous oxide (N<sub>2</sub>O)
  4. D.Ozone (O<sub>3</sub>)
Show the answer and why

Answer: B Carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>)

Why

The chapter says CO2 is the largest greenhouse gas in causing global warming and contributes 77 percent to the greenhouse effect. Methane gives about 14 percent and nitrous oxide about 8 percent.

Question 3

Which body is the lead government institution responsible for environmental management and climate change in Ethiopia?

  1. A.Ethiopian Meteorological Agency
  2. B.Ministry of Agriculture
  3. C.Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  4. D.Ethiopian Statistics Service
Show the answer and why

Answer: C Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Why

The chapter says the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is the lead government body responsible and legally mandated for environmental management. The Meteorological Agency gives weather alerts, but it is not the lead body.

Question 4

According to the chapter, mitigation of climate change mainly deals with:

  1. A.the causes of climate change
  2. B.the consequences of climate change
  3. C.the size of urban populations
  4. D.the price of teff in local markets
Show the answer and why

Answer: A the causes of climate change

Why

The chapter says mitigation deals with the causes of climate change, while adaptation deals with the consequences. Mitigation works by reducing greenhouse gases.

Question 5

Which statement correctly explains the difference between climate and weather?

  1. A.Climate and weather mean exactly the same thing.
  2. B.Climate is what happens each day, and weather is the average over many years.
  3. C.Weather only refers to wind, while climate refers to temperature.
  4. D.Climate is the average weather pattern over many years, and weather is short-term atmospheric conditions.
Show the answer and why

Answer: D Climate is the average weather pattern over many years, and weather is short-term atmospheric conditions.

Why

The chapter says climate is the average weather pattern over many years. Weather is the short-term conditions that occur each day or week, such as temperature, rainfall and humidity.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT listed in the chapter as a source of renewable energy?

  1. A.Solar
  2. B.Geothermal
  3. C.Coal
  4. D.Wind-driven
Show the answer and why

Answer: C Coal

Why

The chapter lists solar, biomass and bio fuel, geothermal, hydroelectricity, tidal and wind-driven as the sources of renewable energy. Coal is a fossil fuel, so it is not on the list.

Question 7

According to the chapter, economics is the study of:

  1. A.the allocation of limited resources to satisfy human wants
  2. B.how to make resources unlimited
  3. C.the buying and selling of land only
  4. D.the measurement of rainfall
Show the answer and why

Answer: A the allocation of limited resources to satisfy human wants

Why

The chapter defines economics as the study of the allocation of limited resources to satisfy human wants. The key idea is that resources are limited while wants are not.

Question 8

The world population was about 7.7 billion in 2019. The United Nations projects it will reach about 9.6 billion by 2050. By how many billion will the world population grow between 2019 and 2050?

  1. A.2.3 billion
  2. B.1.9 billion
  3. C.1.5 billion
  4. D.17.3 billion
Show the answer and why

Answer: B 1.9 billion

Why

Subtract the 2019 figure from the 2050 projection: 9.6 minus 7.7 equals 1.9. So the population is projected to grow by 1.9 billion.

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT one of the factors the chapter gives for vulnerability to climate change?

  1. A.The character, magnitude and rate of climate variation a system is exposed to
  2. B.Its sensitivity
  3. C.Its adaptive capacity
  4. D.The number of mobile phones in each household
Show the answer and why

Answer: D The number of mobile phones in each household

Why

The chapter says vulnerability depends on the exposure to climate variation, the system's sensitivity and its adaptive capacity. Mobile phone ownership is not one of the factors listed.

Question 10

A government sets a carbon tax and plans forest protection so that emissions are reduced before harm happens. Which description best fits this kind of mitigation policy, according to the chapter?

  1. A.A reactive policy that tries to reduce impacts after they happen
  2. B.An anticipatory policy that estimates expected costs and benefits of emission abatement
  3. C.A policy that ignores future costs and benefits
  4. D.A policy that focuses only on hurricanes
Show the answer and why

Answer: B An anticipatory policy that estimates expected costs and benefits of emission abatement

Why

The chapter describes mitigation policy as anticipatory. It estimates the expected costs and benefits of cutting emissions and chooses the tools that reach the target at the lowest expected cost. The reactive description belongs to adaptation, not mitigation.

The app holds 12 questions on this unit, marked as you go. These are the first 10.

The textbook pages for unit 8

Unit 8 runs from page 182 to page 205 of the Ministry of Education edition.

Ministry of Education edition, English, 214 pages

Download the PDF

All Grade 12 Economics short notes

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