Volume 27, Number 3, February 2014
Exam links
Using this issue for Edexcel AS
and A2 geography
The table below shows the structure of the Edexcel A-level geography course.
AS
Unit 1
6GE01
Global challenges (2
compulsory topics)
Unit 2
Going global
6GE02
Investigating geography
(1 physical and 1 human
option)
A2
Unit 3
World at risk
Either Extreme weather or Crowded coasts
Either Rebranding places or Unequal spaces
6GE03
Energy security
Contested planet
Water conflicts
(6 compulsory topics)
Biodiversity under threat
Superpower geographies
Bridging the development gap
The technological fix?
Unit 4
GE04
Tectonic activity and hazards
Researching geography
Cold environments
(one of 6 options)
Life on the margins
Pollution and human health at risk
The world of cultural diversity
Consuming the rural landscape
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This table shows the relevance of each of the articles and columns in this issue of GEOGRAPHY REVIEW
to the Edexcel specification
Article
Page
AS
A2
numbers
The High Line: regeneration
in New York City
2–5
Unit 2 Rebranding places
and Unequal spaces
Question and answer World
cities
6–8
Unit 1 World cities
Online Coastal geographies
9
Unit 2 Crowded coasts
After the shaking: the
secondary hazards of
earthquakes
10–13
Unit 1 World at risk
Development update Do big
media campaigns work?
14–16
Unit 3 Bridging the
development gap
Solar farms: why do we
need them?
17–19
Unit 3 Energy security
News watch ‘Unequivocal’
global warming?
20–21
Paying to keep whales
alive? A case study of
biodiversity protection
22–26
Unit 3 Biodiversity under
threat
Environment today The
impacts of mining
27–29
Unit 3 Biodiversity under
threat and Energy security
Energy matters Should we
subsidise renewables?
30–31
The geography of
cyberspace: ICT,
development and conflict
32–36
Rip currents: researching a
natural hazard
37–41
Snapshot Managing
landscapes for pollution
42
Unit 4 Tectonic hazards
Unit 1 World at risk
Unit 1 Global challenges
Unit 3 Energy security
Unit 3 The technological fix
and Bridging the
development gap
Unit 3 Biodiversity under
threat
The High Line: regeneration in New York City

This article could either be used in class as a case study or to support fieldwork (if you are
very lucky!)

It relates to the Unit 2 Rebranding places and Unequal spaces options
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This article provides a useful case study of urban regeneration. It links to the process of
deindustrialisation that has blighted many developed-world cities, as once much-used infrastructure
falls into disuse leaving derelict and under-used areas. The disused railroad’s core function, transport,
has been retained but radically reshaped to become a pedestrian walkway through New York. The
focus on sustainability and gentrification is useful for AS students studying rebranding. The article
could be considered from the perspective of equality: does the High Line benefit everyone or just
some sections of New York’s society?
Question and answer World cities

This is an AQA examination question

It could be used to support Edexcel Unit 1 World cities
Although this is an AQA question, it could be set as a homework task to support Unit 1 World cities.
Question 1 is a skills question, the type of question seen on both Unit 1 and Unit 2 examination papers
(especially Unit 2 Rebranding places). Question 2 is less relevant to Edexcel, but question 3 is fairly
closely linked to issues covered in Unit 1 World cities.
Online Coastal geographies

This Online links to Crowded coasts, the Unit 2 physical option

It has useful links for all students studying Unit 2 Crowded coasts. The links to the issue of
sea-level rise are also relevant to Unit 1, climate change
After the shaking: the secondary hazards of
earthquakes

This article relates to Unit 1, World at risk (global hazards)

It can also be used for the Unit 4 option Tectonic hazards
Many of the large tectonic hazards to strike the world in the last decade have demonstrated the
destructive power of secondary hazards. These include the 2004 Asian tsunami, the Sendai
earthquake and tsunami in 2011 and major earthquakes in Kashmir in 2005 and Sichuan in 2008.
Tsunamis, landslides and liquefaction are important secondary hazards and the processes that cause
them need to be understood by students. This is especially true for students studying Unit 4 Tectonic
hazards where in-depth process understanding is important. The article could be used as the basis for
further research into the examples of disasters mentioned in the article.
Development update Do big media campaigns work?

This article relates to Unit 3, Bridging the development gap
The focus of this Development update is essentially on ‘players’, one of the synoptic themes in Unit 3.
It makes the link between NGOs and pressure groups (who generally start campaigns) and other
players ‘in power’ such as the G8 and other INGOs. These campaigns bring important issues onto to
world stage via another key player, the media. As the article considers, the campaigns are often
successful in terms of public perception but it is much harder to judge their success in concrete terms
Philip Allan Publishers © 2014
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— this can only really be judged with the benefit of a rear-view mirror some years latter. Candidates
could usefully know some details of one or two campaigns and the key players involved.
Solar farms: why do we need them?

This article can be used as a case study for Unit 3 Energy security
Solar power has expanded in the UK in recent years, as the article outlines. Many homes now have
solar PV or solar hot water panels on their roofs, but there are larger solar installations in the form of
solar farms. In some ways these are controversial in a small island with limited space (and a lot of
cloud). Solar is here to stay as a small part of the UK energy mix and this article considers its costs
and benefits, Students might like to consider how much potential for expansion solar farms have.
News watch ‘Unequivocal’ global warming

This News watch links to Unit 1 World at risk (climate change)

It also provides context for many other topics including Biodiversity under threat and Water
conflicts
This article relates to the IPCC’s AR5 (Assessment Report 5) publication in 2013. Further parts of the
AR5 report are due to be published in 2014. The ‘headline’ figures published by the IPCC should be
known by all geographers as they have potentially significant impacts of many aspects of the natural
world and human activity.
Paying to keep whales alive? A case study of
biodiversity protection

This article can be used as a case study for Unit 3 Biodiversity under threat
This article considers whales as iconic species worthy of protection, and outlines how the International
Whaling Commission has attempted to conserve them. The different attitudes across nations are
made clear — despite the global ban on whaling a number of countries still catch whales.
The article also considers in detail a proposal to change the way in which whale conservation works.
This can be evaluated alongside the existing IWC mechanism. Candidates should consider the article
from the perspectives of the different players involved as well as looking at the success of different
schemes to protect whales.
Environment today The impacts of mining

This Environment today will be of interest to those studying Unit 3, especially the Biodiversity
under threat and Energy security topics
It provides useful context for a range of topics where extraction of resources is an issues. It might be
considered in relation to the growing demand for resources globally (linking to development in China
and other NICs) as well as the impacts of exploiting specific energy resources. The environmental
issues outlined are widespread and growing, as demand for resources increases. These issues are
often most serious in the developing world as new areas are explored and then exploited for what lies
beneath the ground.
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Energy matters Should we subsidise renewables?

This article relates to A2 Unit 3 Energy security
This useful Energy matters explains the nature of renewable subsidies. Students need to be aware
that the widespread adoption of wind power in the UK (as well as some other forms of energy) is not
an entirely market-led solution to energy security. Renewables receive a subsidy to make them price
competitive with energy sources such as gas. This can be viewed in positive terms in that the
subsides promote low-carbon energy sources and foster new technological innovation. This issue has
been much in the news recently, as new nuclear power stations will also be subsidised and
consumers will pay for the subsidy through their bills – a political ‘hot potato’ at the moment.
The geography of cyberspace: ICT, development and
conflict

This article most closely links to Unit 3 The technological fix? and Bridging the development
gap
The article considers the rise and spread of technology and its role in new political developments and
conflicts. It is useful when considering the digital divide and the link between development and access
to technology. This includes the role of ICT in political awareness and even active political movements
against existing regimes. The role of technology in superpower geopolitics is also considered.
Snapshot Managing landscapes for pollution
This issue of Snapshot should be read by students studying Unit 3 Biodiversity under threat, but it can
also be used as broader context in terms of river management for Unit 2 Extreme weather.
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