Lesson video

Hello and welcome.

My name is Ms. Harrison, and I'm so excited to be learning with you today.

Grab everything you might need for today's lesson and let's begin our learning.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to evaluate different sources of evidence to justify a decision about a geographical issue.

Before we can begin this learning, we need to define the keywords that we'll be using throughout today's lesson.

The key words are: pre-release material, tidal barrage, and context.

Pre-release material: these are resources that are released prior to an examination, which include maps, graphs, and text that give information about a geographical issue.

Tidal barrage: it's a dam built across a bay or an estuary that uses the movement of tides to generate electricity.

And context: this is the economic, environmental, historical or social background to an issue.

Now that we've defined these keywords, we can begin our learning.

The first question we are going to explore in today's lesson is, what are geographical issues? A new large reservoir has been proposed near Abingdon and Oxfordshire.

It's a major development that sparked a debate among local communities, environmental groups, and planners.

It's about land use, water demand, and the future of resources in the region.

Is this a geographical issue? Pause the video here whilst you decide, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

Let's take a closer look.

The decision about whether or not to build a new reservoir near Abingdon is a geographical issue.

Why? Because it's all about how land is used and changed.

The reservoir would take up space in the countryside and change how that land is used, from farming or green space to storing water.

It's a geographical issue because it affects more than just one place.

The local area near Abingdon would be directly impacted, but it could also affect people further away who need more water in the future.

Lots of different people are involved, like the government, local residents, farmers, and environmental groups, and they don't all agree.

Some think it's a great idea and others don't.

Finally, it links together lots of different parts of geography: physical geography like rivers and water supply, human geography like land use and planning, and even environmental issues.

That's why it's a geographical issue.

It's about place, people, and decisions.

Well done if you managed to identify those correctly.

Problem solving issues are often geographical because.

Pause the video here whilst you identify the correct ones and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

The answers are A, they involve decisions about how land is used and changed over space, C, they link together different parts of geography, and D, they affect different places.

For B, the solution can be shown using maps.

Whilst it could be correct, it is more describing a presentation technique, not explaining why an issue is geographical.

That's why it's incorrect for this answer.

Well done if you identified those correctly.

Pre-release materials can cover a wide range of issues.

Here are some examples.

Should a tidal barrage be built across Morecambe Bay to help meet the UK's future energy needs? Should a new garden settlement be built on the rural-urban infringe in Kent to tackle housing shortages? Should a new cruise port be built in George Town, Grand Cayman, to support tourism growth? Should an incinerator be built near Waterbeach in Cambridge to handle local waste? Or should a large wind farm be built in the Isle of Lewis to increase UK renewable energy production? These are all examples that could be in pre-release materials.

The issue in a pre-release material will be geographical.

It will have an issue like, should a tidal barrage be built across Morecambe Bay to help meet the UK's future energy needs? And let's take a closer look if this will meet a geographical issue.

Does it involve decisions about how land is used and changed over space? Yes.

Does it affect different places? Yes.

Does it involve a range of different interest groups with conflicting views? Yes.

And does it link together different parts of geography? Yes.

So we can see that this is going to be a key geographical issue in a pre-release material.

Let's take a closer look at the big question we are going to be exploring in your pre-release materials.

Should a tidal barrage be built across Morecambe Bay to help meet the UK's future energy needs? This isn't just a simple yes or no.

It's a geographical issue.

That means it connects people, places, and the environment.

It's local.

It affects Morecambe Bay air in northwest of England, but it's also part of a much bigger picture about how the UK tackles climate change and secures its energy supply.

Right now the UK is trying to move away from fossil fuels like coal and gas, and these pollute the air and contribute to global warming.

So the government is investing in clean renewable energy, including tidal power.

A tidal barrage could help, but it also raises big questions about land use, the environment, and who benefits.

That's why the issue links to local impacts to national decisions, and it's exactly the kind of real-world problems geographers are trained to explore.

Let's identify the local area and wider geographical context in this question.

Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

Let's take a close look.

It's a proposal to build a garden settlement in Kent is the focus of the question.

It's the wider geographical context is a national housing shortage.

Well done if you identified those correctly.

When we look at a big geographical issue like whether to build a tidal barrage at Morecambe Bay, it's important to make connections across different topics, and this is called synoptic links.

Although the issue is clearly about energy and resource management, it links to a wide range of other geographical issues too.

For example, it affects coastal landscapes because building a barrage could change the natural shape and processes of the coastline.

Ecosystems and biodiversity, as the structure might impact marine life and habitats in the bay.

Tourism: the area is popular with visitors, and the large development might affect the local tourism economy positively or negatively.

And economic development, since a barrage could bring investment, jobs, and long-term benefits for the region.

So to understand the issue properly, geographers have to think broadly and link together knowledge from lots of different topics.

I would like you to look at the following geographical issue and fill in the table, looking at place in focus, wider context, groups that may hold a viewpoint, and topics that help us to understand the issue.

Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

Let's check our answers.

Your answer may look like this.

For place in focus, it's the Isle of Lewis.

For wider context, the UK needs more reliable clean energy.

For groups that may hold a viewpoint, it's environmentalists, local residents, energy companies, and the local council.

And topics that help us to understand the issue is energy, biodiversity and ecosystems, tourism, and population.

Well done if you identified those correctly.

You've done brilliantly.

We're now going to explore our second question of today's lesson.

What data helps us understand geographical issues? To understand a geographical issue like whether a new reservoir should be built near Abingdon, we need to gather different types of data, and this helps us to understand the wider context and collect evidence.

We can look at: newspaper articles to find out what's being reported and how the issue is presented in the media; viewpoints from different people, local residents, environmental groups, and farmers, to understand different opinions; maps and satellite imagery to see where the reservoir would go and what land might be affected; graphs and charts to show things like rainfall, water use, or population change; photographs or sketches to visualise the local landscape and any changes that could happen; and data tables to present things like water demand or climate trends in a clear, detailed way.

Using a range of sources helps geographers get a more balanced, informed view of an issue.

What sources of data can be used to investigate a geographical issue? I would like you to complete the diagram.

Pause here and press play to continue.

Excellent.

The answers are: maps and satellite imagery and photographs or sketches.

Well done on this.

I hope you identified those correctly.

When we look at whether a reservoir should be built near Abingdon, we need to use different sources of data to fully understand the issues.

These sources help us to understand things in two key ways.

First, data helps us to understand the context.

This means that the background of the location and what's happening in the area.

For example, this map shows exactly where the proposed reservoir would be.

We can see it's just southeast of Abingdon and not far from Oxford.

The size and shape of the shaded area helps us to imagine how much land would be taken up and which villages or roads could be affected.

Second, data gives us evidence, which can be used to form to support our opinions.

For example, we can see from the map that the proposed site is in a fairly rural or less populated area.

That could mean fewer people would be directly impacted by construction, so this might be a good location in terms of reducing conflict.

Using sources like maps, data tables, and viewpoints is an important geographical skill.

It helps us to build arguments, make evaluations, and understand how one decision, like building a reservoir, can affect different people and places in different ways.

This bar chart gives us really useful contextual information.

It shows us how water shortages are expected to increase across different regions of England over time, up to the year 2050.

From the chart, we can clearly see that while all areas are facing rising pressure, the southeast stands out as the region predicted to have the worst shortages.

This is really important when we're looking at why a reservoir is being proposed near Abingdon and Oxfordshire, which is right in that southeast region.

It helps us to understand the wider context.

It's not just a local problem, it's part of a much bigger issue facing the entire region.

Now the chart also provides strong evidence to support the case of building the reservoir.

It shows a clear need for extra water storage in the southeast because demand is likely to keep rising while supply becomes less reliable, especially during hotter, drier summers linked to climate change.

As geography students, this helps us to evaluate the proposal.

If we see that the area chosen is one of the most affected by projected shortages, we can argue that this location is well justified.

We are using data to support a decision just like a real geographer would.

So this graph doesn't just show numbers.

It helps us to understand why the issue matters and gives us evidence we can use when weighing up whether the reservoir is a good idea.

True or false? Alex is using the bar chart as evidence to make a point within a debate.

Pause the video here whilst you decide, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

The answer is true.

Well done if you identified that correctly.

When we look at whether or not a reservoir should be built near Abingdon, it's really important to think about the different opinions people might have.

This slide shows examples of viewpoints from a range of different interest groups, including local residents, environmentalists, businesses, and planners.

For example, some people support the reservoir because it will create jobs, provide essential water, and even help wildlife by forming a new habitat.

These are positive impacts, and supporters might include businesses, water companies, and people who are worried about water shortages.

But others are strongly against it.

Some residents are concerned about the noise and disruption during construction.

Others worry about the cost, like having to move roads or the loss of countryside and nature.

These viewpoints help us to see that this is not a simple decision.

It's a geographical issue with conflicting views.

And part of your job as geographers is to understand and weigh up these arguments.

In your exam, being able to show you've considered both social and environmental impacts and how different people are affected is a key part of evaluating and reaching a balanced conclusion.

Newspaper articles are a really useful source of information when exploring geographical issues like the Abingdon reservoir.

They can give us up-to-date viewpoints, raise public awareness, and even influence decision-making.

But it's really important to remember that newspapers often have a bias.

That means they might present only one side of the story.

For example, the headline "Proposed reservoir sparks concern in Abingdon" focuses on local worries and opposition.

In contrast, "New reservoir could secure water for millions, say planners" highlights the benefits from a national planning perspective.

So as a geographer, we need to look at multiple sources, check for bias, and always ask whose voice is being heard and whose might be missing.

I would like you to read the newspaper article below.

Is it for or against the reservoir proposal? Pause the video here whilst you decide, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

It's against.

Well done if you identified that correctly.

For each newspaper article, I would like you to decide whether the headline suggests that the writer is in favour of the reservoir proposal, against it, or takes a balanced view.

Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

Before we check our answers, I would like you to complete one more task.

I would like you to explain two arguments for and two arguments against building the reservoir near Abingdon based on the maps provided.

Pause the video here whilst you decide, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

Let's check our answers.

For the first question, you needed to decide whether the headline suggested that the writer was in favour of the reservoir proposal, against it, or took a balanced view.

For the first one, "Vital Infrastructure or Local Disruption? Abingdon Reservoir Debate Continues" is balanced.

For "New Reservoir Could Secure Water for Millions, Say Planners" is for.

And "Proposed Reservoir Sparks Concern in Abingdon" is against.

Well done if you identified those correctly.

And then I asked you to explain two arguments for and two arguments against the building of the reservoir near Abingdon based on the maps provided, and your answer might include some of the following points.

For for, the maps show that the reservoir is proposed in an area of low population density, so there are not a lot of people who will need to move.

The map shows that the proposed reservoir is near areas of high population, suggesting that many people could benefit from additional water supply.

And against: infrastructure, including a road, will need to be diverted if the reservoir is to be built.

This will have a significant economic cost.

And countryside with footpaths across it will be flooded.

This will affect animal habitats and stop local residents from walking in the area.

Well done if you managed to include some of those points in your answer.

You've done brilliantly.

We're now going to explore our final question of today's lesson, how do we use evidence to make decisions? As geographers, we use evidence to help make smart decisions that meet the needs of both people and the environment, not just now but in the future too.

And we call this sustainability, and there are key parts to it.

Social sustainability means improving people's lives and wellbeing.

So things like access to water, jobs, or healthcare.

Economic sustainability is about making sure solutions are affordable and bring long-term benefits or value.

And environmental sustainability means protecting the environment, like reducing pollution or saving habitats.

If a solution balances all three, social, economic, and environmental, then it's truly sustainable.

A decision that is socially sustainable is.

Pause the video here whilst you decide, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

The answer is C, good for people's quality of life in the long term.

Well done if you identified that correctly.

One of the biggest challenges in geography is balancing economic benefits with environmental protection.

Let's take the example of building a tidal barrage at Morecambe Bay.

Economically, it could bring lots of positives like creating jobs, making it easier for businesses to move goods, and even boosting local tourism.

But on the other hand, there are environmental consequences.

It could damage coastal ecosystems and encourage more car use, which would increase carbon emissions.

So as geographers, we have to weigh up both sides and decide, is it worth the trade-off? When geographers are trying to decide whether something is a good idea, like building a new reservoir or tidal barrage, we don't just guess, we use evidence to back up our decisions.

We also have to think of a range of topics or areas, such as ecosystems, energy, and the economy.

It's important to think about how different people will be affected, for example, local residents, wildlife groups, or business owners.

And we also look at different places and scales, how decisions might impact locally, regionally, and nationally.

And we don't just focus on what happens now.

Geographers always consider the short-term and the long-term effects.

And finally, we break impacts down into social, economic, and environmental categories.

That helps us to explain clearly whether something is really sustainable or not.

Izzy gives a clear argument in support of building the tidal barrage, focusing on the social and economic benefits.

She explains that the barrage could attract more tourists, which could help to boost the Barrow's local economy.

This increase in visitors might lead to new leisure services, bridging more jobs and improving quality of life for local residents.

Her answer shows strong understanding how infrastructure projects can affect different interest groups such as businesses and communities.

And Izzy's response is strong because she refers to key interest groups, like local people and tourists, explains the long-term benefits using future timescales, and shows knowledge of economic development and quality of life.

Jacob focused on the environmental and energy arguments for building the tidal barrage.

He uses powerful statistics that in 2020, 79% of the UK's energy came from fossil fuels.

These fuels release greenhouse gases which contribute to climate change.

By generating renewable energy for up to 2 million homes, the barrage would help to reduce the UK's carbon emissions and support the move towards a more sustainable energy future.

Jacob's answer is well-justified because he uses data as evidence, making his point more persuasive, links the local issue to a national and global context, and demonstrates understanding of climate change, sustainability, and energy.

What is a weakness in Andeep's answer? Pause the video here whilst you decide, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

He doesn't use any data.

Well done if you identified that correctly.

What is a weakness in Laura's answer? Pause the video here whilst you decide, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

She doesn't explain why this is bad for the environment.

Well done if you identified that correctly.

True or false? There is always a correct solution to a geographical issue.

Pause the video here whilst you decide, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

This statement is false.

I would like you to explain why.

Pause the video here and press play to continue.

Fantastic.

And the reason why it's false is because there is not a correct answer to a geographical issue.

Geographers try and balance economic, social, and environmental concerns and use evidence to justify their opinion.

Well done if you managed to explain that correctly.

I would like you to use the resources on the following slides to answer the following question.

Do you think the Abingdon reservoir proposal should go ahead? Remember to refer to the evidence, consider a range of topic areas, consider the impact on different groups of people, consider the impact over different geographical scales, and consider the impact over time, both short term and long term.

Remember, the resources are on the following slides after this question.

Pause the video here whilst you explore them, and press play to continue.

Excellent.

Let's check our answers.

So you should have managed to look at the maps of the proposed reservoir, the bar chart based on environmental agency projections, local newspaper article, some viewpoints from conflicting people.

There is no correct answer to this question.

However, this is an example of an answer that does all of the following: refers to evidence, considers a range of topic areas, considers the impact on different groups of people, considers the impact over different geographical scales, and considers the impact over time, both short term and long term.

The question was, do you think the Abingdon reservoir proposal should go ahead? And the answer says: on balance, I think Abingdon reservoir proposal should go ahead.

Without the new supplies, England will have severe water shortages in the future.

By 2050, the southeast of England is projected to have water shortages of over 2,500 million litres per day.

If global warming is more rapid than predicted, this water shortage could be even worse.

Abingdon reservoir would be built in the southeast region and therefore will supply the population with a major new source of water to ease supply issues both in the local area and the wider region.

Although some local residents might not be supportive of the project, the reality is that in a densely populated nation like England, this area is relatively free of both residents and infrastructure.

People in nearby villages of East Hanney and Steventon will not need to be relocated as only one minor road will need to be diverted.

And economic cost of construction will be less than in many other potential areas, making the overall project economically sustainable in the long run.

Although in the short term there will be disruption to people during construction, in the long term, the reservoir could provide valuable resource for local people who may be able to use the reservoir and the surrounding areas for leisure activities such as walking, fishing, and sailing.

Environmentalists have pointed to a habitat destruction that will be caused by building the reservoir, including loss of hedgerows, but in the long run, new important habitats and ecosystems will be created by the reservoir associated with wetlands in the surrounding area.

It's important therefore that construction of the environment is paramount during and after construction to make the most of the environmental opportunities that come with the project.

Ultimately, I support building the reservoir as the best way of providing a sustainable water source whilst minimising disruption to people and protecting the environment.

Well done if you managed to include some of those points in your answer.

You've done brilliantly.

We've now come to the end of our learning of evaluating geographical issues, and you've done brilliantly.

Before we end this lesson, let's summarise what we've learned today.

Geographical issues are complex.

They bring together lots of different parts of geography, like the environment, the economy, and people's lives.

They often involve decisions about how land is used and how places might change over time.

To explore these issues, geographers use a wide range of data, including maps, graphs, and viewpoints from different interest groups.

This data helps us to understand the wider context and can be used as evidence to support different arguments.

When making decisions, geographers aim to find a sustainable solution, one that balances the needs of the people and the environment now and in the future.

Well done in today's lesson.

You've done brilliantly.

And I look forward to learning with you again very soon.