3.2.1.5 The 'global commons' and Antarctica as a global common Quiz: AQA Geography, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. The concept of the global commons refers to:

   • Land owned by a single country for its own use, managed by its government for the benefit of its citizens
   • Resources and spaces that no single state owns, such as the high seas, the atmosphere and Antarctica
   • Commercial shipping routes controlled by one company, which charges fees for passage through the seas
   • Farmland owned by local communities, which is shared among members for grazing and crop production

2. Which of these is most commonly identified as a global commons?

   • A private farm in a rural area, which is owned and managed by a single family for profit
   • The high seas beyond national jurisdiction
   • A single city street, which is maintained by the municipal council of the city it belongs to
   • A national park within one country, which is protected by the laws of that country's government

3. Which statement about the rights of all people to the global commons is most accurate?

   • Only wealthy states can use the global commons, which are reserved for those with the technology to exploit them
   • Rights to benefit from the global commons are shared, but they also carry a responsibility to protect them
   • All rights to the global commons belong to one country, which decides how the resources are used and by whom
   • The global commons carry no responsibilities, since their resources are unlimited and cannot be damaged by use

4. Which of these is a threat to Antarctica arising from the search for resources?

   • Mineral exploration that could damage fragile environments
   • Growth of tropical rainforest, which would spread across the ice and replace the existing cover
   • Increase in tropical cyclones, which would bring warm air and heavy storms to the continent each year
   • Expansion of volcanic islands, which would create new land along the coast of the continent

5. The Antarctic Treaty was signed in which year?

   • 1945, the year in which the United Nations was established at the end of the Second World War
   • 1982, the year in which the International Whaling Commission introduced its moratorium on whaling
   • 1991, the year in which the Protocol on Environmental Protection was agreed by the signatory states
   • 1959

6. Which agreement prohibits mineral resource activity in Antarctica and adds environmental protection?

   • The Montreal Protocol, which phased out the production of substances that damage the ozone layer
   • The Paris Agreement, which sets out national commitments to limit global warming in the twenty-first century
   • The Kyoto Protocol, which sets targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by developed countries
   • The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty

7. The IWC Whaling Moratorium was introduced in which year?

   • 1982
   • 1945, the year in which the first international whaling agreement was signed at the end of the war
   • 1991, the year in which the Protocol on Environmental Protection was agreed in Madrid by the signatories
   • 1959, the year in which the Antarctic Treaty was signed by twelve countries with interests in the continent

8. Which of these is a role of NGOs in relation to Antarctica?

   • Monitoring threats and campaigning for stronger protection
   • Controlling the ocean currents around the continent, which are managed by NGO scientists on a rota basis
   • Setting the tectonic plate boundaries under the ice, which are mapped and defined by NGO geologists
   • Owning the land and deciding its use, since NGOs hold the title to the continent under international law

9. Which factor makes Antarctica vulnerable to global economic pressures?

   • Its high population density, which places pressure on land and water resources across the continent
   • Its fragile environment and its role in regulating global climate, which can be affected by distant activity
   • Its position on a mid-ocean ridge, which exposes its coast to constant volcanic activity and heat
   • Its very large tropical forests, which are valuable for timber and attract commercial logging companies

10. Which institution monitors and inspects activities under the Antarctic Treaty system?

    • The Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings and their inspection system
    • The International Monetary Fund, which monitors the financial activities of research stations
    • The World Bank, which funds the inspection of Antarctic infrastructure through development loans
    • The World Trade Organization, which inspects shipments of goods arriving at Antarctic ports

11. Which statement best evaluates the governance of Antarctica?

    • The governance of Antarctica is complete and faces no real challenges, since every threat is already covered by the treaties and protocols
    • Antarctica has no governance at all, which is why it has become an unregulated zone for commercial activity
    • The governance of Antarctica has never had any effect, since none of its rules have been enforced by any state
    • The governance system has limited some threats, but enforcement and future pressures such as climate change remain challenges

12. Which of these illustrates the threat of tourism to Antarctica?

    • Increasing numbers of visitors that may disturb wildlife and introduce pollution
    • Reduction in human visits to all coastal areas, which allows the seabirds to nest without disturbance
    • Growth of forests across the continent, which is encouraged by the presence of tourists and their plants
    • A decline in ice cover caused by volcanic eruptions, which is made worse by visitors on the coast

13. Which of these is an example of fishing pressure on the Southern Ocean?

    • Overfishing of krill and fish species that support the Antarctic food web
    • Harvesting of trees from a rainforest, which takes place in the interior of South America
    • Fishing of tropical reef species in shallow lagoons, which are located far to the north of the Antarctic zone
    • Mining of coal from an underground seam, which is carried out in the Antarctic peninsula region

14. Which feature of the Antarctic Treaty system is most important for conservation?

    • Its absence of any rules for any activity, which allows scientists to act freely without restriction
    • Its provisions for inspection and enforcement of environmental rules
    • Its focus on mining as the primary economic use, which funds the research stations on the continent
    • Its requirement that all visitors bring a permanent settlement, which keeps the population stable

15. Which statement about the geographical consequences of Antarctic governance is most accurate?

    • Governance decisions only affect penguins, which are the only species that depend on the continent
    • Governance has no link to global climate, which is determined only by the orbit of the Earth around the Sun
    • Governance decisions have no effect beyond Antarctica, since the continent is isolated from all other places
    • Governance decisions affect people and places beyond Antarctica, such as through climate and fisheries

16. Which statement about the global commons and sustainable development is most accurate?

    • Sustainable development must include protecting the global commons, not only the use of resources
    • Sustainable development should ignore the global commons, since their protection slows economic growth
    • The global commons are unrelated to sustainable development, which concerns only the land within national borders
    • Sustainable development always means maximising extraction from the commons, which is the most efficient way to grow

17. Which of these is a threat to the global commons arising from climate change?

    • Expansion of desert in polar regions, which is caused by the increase in temperature across the Arctic
    • Increased volume of freshwater lakes in the interior of continents, which is caused by melting ice and snow
    • Growth of rainforest on the high seas, which is driven by the warmer temperatures of the open ocean
    • Rising sea levels and changing ocean chemistry affecting marine ecosystems

18. A research station is established on Antarctica by an international team. Which governance framework would most likely apply?

    • No framework because there are no rules for Antarctica, which remains entirely unregulated
    • The Antarctic Treaty system, which governs scientific activity and environmental protection
    • The rules of the International Whaling Commission only, which cover all activity in the Southern Ocean
    • The rules of a single national mining company, which controls all activity on the continent

19. Which of these is a valid evaluation of the concept of the global commons?

    • It helps show the need for shared responsibility, though enforcing it is difficult when interests conflict
    • It proves that the global commons are owned by one state, which has the right to exclude all others
    • It shows that no one can benefit from the global commons, which are reserved for scientific use alone
    • It shows that the global commons never need protection, since they are naturally self-renewing

20. A country proposes to extract minerals from a part of Antarctica. Which evaluation is most accurate?

    • Such extraction is only a matter for the Arctic, which is the only region covered by mineral protection rules
    • Such extraction is automatically permitted by the Antarctic Treaty, which allows all states to exploit the minerals
    • Such extraction has no environmental consequences, since minerals are inert and cannot damage ecosystems
    • Such extraction would conflict with the spirit of the Antarctic governance system and the environmental protection provisions

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