HSC Geography › Human–Environment Interactions › 12.1
Activity Materials — Natural & Human-Induced Change
NSW Stage 6 Geography (2022) · Student worksheet · Land cover change
Activity 1 · Sort the drivers
Distinguishing natural from anthropogenic change · ~10 min
Write each driver below into the correct column. Some could be argued both ways — if so, put it in the middle and note why.
Drivers: volcanic eruption · burning coal · bushfire started by lightning · clearing forest for farmland · solar cycles · car exhaust · earthquake · overgrazing · Earth's axial tilt · aerosol pollution
| Natural | Both / it depends | Human-induced |
|---|
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
One-sentence reflection: why is a lightning bushfire in a drought that was worsened by warming hard to classify?
Activity 2 · Read the CO₂ curve
Processing geographical information: interpreting a line graph · ~15 min
Use the graph to answer the questions. Show working where a calculation is asked for.
- What was the approximate CO₂ concentration in 1850? And now?
- Calculate the approximate increase in ppm from the pre-industrial baseline (~280) to today.
- In one word, describe the shape of the curve after 1950. Why is this shape significant?
- Name the two human activities most responsible for this rise.
Activity 3 · Explain the mechanism
Applying geographical understanding: causal chains · ~10 min
Complete the flow chain by filling each blank box, then write the full chain as one sentence underneath.
| Burn fossil fuels | → | ? | → | Enhanced greenhouse effect | → | ? |
| coal, oil, gas | | | | heat trapped | | |
Write it as one sentence:
Extension: explain why deforestation is called a “double hit” on the carbon cycle.
Activity 4 · Spatial variation — account for the difference
Interconnection & scale · ~15 min
For each region, tick faster or slower than the global average, then give the reason in your own words.
| Region | Faster / Slower | Reason (mechanism) |
|---|
| Arctic | | |
| Europe | | |
| India | | |
| East Antarctica | | |
Key term to define: ice–albedo feedback.
Activity 5 · Australian evidence file
Acquiring geographical information from a reputable source · ~20 min (may be homework)
Using the BoM/CSIRO State of the Climate report (latest edition), complete the evidence file. Record the figure and the exact source you found it in.
| Indicator | Figure / trend | Source (report & year) |
|---|
| Air temperature change since 1910 | | |
| Sea-surface temperature change since 1900 | | |
| Cool-season rainfall trend, SW WA | | |
| Trend in extreme fire weather | | |
Activity 6 · Extended-response plan
Communicating geographical understanding · ~15 min
Plan (do not yet write) a response to the question below. Fill each box with dot points only.
Question: “Explain how natural processes and human activities interact to change Earth's natural systems.”
| Paragraph | Content (dot points) |
|---|
| Introduction | |
| Body 1 — natural drivers | |
| Body 2 — human drivers | |
| Body 3 — interaction / amplification | |
| Conclusion | |
Concept: interconnectionConcept: changeConcept: scale