Living With Climate Risk · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Understanding climate risk

Geography · People & Environments · ages 15-16
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. What does climate adaptation mean?

    • Adjusting how people live to reduce harm from actual or expected climate effects
    • Reducing emissions to limit additional warming and future hazards
    • Returning damaged services to their previous state after a disaster

  2. Which three factors help explain climate risk?

    • Hazard, exposure and the amount of greenhouse gases a country emits
    • Hazard, exposure and vulnerability, including coping capacity
    • Hazard, national income and the total area within a country's borders

  3. A country with low historical emissions can still face high climate risk.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. A city moves a clinic outside the flood zone and adds backup power for outages. Which description matches the two changes?

    • Relocation reduces vulnerability; backup power reduces exposure
    • Relocation reduces exposure; backup power improves coping during outages
    • Relocation lowers the hazard; backup power speeds financial recovery

  5. Two towns face floodwater of equal depth and duration. One has fewer homes in the flood zone and better emergency services. Why might it suffer less harm?

    • Better services mean the town faces a less intense flood hazard
    • Fewer homes in the flood zone means its buildings are stronger
    • Fewer homes are exposed, and services help people cope

  6. A farmer uses drought-tolerant crops and buys harvest insurance. How do these measures help in different ways?

    • Crops may limit crop loss; insurance supports financial recovery
    • Crops reduce drought; insurance reduces farm exposure
    • Crops mainly protect income after harvest; insurance protects plants as they grow

  7. An aid fund prioritises unmet need and charges larger historical emitters more. Island A has high unmet need and low past emissions. Island B can fund its own protection and has high past emissions. What fits the rule?

    • Prioritise aid to A for unmet need; ask B to contribute more for its past emissions
    • Prioritise aid to B for its larger economy; ask A to contribute less
    • Split aid equally between islands; set contributions by current need

  8. A mayor proposes cutting emissions but doing nothing to prepare for current flood risk. Which response addresses the gap?

    • Wait for lower emissions to reduce flooding before preparing the city
    • Shift all funding to flood protection and postpone changes to energy supply
    • Add suitable adaptation for current risk while also cutting emissions
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Understanding climate risk W1-mt_B4xy4Bs3DR-s1

  1. Adjusting how people live to reduce harm from actual or expected climate effects · Adaptation adjusts to climate effects to reduce harm. Emission reduction is mitigation; restoring a previous condition does not necessarily reduce future harm.
  2. Hazard, exposure and vulnerability, including coping capacity · Risk depends on the hazard, who or what is exposed, and vulnerability. Coping and recovery capacity are part of vulnerability.
  3. True · Historical emissions describe contribution to warming. Location, livelihoods and coping resources also shape local risk.
  4. Relocation reduces exposure; backup power improves coping during outages · Relocation moves the clinic away from the flood's path. Backup power supports its operation during an outage.
  5. Fewer homes are exposed, and services help people cope · Fewer exposed homes and stronger emergency services can reduce harm under similar local flood conditions.
  6. Crops may limit crop loss; insurance supports financial recovery · Drought-tolerant crops may withstand dry conditions better. Insurance can help with covered financial losses but does not protect living plants.
  7. Prioritise aid to A for unmet need; ask B to contribute more for its past emissions · The stated policy prioritises A's unmet protection needs and asks B, the larger historical emitter, to contribute more.
  8. Add suitable adaptation for current risk while also cutting emissions · Emission cuts limit additional warming. Suitable adaptation addresses current and expected impacts; neither replaces the other.
Worksheet · LightMySky