, IED1501 ASSIGNMENT 3 PORTFOLIO
DUE DATE: 28 OCTOBER 2026
QUESTION 1
1.1 Use your own words to define the following concepts fully
1.1.1 Climate change
Climate change is a long-term and significant alteration in the statistical properties of the
climate system, including changes in average temperature, precipitation patterns, wind
regimes and the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. It is driven
predominantly by the accumulation of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane
and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere as a result of human activities, including the
combustion of fossil fuels, deforestation, industrial processes and intensive agriculture.
Unlike short-term weather fluctuations, climate change unfolds over decades to centuries
and produces cascading effects on ecosystems, water cycles, sea levels and human
societies. The study guide emphasises that climate change is not merely a biophysical
phenomenon but one that intersects with social, economic and political dimensions, making
it a central concern of environmental education (Hebe, 2025, pp. 45–52, Learning Unit 2).
1.1.2 Biodiversity
Biodiversity refers to the full variety and variability of living organisms on Earth,
encompassing three interrelated levels: genetic diversity within species, species diversity
within ecosystems, and ecosystem diversity across landscapes and biomes. It includes not
only the number of different species but also the complex ecological processes, interactions
and evolutionary relationships that sustain life. Biodiversity underpins essential ecosystem
services such as pollination, nutrient cycling, water purification, soil formation and climate
regulation, upon which human well-being depends. The study guide presents biodiversity
as a foundational component of the biophysical environment whose loss threatens both
ecological stability and human livelihoods (Hebe, 2025, pp. 53–58, Learning Unit 2).
DUE DATE: 28 OCTOBER 2026
QUESTION 1
1.1 Use your own words to define the following concepts fully
1.1.1 Climate change
Climate change is a long-term and significant alteration in the statistical properties of the
climate system, including changes in average temperature, precipitation patterns, wind
regimes and the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. It is driven
predominantly by the accumulation of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane
and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere as a result of human activities, including the
combustion of fossil fuels, deforestation, industrial processes and intensive agriculture.
Unlike short-term weather fluctuations, climate change unfolds over decades to centuries
and produces cascading effects on ecosystems, water cycles, sea levels and human
societies. The study guide emphasises that climate change is not merely a biophysical
phenomenon but one that intersects with social, economic and political dimensions, making
it a central concern of environmental education (Hebe, 2025, pp. 45–52, Learning Unit 2).
1.1.2 Biodiversity
Biodiversity refers to the full variety and variability of living organisms on Earth,
encompassing three interrelated levels: genetic diversity within species, species diversity
within ecosystems, and ecosystem diversity across landscapes and biomes. It includes not
only the number of different species but also the complex ecological processes, interactions
and evolutionary relationships that sustain life. Biodiversity underpins essential ecosystem
services such as pollination, nutrient cycling, water purification, soil formation and climate
regulation, upon which human well-being depends. The study guide presents biodiversity
as a foundational component of the biophysical environment whose loss threatens both
ecological stability and human livelihoods (Hebe, 2025, pp. 53–58, Learning Unit 2).
