Environmental Quality Factors

Study Notes

Environmental quality refers to the standard of the environment around us, which affects human wellbeing and liveability.
Higher environmental quality is linked to better human wellbeing and liveability.

Natural hazards can negatively affect the liveability of a place.
There are two types of natural hazards: atmospheric hazards and hydrologic hazards.
Atmospheric hazards include:
- Cyclones
- Bushfires
- Severe thunderstorms
Hydrologic hazards include:
- Floods
- Droughts
Droughts occur due to a lack of rainfall over an extended period, leading to:
- Water supplies drying up
- Crops not growing
- Animals dying
- Dust storms
Droughts can lead to bushfires, as seen in the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983 and the Black Saturday bushfires.

A tropical cyclone is an area of rapidly rising air that rotates around a central core called the eye.
Wind speed must exceed 119 km/h to be considered a cyclone.
Cyclones can cover large areas, from 80 km to 1000 km in diameter.
Cyclones need warm water (26°C or more) to form, which leads to:
- Evaporation and condensation into clouds
- Release of heat, warming the air and making it rise
- Addition of more air, making the cyclone more intense
The Earth's rotation causes cyclones to spin clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere and anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.

Military conflict can harm the environment, as seen in the Gulf War in the early 1990s, where:
- Bombing campaigns destroyed infrastructure
- Oil pipelines were destroyed, polluting soil and waterways

Overpopulation can lead to:
- Excessive food consumption
- Lack of food security
- Decreased environmental quality
Pollution decreases the liveability of a place, as seen in Mumbai, where breathing air is equivalent to smoking 2.5 cigarette packets per day.
Traffic is a major contributor to air pollution, producing carbon dioxide and polluting the environment, as seen in Bangkok.