Describe and explain the strengths and limitations of the strategies
- Strengths: Consider how the strategy addresses the issue — which part of the problem the strategy solves, how it works, and what the outcomes are
- Eg. Prohibiting the residential use of banjihas will prevent these dangerous forms of substandard housing from being rented out to people who might end up trapped in them during floods, thereby preventing death and property loss.
- Eg. Building underground tunnels will increase the capacity of Seouil’s drainage system and divert floodwaters, hence preventing or reducing the severity of floods and the risk of death and property loss from flooded banjihas.
- Limitations: Consider what does the strategy cannot do/ which part of the problem it does not address, and the outcomes.
- Eg. Prohibiting residential use of banjihas does not address the underlying problem of high housing prices and and low-income residents not being able to afford them; the failure of the 2012 attempt to prohibit banjihas also suggests that enforcement is an issue. Ultimately, people may be forced out their homes to live in illegally-rented banjihas or made homeless and continue being at rist to floods.
- Eg. Building underground tunnels does not address the underlying problem of climate change, which is which is what is responsible for the extreme weather events that cause severe flooding — the city will have to endlessly increase drainage capacity, whih may still prove insufficient to deal with unexpectly severe floods in the future and continue exposing residents to flooding and its risks.
What actions can individuals take to respond or to address thie issues
- Consider what needs to be done, who needs to do it, and the role of the individual in bringing that about; elaborate in detail to explain how this addresses/help solve the problem
- Note: make sure suggested action is
- Relevant to the issue — consider the limitations of the strategies you identified earlier, and
- Feasible i.e. can actually work in real life — consider constraints like costs, human nature etc.
- Possible range of actions by various stakeholders:
- Government: pass/amend/enforce laws and policies -> individuals can pressure govt. to act through petitions or protests or support such measures through compliance
- Businesses: change practices to reduce harm -> individuals can boycott errant companies or support those that do good
- Non-profits/charities take direct action on problem, or provide aid/support to victims, raise awareness of issue etc. -> individuals can donate or volunteer their time and expertise
- Individuals can also take direct action on problem, change their lifestyles, or help raise awareness of issue etc.
- E.g. Individuals can write in to their elected representatives to pressure the govt. to do more to address the high cost of housing in Seoul e.g. by building subsidised low-cost public housing; they can also support such measures by willingly paying higher taxes and supporting/voting for political parties that promise to address cost of living concerns - helps provide better affordable housing alternatives to lower-income residents in banjihas
- E.g. Individuals can also do their part to address climate change by changing their lifestyle to reduce their carbon footprint e.g. by reducing electricity usage, switching to public transport, or consuming less -> mitigates climate change to reduce likelihood and severity of future floods