Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457): Topic: Environment, pollution and conservation — Revision Notes

For full explanations and worked examples, read the environment, pollution and conservation study guide first.

These notes are for the Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457) syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027, Version 2 (published April 2025). “Environment, pollution and conservation” is one of the 22 topics in the section 3 topic list, which is used for Component 1 Written Exam, Component 2 Individual Report and Component 3 Team Project. The syllabus states that knowledge of content is not assessed: these notes show how to use the topic to practise the skills in sections 2 and 4, not facts to memorise.

Use the Global Perspectives hub and the 0457 checklist to track progress. Test yourself afterwards with the environment practice questions.

The skills in one table

Assessment objective (syllabus wording)	What it looks like on this topic	Where it counts
AO1 Research, analysis and evaluation	Find evidence on a pollution or conservation issue; link causes to consequences; judge sources; build a line of reasoning to an action	All three components (100% of Component 1)
AO2 Reflection	Weigh the views of, say, a fisher and a conservation scientist fairly; explain how research changed your own view	Components 2 and 3
AO3 Communication and collaboration	Present arguments clearly; cite and reference sources; contribute to the team action	Components 2 and 3

Key terms

Term	Meaning to use
Issue	“An important subject or problem for discussion” (syllabus)
Perspective	“A viewpoint on an issue based on evidence and reasoning” (syllabus)
Research	“The systematic study of a global issue to find evidence and develop understanding” (syllabus)
Evidence	Information that helps develop understanding or prove something true or false (syllabus wording, shortened)
Argument	A series of statements with reasons and evidence supporting a claim (syllabus wording, shortened)
Pollution	Harmful substances, noise, light or heat released by human activity
Conservation	Protecting habitats, species and resources so they last
Biodiversity	The variety of living things in a place
Sustainability	Meeting present needs without harming the ability of future people to meet theirs
Vested interest	What a source stands to gain or lose from the outcome
Generalisation	A broad statement applied to all cases from a few
Prediction	A statement about what will happen in future
Value	A belief about what is important or right

Real examples at a glance

You never need these facts in an exam. They help you see how issues move between levels, and they make good starting points for research.

Example	What happened	What it shows	One evaluation point
Montreal Protocol (1987)	Countries agreed to phase out ozone-damaging chemicals; ratified by every UN member state	Global action on a pollution problem can work	Some substitutes (HFCs) were strong greenhouse gases, addressed later by the Kigali Amendment (2016)
Minamata, Japan	Mercury in factory wastewater poisoned fish and the people who ate them; disease officially identified in 1956	A local disaster can lead to global rules (Minamata Convention, adopted 2013)	Action was slow; harm continued for years before rules changed
CITES (1973)	International controls on trade in listed wild species	Conservation needs cooperation between importing and exporting countries	Depends on national enforcement, so illegal trade can continue
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022)	Target to conserve 30% of land and sea by 2030	A global target that has to be met through national and local decisions	Protected areas can conflict with people who already live and work there

Must-know distinctions

• Topic vs issue. “Pollution” is a topic. “Should polluting factories be closed if they are a town’s main employer?” is an issue.
• Fact vs claim. A fact can be checked. A claim is presented as true but may not be supported.
• Opinion vs perspective. An opinion is a view. A perspective is a view backed by evidence and reasoning.
• Bias vs vested interest. Vested interest is a reason to check a source. Bias is what you find when it is one-sided. Show the bias from the text; do not just assume it.
• Cause vs consequence. A cause explains why the problem exists. A consequence is its effect on people, places or wildlife.
• Course of action vs aim. “Reduce plastic in the sea” is an aim. “A deposit-return scheme on drinks bottles” is a course of action.
• Local issue vs global issue. The Team Project needs a local issue. The Individual Report needs a global research question.
• Evidence of Action vs evidence of research. Evidence of Action is produced during the action; it “should not include evidence of research or initial meetings”.

Mini plan: assessing actions (Component 1 style)

Question type: “Which action would be most effective in reducing pollution in [the place in the sources]? Explain your judgement with reasons and evidence from the sources.”

1. Opening judgement (1–2 sentences). Name the action you think is most effective and the main reason.
2. Action A. What it would do; which cause it tackles; evidence from the sources for and against; who gains and who loses.
3. Action B. Same structure. Compare directly with A (“unlike A, this…”).
4. Action C (if given). Same structure, shorter if weaker.
5. Criteria. Weigh them against effectiveness, cost, fairness, how long it takes, and unintended consequences.
6. Reasoned conclusion. Restate the judgement; say what would make it more effective (for example, combining two actions); note one uncertainty in the evidence.

Use only the sources given. Candidates “are not assessed on their prior knowledge” in Component 1.

Mini plan: Individual Report on this topic

1. Global research question as the title (open, debatable, global).
2. Explain the issue and show it has global impact.
3. Perspectives: local and/or national, and global, with the reasons behind each.
4. Causes and consequences analysed in depth.
5. Several courses of action considered; one chosen and explained (how it would be implemented and its impact).
6. Sources evaluated for reliability and credibility, cited throughout.
7. Your own view, reflecting on research findings, your learning and others’ perspectives; answer your question.

See the Individual Report revision notes for structure and referencing.

Mini plan: Team Project on this topic

1. Pick a local issue the team can act on, such as waste, noise or habitat loss on or near school grounds.
2. Each member researches a different aspect or perspective (for example, students, caretakers, neighbours, a local council).
3. Agree one action, a plan of action, and roles and responsibilities, and record them in the Explanation of Research and Planning (300–400 words).
4. Decide how you will evidence the action and measure its success before you start: take a baseline count or survey.
5. Carry out the action and keep a log of meetings, tasks and support given and received.
6. Write your own Reflective Paper (750–1000 words): your research findings, what you learned, how effective the action and teamwork were, and how you could improve.

See the Team Project revision notes for the marking tables.

Quick self-test

1. Is “conservation” an issue or a topic? Explain.
2. Give the syllabus definition of a perspective.
3. Which assessment objective is not credited in Component 1?
4. Name the eight terms Component 1 says you will benefit from understanding.
5. Classify: “If nothing is done, the coral reef will be dead within twenty years.”
6. Classify: “Every farmer uses too much fertiliser.”
7. A forestry company writes a report saying logging does no lasting harm. What should you check?
8. What is the difference between listing causes and analysing them?
9. Give one way a Team Project team could measure the success of a campaign to reduce waste at school.
10. Name two forms Evidence of Action could take.
11. What must an Individual Report propose about courses of action?
12. Why is “Pollution” not a good Individual Report title?

Answers

1. A topic. An issue is a specific question people disagree about within the topic.
2. “A viewpoint on an issue based on evidence and reasoning.”
3. AO2 Reflection (0% of Component 1).
4. Bias, claim, fact, generalisation, opinion, prediction, value and vested interest.
5. A prediction.
6. A generalisation.
7. Its vested interest, who funded the research, how the evidence was gathered, whether it leaves out contrary evidence, and whether independent sources agree.
8. Analysis links causes into chains and shows how each leads to a consequence; a list just names them.
9. For example, weigh the waste bin contents for a week before and a week after the campaign.
10. Any two of: posters, leaflets, web pages, videos (10 minutes maximum), presentations, photographs of an event.
11. Consider different courses of action and propose a single one, explaining how it could be implemented and what its impact would be.
12. It is a topic, not a question; it does not divide opinion and gives no focus for perspectives.

Where marks are usually lost

• Writing what you know about the environment instead of using the sources in Component 1.
• Calling a source “biased” without quoting the words or omissions that show it.
• Treating every group as having one view (“environmentalists want…”) instead of showing different perspectives within a group.
• Missing the global level in an Individual Report on a local pollution story.
• Proposing an action with no detail on who would carry it out, who pays or how it would be judged.
• Ignoring unintended consequences, such as job losses when a polluting plant closes.
• Choosing a Team Project action too large to carry out or measure.
• Reflective Papers that describe what happened without saying what you learned and how you could improve.
• Using statistics from a source without checking sample size, date or who collected them.

Official syllabus

Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457) syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027, Version 2 (published April 2025), sections 2, 3 and 4. Your teacher will confirm which topics and issues your class will use.