6.2.1 Transboundary pollution - Chernobyl
Content
- Geographic inquiry and concept(s)
- How global interactions create environmental risks for particular places and people
- Geographic knowledge and understanding
- Transboundary pollution (TBP) affecting a large area/more than one country
- Case study or detailed examples
- One TBP case study including the consequences and possible responses
- Aims of this lesson
- To have knowledge of what transboundary pollution is.
- To have knowledge and understanding of the impact that transboundary pollution can have on more than one country.
Base knowledge and understanding
News article
The no-go zone paradox: Chornobyl’s wildlife thrives amid pro-nuclear shift
World’s worst nuclear disaster leaves mixed legacy of nature’s resilience amid serious contamination, as wars increase lobbying for energy supply
The Guardian · 23 April 2026
Words to be defined
- Incidental pollution
- Pollution caused by oil spills, by the accidental release of radioactive substances, by the immission in water bodies or in the atmosphere of chemical substances deriving from industrial activities.
- Transboundary pollution
- The pollution that originates in one country but is able to cause damage in another country’s environment, by crossing borders through pathways like water or air.
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Review
- Analyse the causes and consequences of transboundary pollution affecting one or more named areas. [12]
- The environmental costs of globalisation can never be fully managed. To what extent do you agree with this statement? [16]
- International civil society organisations are more effective than national governments at addressing the environmental risks of globalisation. To what extent do you agree with this statement? [16]
- The environmental impacts of globalisation affect all places equally. To what extent do you agree with this statement? [16]