Resource Management

What resources are needed for basic human development?

Food, water and energy

What does access to food, water and energy affect?

The economic and social wellbeing of people and countries

What happens when people can’t access enough safe, nutritious food?

They don’t eat the right balance of nutrients leading to malnourishment (this includes undernourishment)

What can malnourishment in children lead to?

Limits childrens development, also increases chance of becoming ill

Globally, how many children under 5 years old die from diseases linked to malnourishment?

One third of all under 5s

What do people need clean, safe water for?

Drinking, cooking and washing

What happens to water without proper sanitation?

Becomes polluted by raw sewage

What diseases are linked to unsanitary water?

Typhoid and cholera

Why do countries need energy?

Industry, transport and domestic use

What can electricity allow countries to do?

Develop industry, creating jobs and wealth

What do lifestyles in HICs rely on?

A large, stable supply of energy

What does low electricity availability lead to in LICs and NEEs?

May use other resources; burning wood leads to local deforestation, kerosene stoves release harmuful fumes

How can a stable energy supply enable access to clean, sanitary water

Energy can be used to power pumps for wells

How can a lack of food, water and energy stunt a country’s development?

Affects a persons ability to go to work or school. This prevents people from learning skills needed to help their country develop

Is the global distribution of resources even?

No

Why is the global distribution of resources uneven?

Some countries don’t have their own energy reserves, some countries don’t have the right climate for crop production

How do countries access more resources?

Import them, or find technical solutions to produce more (eg desalination plants to make salt water safe to drink)

What does consumption of resources depend on?

A country’s wealth as well as resource availability

Why is consumption of resources highest in HICs?

They can afford to buy resources and expect a higher SoL

Why is resource consumption rapidly increasing in NEEs?

Industry, population and wealth are rapidly increasing

Why is resource consumption lowest in LICs?

They can’t afford to either: exploit available resources OR import lacking resources

How has food demand in the UK changed?

Before 1960, most of the produce available in the UK were locally produced and seasonal. Now there is a greater demand for a wider range of products

Why have high value foods become more popular in the UK?

As peoples incomes have increased, exotic fruits, coffee and spices have become more popular. These foods are often grown in LICs and then exported to HICs

What is seasonal produce, and what is happening to the desire for it in the UK?

Seasonal produce is only available during the months that it grows. Fruits and veg are imported from abroad to meet the all year demand for seasonal produce

Why is the demand for organic produce increasing in the UK?

People are becoming more concerned about the effects of food production on the environment and human health. As organic farming is strictly regulated demand is increasing. Some organic produce is produced in the UK, but most is imported

What does the growing, processing and packaging of food produce?

Carbon dioxide

What percentage of the UKs 2017 greenhouse gas emissions came directly from agriculture?

Up 10%

Food miles

The distance food is transported to market - CO2 is also produced here

What is a carbon footprint?

The amount of greenhouse gases that are produced whilst growing, packaging and transporting food - a larger carbon footprint means more greenhouse gases

Imported foods have greater…?

Food miles and carbon footprint

Are people becoming more aware of the distance food travels to them?

Yes - it is leading to some people looking for local sources of food

What has happened to farming since 1960?

Become more industrialised

What is agribusiness?

Large scale, industrial farming where all processes, such as seed and fertiliser production, are controlled by large firms

What has happened to farm sizes in the UK?

Increased - small farms have been taken over and field sizes have increased so food can be produced more cheaply

What has happened to the use of chemicals in farming in the UK?

Is increasing - large quantities of fertilisers and pesticides are applied to crops and animals are given special feed to encourage growth

Why has the number of people working in agriculture in the UK dropped?

Greater use of machinery

What percentage of the UKs population now works in agriculture?

Only 1.1%

What is the problem with water availability in the UK?

The areas with the highest rainfall are the least populated, and the driest areas are the most densely populated

Where in the UK has the highest rainfall?

North and west

What is the water situation in the north and west of the UK?

Water surplus

Where in the UK is population density the highest?

South east and midlands

What is the water situation in the midlands and south east of the UK?

Some areas have a water deficit

Since 1975, by how much has the use of water in UK households increased?

Up by 70%

Why has domestic water use increased?

More appliances require it

By how much is the UK population supposed to increase by 2040?

By over 6 million

Where are we building most new houses? What issue is this creating?

South east, where we already have the least water - will lead to greater water defecit

What reduces the amount of water available to use in the UK?

Polluted or low quality water?

What causes water pollution and contamination?

Nitrates and phosphates from fertilisers are washed into waterways, pollutants from vehicles are washed off into water sources, chemical and oil spills from factories

What percentage of water in southern England comes from groundwater?

80%

What is happening to groundwater sources in the UK?

Becoming polluted - this affects nearly 50% of groundwater used for the public, many have been closed and require expensive repairs

What strategies are being used to manage water quality?

Improving drainage systems and imposing regulations on pesticides and fertilisers

What can be used to help maintain water supplies in the UK?

Transfer water from areas of surplus to defecit (eg Birmingham is supplied with water from Wales)

Why is water transfer difficult?

Dams and aqueducts needed to transfer water are expensive to build, will affect wildlife that live in rivers disrupted by dams, political issues

What source of energy has the UK traditionally relied on?

Fossil fuels - in 1970, 91% of energy came from coal and oil

What happened in 1980 that meant more of the UKs energy was provided by gas?

Large gas reserves in the North Sea were found, so by 1980 22% of the UKs was supplied by gas

What has there been a shift towards in UK energy production?

Renewable sources - now, approx 50% of the UKs energy is generated by renewable sources

What are the biggest generators of renewable energy in the UK?

Wind and bioenergy, but the use of solar and hydroelectric power is increasing

What has happened to North Sea oil and gas reserves since 2000?

They are being swiftly used up and production has been declining

Why is there less demand for coal produced energy?

Concerns over CO2 production have led to aims in reducing emissions, the cost of mining the remaining resources is increasing

What controversial method of energy production was banned in 2019?

The use of shale gas - uses a process called fracking which is controversial

Economic issues from exploiting energy sources - Why has cost of extracting fossil fuels increased?

Reserves are being used up

Economic issues from exploiting energy sources - How does the cost for the consumer of nuclear and renewable energys compare?

Relatively high

Economic issues from exploiting energy sources - Why are alternative sources of energy expensive to find?

Money for research into these sources is needed, then investment is needed to get plants going

Economic issues from exploiting energy sources - Why does the UK have to import energy?

Not enough energy is provided by domestic sources

Environmental issues from exploiting energy sources - What does the burning of fossil fuels release?

Greenhouse gases

Environmental issues from exploiting energy sources - What may fracking do?

Pollute groundwater sources, and cause mini earthquakes

Environmental issues from exploiting energy sources - What accidents can release harmful pollutants into the environment?

Oil spills and nuclear disasters can leak chemicals into the water sources, soils and atmosphere

Environmental issues from exploiting energy sources - How can renewable sources affect the environment negatively?

Natural ecosystems can be damaged turbines and dams, can often by eyesores

What percentage of the Earth’s water is freshwater? And how much of this is unusable due to being locked up in ice sheets?

2.5% is freshwater, 79% of this is in ice sheets

What do we use water for?

Domestic uses, agriculture, industrial, energy, leisure

Water surplus

A supply of water which exceeds the demand

Water deficit

Demand of water exceeds supply

Water security

There is enough water sustain wellbeing, health and economic development

Water insecurity

There is not enough water sustain wellbeing, health and economic development

Water stress

Where there us less than 1700m³ of water available per person per year (can be temporary)

Where in the world suffers with water stress?

Large areas of Africa and southern Asia

Which areas of the world have low water stress?

The north of the northern hemisphere

How does water stress vary in the UK?

Stress in the SE of England, less water stress in Wales and N England

Give one example of a reason why some countries might have a limited availability of water?

Physical water scarcity eg. low annual rainfall combined with high evaporation rates

Why has population growth led to a change in global water consumption?

More people require water as the population increases, meaning the water consumption increases

Why has economic development led to a change in global water consumption?

More industrial and agricultural need for water due to the rise of economic development

Why has energy production led to a change in global water consumption?

More energy is required meaning more water is needed to keep up with the demand

Why has an increased demand for food led to a change in global water consumption?

Water is needed in the production, cleaning and irrigation of food meaning more water is needed to keep up with the demand

Why has increased urbanisation led to a change in global water consumption?

Higher urbanisation means water is needed in construction and more houses need to be supplied with it

How does climate affect water availability?

Lower rainfall (eg. deserts <250mm), higher temperatures lead to higher evaporation rates

How does geology affect water availability?

Areas with aquifers (store water through infiltration of permeable rock) create an important water source

How does pollution of water supply affect water availability?

High levels of water pollution can lead to contaminated water supplies. This can cause diseases such as cholera and dystentery

How does overabstraction affect water availability?

Pumping water out of the ground faster than it can be replaced by rainfall lowers the water table and causes wells to dry

How does limited infrastructure affect water availability?

Prevents safe collection, treatment and delivery of water resulting in water loss through leaks, this can even affect HICs leading to reliance on contaminated sources

How does poverty affect water availability?

Poverty prevents people accessing safe water. Many in LICs only have access to shared water supplies as they lack mains water

Why may river water be unfit for consumption?

Used for carrying away waste water, may contain agricultural and industrial waste

Which is the most polluted river in the world?

Ganges

What percentage of the global water supply does agriculture use?

70%

Why will the Nile (Egypts primary water source) reduce its flow in the future?

Due to demand from countries upstream

What percentage of Egypts food do they import? And why will this number rise?

40% - expected to rise due to climate change and water shortages

What is the second largest consumer of water, behind agriculture?

Industry - at about 19%

By how much is water consumption by industry expected to increase by 2050? Why?

Increase by 120% due to industry in NEEs

Why is there conflict over the River Nile?

Flows through 8 countries, Egypt will not allow the other 7 countries to build dams or affect the Rivers flow

Why is there conflict over the River Ganges?

The Ganges passes through India before flowing into Bangladesh - deforestation in the foothills of the Himilayas leads to more water entering the river nearer the source which can lead to flooding downstream

In areas where high evaporation can seriously deplete surface water storage, what can be done to prevent this?

Diversion of surface water can be undertaken by pumping it underground to be stored in aquifers - reduces loss to evaporation