Resource Security content

Resource

Any aspect of the natural environment that can be used to meet human needs

Resource Security

The ability of a country or region to safeguard a reliable and sustainable flow of resources to maintain the living standards of its population, while ensuring ongoing economic and social development

Exploitation

The action of using natural resources to the fullest or most profitable use

Exploration

The process of searching an area with the intention of finding and mapping natural resources

Reserves

The part of a resource that is available for use under existing economic and political conditions and with available technology

Resource Frontier

A newly colonised region where resources have been discovered and are brought to production for the first time

Resource peak

This marks the point in time when the maximum production rate of a resource occurs

Flow resources

Renewable resources and can be replaced, expressed in annual rates of regeneration

Critical Flow resources

Renewable resources that have to be manually replaced

Stock Resources

Non-renewable resources which can be permanently expended, expressed in absolute amounts

Measured Reserves

If economically viable - measured reserves are known as proven reserves and can be extracted with the greatest degree of confidence

Indicated reserves

Degree of assurance is lower than for measured reserves but high enough to establish estimates of quantity, known as probable reserves

Inferred resources

Due to uncertainty, little to no information for estimation, not viable to mine so known as possible reserves

Hypothetical resources

Undiscovered materials that are reasonably expected to exist in known mining regions under known geological conditions

Speculative resources

Undiscovered material materials that may occur in known types of deposits in geological settings where no previous discoveries have yet been made

Cycle of natural resource development - Exploration

of potential sites can take a number of years, testing for presence and then quality

Cycle of natural resource development - Assessment

Discoveries have to be fully evaluated to determine their viability for production, followed by an EIA

Cycle of natural resource development - Construction

Extraction infrastructure is put in place

Cycle of natural resource development - Operation

Extraction of resource until there are no more viable reserves to exploit

Cycle of natural resource development - Closure

In some cases secondary sites are put in place to extract what’s left of a resource

Cycle of natural resource development - Reclamation

Regeneration of land to rectify environmental damage

Factors affecting time of resource peak

Levels of consumption, world prices of resources, exploration efforts, advances in technology

Physical Risks

Related to the accessibility of available resources in an area evaluated against quantity and quality, location and technology

Geopolitical Risks

Concentration of production in small number of nations, probability of conflict

Peak Production curve

A way to display a resource peak graphically

Peak oil in USA - original peak

70s as underestimation in advances of technology and efficiency

Peak oil in USA - Reason for boosted production in 90s

Development of Alaskan oil field and Trans-Alaskan pipeline

Peak oil in USA - technology impacts

Allowed for the continued development and exploitation of unconventional reserves

Peak oil in USA - 2015 peak back to 70s levels

Due to Shale oil

Supply side management

Methods to increase the supply of a resource

Demand side management

Methods to reduce consumption of a resource

Cost-Benefit analysis

A systematic analysis of advantages and disadvantages likely to result from a development project, where an objective value is allocated to all economic, social and environmental aspects affected

EIA uses

To identify and understand the environmental consequences of a project

Who undertakes the EIA

Speciallist environmental consultants

Potential impacts considered for open-pit copper mine EIA

Aesthetic problems, water pollution, air pollution, toxic waste, noise pollution, dereliction

EIA stages - Initial outline of development

Description of the site construction, identify sources of distrubance

EIA stages - Survey of existing conditions

Identify potentially affected features

EIA stages - Assessment of impacts

Identifies significant impacts

EIA stages - Modifications to mitigate impacts

Alternative methods/solutions offered

EIA stages - Statement published

Non-technical summary published for public consultation, cost-benefit analysis conducted

EIA stages - Decision by relevant authority

Right to appeal available

Water Security

The capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to water

2025 Water Security Prediction

1.8B people living in countries with water scarcity, 2/3 of the world in water stressed areas

Water Sources - surface water supplies

Rivers and resevoirs

Water Sources - Underground stores

Groundwater aquifers

Water Sources - Sea water

Only viable after desalination

Water Demand - Agriculutural use

Irrigation of crops, cleaning livestock

Water Demand - Industrial and commercial use

Coolant in electrical systems, heating, construction and transport, paper manufacture

Water Demand - Domestic use

Drinking, food preparation, personal hygiene

Water Demand - Developing and emerging economies

Heavily Agricultural, often less rainfall so higher demand for irrigation

Water Demand - Europe

Affluent and industry is advanced, higher usage in industry and in the home

Water Stress

Imbalance between water used and resources available

Water availability to be water stressed

Less than 1700m³ per yer

Water stress impacts on freshwater supplies

Over abstraction from rivers and freshwater sources, organic pollution

Climate impact on water supply

reliable annual rainfall and storage can increase supply

Geology impact on water supply

Suitable geological structures are needed for water to be naturally stored in different ways

Drainage impact on water supply

Provides easily accessible source of surface water

Negative impacts on rivers and lakes from abstraction

Reduced downstream flow impacting habitats, decreased discharge and increased sedimentation, impact on soil quality

Factors allowing abstraction on rivers and lakes

River discharge - annual flow must be adequate, variation in the flow risks economic viability, other uses – pollution/animals

Physical characteristics needed for an aquifer

Porous rock to hold fluids, permeable rock to allow infiltration, impermeable rock below to prevent loss

Topography needed for resevoirs

Long narrow basin for low SA:V, minimising population loss

Negative impacts of resevoirs

Habitat loss

Geology needed for reservoirs

Impermeable rock to prevent leakage, must be stable to prevent earthquake damage

Catchment Area needed for reservoirs

Large to increase volume for storage

Water Supply needed for reservoirs

Sustainable flow of water upstream

Flow Fluctuation needed for reservoirs

Cooler areas have less evaporation but more freezing

Physical factors influencing water availability

Latitude, continentality, winds, rainfall

Human factors effecting water availability

Treatment facilities, overuse, discrepancies in infrastructure across rural and urban areas

Water shortage locations

Rapid population growth - Sub-Saharan Africa - 376m without safe water

Water Surplus locations

Temperate and tropical areas - Americas and Europe, good management - USA

Water scarcity locations

2019 (WRI) 1.8B living in water scarcity - N Africa, Central Asia, ME, SS Africa

Economic water scarcity

Water is available but lack of funds to exploit it

Water demand in North America

Agriculture, personal hygiene, maintenance - >1000m³ per year, highest per capita usage

Water demand in W and Central Asia

Agriculture, cotton and cereal production, personal hygiene - >1000m³ per year

Water demand in Sub-Saharan Africa

Unreliable rainfall, lack of infrastructure, mainly agricultural - lowest per capita use <100m³ per year

Hydropolitics

Conflicts over water

Causes for water conflict

No alternative, shared resource

Transboundary river basin

Basin shared between nations

Transboundary river basin risks

Without agreement conflict over use can arise

UN prediction

60 conflicts could arise over fresh water disputes

Berlin Rules on Water Resources

Nations are required to take necessary steps to sustain and manage water reserves and minimise harm to the enviroment

Potable water

Drinking water

Improvede drinking water

Source of water that by using treatment is protected from external contamination especially from faecal matter

Safe drinking water

Water safe for human consumption free from harmful pollutants and bacteria

Catchment management

Increasing total amount of water available, through increased efficiency, abstraction..

Storage by reservoir and dam

Increasing and managing water supply by storing water

Diversion and inter-basin transfer

Transferring water from one catchment in surplus to another in scarcity

Desalination

Removal of salt from sea water, through reverse osmosis or distillation, expenisive

Strategies to reduce domestic water use

Water meters - people pay for exactly what they use providing an incentive not to waste, dual flush toilets, showers>baths, water efficient utility machines

Strategies to reduce agricultural water use

Drip feed irrigation, soaker hoses allow a more even distribution of water, overhead mist sprinklers, mulching soil, organic fertilisers, subsurface drainage, stormwater and runoff collected in ditches and drains, watering plants at cooler temperatures

Virtual water trade uses

Economies with less water bring in high water content products, and export low water content products

Virtual water trade

Water used in production process of agricultural/industrial goods is quantified when water is traded

Conservation Measures - Controlling land use

controlling what infrastructure/practises can happen in an aea

Conservation Measures - Ecological management

Using vegetation cover to reduce runoff and replenish the water table

Conservation Measures - Afforestation

Planting trees to intercept water

Greywater recycling

Collecting and reusing water that doesn’t contain faecal matter for use in toilets/agriculture, putting less strain on non potable sources

Water Recycling

Extensive sewage (and other human sources of water) treatment

Groundwater Management

Diversion of natural water from rivers, wells and artificial infiltration into groundwater aquifers to replenish stocks

UN prediction for 2050

5 Billion affected by water insecurity

Water Futures - Economic

Virtual water trade, water shipping and water management, will become significant when water is more valuable than oil