Unit 3 - Resource Management

Four dimensions of food insecurity

Availability, utilization, access, and stability.

Brassica oleracea

A plant species including cabbage, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower.

The Green Revolution

Increased crop yields through technology and fertilizers.

The yield gap

The difference between actual and potential crop yields, usually ~50%.

Satellites, drones, smart sensors

Tools for precision agriculture monitoring crops and soil.

Agricultural stress index

Measures crop stress from drought or pests.

Balance of nutrient flows

Sustainable nutrient cycling in traditional ecosystems.

Urbanizing societies cut out feedback

Urbanization disrupts nutrient recycling in agriculture.

Linear agricultural system

Industrial farming without nutrient recycling, leading to waste.

Malthusianism

Belief that population growth will outpace food supply.

Cornucopianism

Optimism that technology will solve resource shortages.

Neo-Malthusianism

Modern emphasis on sustainability and population control.

Carrying capacity

Maximum population sustainable by available resources.

Population explosion

Rapid and unsustainable population growth.

Population bomb

Prediction of crises due to overpopulation.

Linear growth

Slow, steady increase over time.

Geometric growth

Exponential population increase.

Agricultural innovations

Technologies improving farming efficiency (e.g., Boserup's theory).

Boserup

Proposed that population growth drives agricultural innovation.

Simon-Ehrlich wager

Debate over resource scarcity versus innovation.

Soylent Green

Dystopian fiction about overpopulation and resource scarcity.

Biome

A large area with similar climate, plants, and animals.

Habitat

The natural environment of a species.

Ecosystem

Interactions of organisms and their environment.

Water stress index

Measures water demand vs. availability.

RFF (Rice Field Fisheries)

Combining rice farming with aquatic species.

Ecological footprint

Human demand on Earth's ecosystems.

Six factors of ecological footprint

Forest, carbon, cropland, pasture, built-up land, fisheries.

Waste systems

Managing waste via recycling, landfills, or incineration.

Linear economy

A one-way system: take, make, waste.

The three R's

Reduce, reuse, recycle.

Zero waste hierarchy

Refuse, rethink, redesign, reduce, reuse, recycle, compost, manage waste.

La Chureca

A major landfill in Nicaragua.

Musorniy Poligon

A large landfill in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Uch Chaka

Kyrgyz initiative for waste sorting that struggled with costs.

Zabaleen

Egyptian community with high recycling rates (~70-80%).

Agbogbloshie, Accra, Ghana

E-waste site causing pollution and health issues.

Landfill

Waste disposal sites; can later be reclaimed.

Incineration (Japan)

Burning waste for energy; ~80% of waste incinerated in Japan.

Kamikatsu (recycling)

Japanese zero-waste town with detailed sorting system.

Awaza

Turkmenistan's resort town, part of economic diversification.

Ashkabat

Turkmenistan's capital, famous for white marble and fountains.

Kara Kum

Desert facing salinization and desertification.

Salinization

Soil degradation from salt buildup.

Water logging

Over-saturated soil damaging crops.

Desertification

Fertile land turning into desert.

Value chain risks for climate change

Climate impacts on supply chains.

External stakeholder risks

Reputational and regulatory risks from climate change.

Avaaz

Global activism organization for climate and social issues.

360.org

Climate advocacy group for clean energy solutions.

Biogas

Renewable energy from decomposing organic waste.

SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)

17 global goals for sustainability by 2030.

MDGs (Millennium Development Goals)

Precursor to SDGs, focused on development.

Sustainability

Meeting present needs without harming future generations.

United Nations Organization

Global body for peace, development, and sustainability.

Soil ecology

Study of soil organisms and their interactions.

Environmental degradation

Decline in environmental quality.

Externality

Uncompensated costs or benefits from activities.

Externality Gradient

Gradual change in environmental impact.

Localized pollution

Pollution confined to specific areas.

Air pollution

Contamination of the atmosphere by harmful substances.

Noise pollution

Harmful or disruptive sound levels.

Light pollution

Excess artificial light impacting natural processes.

Visual pollution

Unsightly or damaging impacts on landscapes.

Ground pollution

Soil contamination from waste or chemicals.

Water pollution

Contamination of water bodies harming ecosystems.

The energy ladder

Stages of energy use as societies develop.

The water-food-energy nexus

Interconnectedness of water, food, and energy resources.

Fracking

Extracting oil and gas by fracturing rock layers.

Naryn River/Syr Darya

Major rivers in Central Asia.

Aral Sea

Shrinking sea due to water diversion.

Flood irrigation

Watering crops by flooding fields.

Drip irrigation

Efficient watering system delivering water to plant roots.

Supply chain

Network involved in producing and delivering goods.

Carbon footprints

Total greenhouse gases emitted by an entity.

Water footprint

Water used to produce goods or services.

Embedded water

Water hidden in the production of goods.

Virtual water

Water transferred through trade of goods.

Ecological footprint

Measure of human demand on Earth's ecosystems.

Global hectares

Unit measuring ecological footprint.

World overshoot day

Date when humanity's demand exceeds Earth's annual resource replenishment capacity.

Desalination

Removing salt from seawater for use.

Cloud seeding

Inducing precipitation by dispersing particles in clouds to make condensation nuclei, and droplets form.

Water abstraction

Extracting and redistributing water from natural sources and desitinations.

Imported water

Water brought from external sources, especially abroad.

Renewable water

Naturally replenished water resources (e.g., via rainfall or snowmelt).

Fossil water

Ancient, non-renewable groundwater.

The Great Man-Made River

Libya's pipeline system tapping fossil water.

Running water

Flowing freshwater in the pipes of homes.

Physical water scarcity

Insufficient water resources to meet demand, e.g., not enough precipitation.

Economic water scarcity

Lack of infrastructure to access physically available water.

Water-hungry crops

Crops like rice, cotton requiring large water amounts.

Dams

Structures controlling water flow for storage and energy.

Oasis

Fertile area in deserts with water access.

Aquifers

Underground bank of water.

Wells

Structures accessing groundwater.

Impermeable rock

Rock layers blocking water flow.

Permeable rock

Rock layers allowing water flow.

Water line

Surface level of stored or moving water.

Water table

Upper level of groundwater.