IB DP Geography Unit 3 - Global Resource Consumption and Security

Biocapacity

the amount of land and water needed to provide resources for humanity

Biological diversity

the variability among living organisms

Biofuel power

method of energy production from either burning plant material, transforming plant matter into ethanol, or using digestion to convert biomass to methane

Carbon footprint

the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities

Cartel

organization of people that sell the same goods that periodically meet to determine market prices; prices can be driven up by restricting the amount sold

Carrying Capacity

the maximum number of people that a region can support

Circular Economy

attempts to preserve natural capacity, optimize resource use and reduce loss through managing finite stocks and renewable flows

Club of Rome

an organization of the smartest people on the planet in the 1970's that called themselves "Neo-Malthusians" and created the Limits to Growth Model that examined the long term trends in population, agriculture, natural resources, industry and pollution

Core

the countries associated with being economic center of Earth; also called MEDC's or HIC's

Crude Oil

unrefined oil straight from the ground

Ecological Footprint

the hypothetical area of land (and water) required by a society, a group or an individual to fulfill all their resources needs and assimilate all their waste; measured in global hectares (gha)

Embedded water (Virtual water)

the way in which water is transferred from one country to another through exports

Emile Durkheim

French sociologist who built Thomas Malthus's Theory and believed that an increase in population density would lead to a greater division of labor and allow for an increased level of productivity (more efficient)

Energy from waste (EFW)

Waste to Energy (WTE); method of energy production that taps into landfills to capture methane and other combustible gases to burn

Energy security

access to clean, reliable and affordable energy sources for cooking, heating, lighting, communications and productive uses; a countries ability to obtain all of its energy needs

Esther Boserup

the first Anti-malthusian; she claimed that Knowledge and Technology will always increase the food supply because when the going gets though and a need arises, someone always finds an alternative solution

E-waste

trash associated with electronic devices

Food Security

the availability and access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet the dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life

Fossil Fuels

oil, natural gas, coal, oil shale

Geopolitics

political relations among nations relating to borders/territories/resources

Geosequestration

absorbing CO2 out of the air, compressing it into liquid form and injecting the liquid back into the ground.

Hydroelectric Power (HEP)

a reliable and renewable form of energy generation created by turbines that are rotated from the water pressure resulting from dams

Incineration

burning trash

IPCC

Internal panel on climate change; an international organization of the smartest people on the planet; set up at the request of UN members and is dedicated to the task of providing the World with a scientific view of Climate change and its political and economic impacts

Kyoto Protocol

implemented the objectives of the UNFCCC; called on countries to reduce emissions based on a "common but differentiated" responsibility based on historic pollution; countries signed the document with a pledge to reduce emissions by a certain amount

Limits to Growth Model

a graph produced by the Club of Rome that examines the long term trends of population, agriculture, natural resources, industry, and pollution

Living Planet Index

measures the trends in Earth's Biological Diversity

Malthusian catastrophe

the point in time when the human population surpasses the resources available to sustain it, predicted by Thomas Malthus

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

the 8 goals developed by the UN with an initial target year of 2015 that formed a blueprint agreed to by all member countries

Neo-malthusian

a person that believes resources must be used sustainably to avoid a malthusian catastrophe and that technology can help us but not save us

Nexus

the interrelationship, interdependence and interactions between water, food and energy

Nuclear Power

a reliable and abundant source of energy created by heating up water with radioactive material, with a super harmful waste product

OPEC

organization of petroleum exporting countries; began 1960; produced 65% of global petroleum in 1979; produces under 40% today

Optimum Population

the population size that will produce the highest per capita Economic return

Overpopulated

when there are too many people in a country to maintain a high standard of living

Peak Oil

the year in which the world or an individual country reaches it highest level of oil population

Periphery

countries that are economically dependent on the Core countries; also called LEDCs and LICs

Renewable resources

resources that can be used more than once

reserves

resources that are accessible and useful, but not obtained from the ground yet

Resource

anything useful to humans

Semi-periphery

countries that are attempting to make the jump from the periphery to the core; also called NICs and MICs

solar power

method of energy production that harnesses the sun's rays with solar cells

Standard of Living

level of wealth, comfort, material goods and necessities available to a certain socioeconomic class in a certain geographic area

Sustainability

meeting the needs of today without compromising the needs of the future

Sustainable Development goals (SDGs)

17 UN goals with an initial target of 2030 that apply to all countries universally to mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind

Thomas Malthus

believed the planet has a finite population size that will be determined by the food supply; resources grow arithmetically while the population grows geometrically

Tidal power

method of energy production that used the ebbing tide to turn turbines

Tragedy of the Commons

explains the lack of control over the basic human resources are used

Underpopulation

more resources available than are being used by the population

UNFCCC

1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; established the premise that Global Warming exists and man-made green house gases have caused it; called for countries to commit to reducing their emissions

UNEP

United nations environmental program assists developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and promotes international convections

Waste to Energy (WTE)( = energy from waste (EFW))

method of energy production that taps into landfills to capture methane and other combustible gases to burn

Water Footprint

the total volume of freshwater used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business

Water security

continuing access to safe drinking water and sanitation

Wind Power

method of energy production that uses available wind to turn turbines

food, water, energy nexus

A systems approach to collectively managing food, water, and energy by working through their interconnections

extreme poverty

the point at which a household's income falls below the necessary level to purchase food to physically sustain its members

absolute poverty

When a person makes less than $1.90 daily.

relative poverty

the lack of resources of some people in relation to those who have more

New Global Middle Class (NGMC)

Globally, the middle class is defined as people with discretionary income. They can spend this on consumer goods and at the upper end, private healthcare, holidays or even cars. Precise definitions vary: one classification is people with an annual income of between US$3,650 and US$36,500; an alternative classification is people earning more than US$10,000 annually

Fragile Middle Class

Globally, there are 2 billion people who have escaped poverty but have yet to join the so-called NGMC. This fragile middle class is broadly similar to the idea of a 'lower middle' class.

World Bank

A specialized agency of the United Nations that makes loans to countries for economic development, trade promotion, and debt consolidation. Its formal name is the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Globalization

Actions or processes that involve the entire world and result in making something worldwide in scope.

Ecological Creditor

Country's whose ecological footprint is lower than their biocapacity

ecological debtor country

a country with an ecological deficit

Global Hectare

One global hectare is equivalent to one hectare of biologically productive space with world average productivity

Physical water scarcity

when physical access to water is limited

Economic water scarcity

Where water is available locally but not accessible for human, institutional or financial capital reasons.

water stress

the condition that occurs when people don't have enough clean fresh water to meet their everyday needs

safe drinking water

This is the same potable drinking water. This is water that is free of impurities, pollutants and bacteria, and is thus safe to drink

food miles

the distance a food travels from its site of production to the consumer

free trade

international trade free of government interference

fair trade

Alternative to international trade that emphasizes small businesses and worker owned and democratically run cooperatives and requires employers to pay workers fair wages, permit union organizing, and comply with minimum environmental and safety standards.

Resource Stewardship

the careful and responsible management of resources under one's control.

reduce, reuse, recycle

A conservation initiative to cut down on the amount of waste that is thrown away

Linear economy

An economy based on the make, use, dispose model.