IB Geo - Resource Consumption and Security

agrarian society

any community whose economy is based on producing and maintaining crops and farmland

industrial society

a society driven by the use of technology and machinery to enable mass production, supporting a large population with a high capacity for division of labour

disposable income

household disposable income measures the income of households (wages and salaries, self-employed income, social benefits, etc.), after taking into account the payment of taxes and social contributions

resources

a physical material that humans need and value such as land, air, and water. Resources are characterized as renewable or nonrenewable

ecological footprint

a measure of the demand human activity puts on the biosphere. more precisely, it measures the amount of biologically productive land and water area required to produce all the resources an individual, population, or activity consumes, and to absorb the waste they generate, given prevailing technology and resource management practices. This area can then be compared with biological capacity (biocapacity), the amount of productive area that is available to generate these resources and to absorb the waste

earth overshoot day

the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year

biocapacity

the biological capacity of an area/region/country to generate the resources and absorb the waste of a given population

economic water scarcity

where water is available locally but not accessible for human, institutional or financial capital reasons caused by a lack of investment in water or a lack of human capacity to satisfy the demand for water, even in places where water is abundant

physical water scarcity

where water resource development is approaching or has exceeded unsustainable levels; it relates water availability to water demand and implies that arid areas are not necessarily water scarce

water insecurity

when water availability is not enough to ensure the population of an area enjoys good health, livelihood and earnings; this can be caused by water insufficiency or poor water quality

blue water

fresh surface and groundwater (freshwater lakes, rivers and aquifers)

green water

the precipitation on land that does not run off or recharge the groundwater but is stored in the soil or temporarily stays on top of the soil or vegetation

grey water

refers to domestic wastewater generated in households or office buildings from streams without fecal contamination, i.e., all streams except for the wastewater from toilets; sources of greywater include sinks, showers, baths, washing machines or dishwashers

virtual water

aka “embedded water” or “indirect water,” is the water “hidden” in the products, services and processes people buy and use every day; although virtual water goes unseen by the end-user of a product or service, that water has been consumed throughout the value chain, which makes creation of that product or service possible

water footprint

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

hydrogen fuel

a clean fuel that, when consumed in a fuel cell, produces only water

access to clean water

measured by the percentage of the population having access to and using improved drinking water sources

water security

when the annual supply of water directly available per person falls below 1000 cumecs (cubic metres per second

desalination

a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. Saltwater (especially sea water) is desalinated to produce water suitable for human consumption or irrigation

energy security

a country's ability to secure all its energy need

food availability

food availability in the simplest term is the situation where food is made to exist for consumption at local levels where local individuals or households can locate their needed foods without striving; it depicts the production and supply of varieties of foods

geopolitics

the struggle over the control of geographical entities with an international and global dimension, and the use of such geographical entities for political advantage

water-energy-food nexus

the idea that water security, energy security and food security are inextricably linked and actions in one area will have impacts on the other two

safe water

water that is safe to drink or do use for food preparation, without risk of health problems

food availability

sufficient quantities of food of appropriate qualities to support a population, supplied through domestic production or imports, including food aid

food security

exists for a population when all its people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and health life

energy pathways

flows of energy that link producer regions with consumer regions. In physical terms, pathways take the form of pipelines, electricity power lines and the roots taken by gas and oil tankers, or trains carrying coal

energy security

having access to sufficient, clean, reliable and affordable energy sources for cooking, heating, lighting, communications and productive uses

recover

capture some value, e.g. energy from a waste plant

re-source

change materials or sources, e.g. low carbon electricity

recycle

use in a different flow (may involve downcycling or cascades)

return

return in an environmentally benign way, e.g treatment or containment 

remove

eliminate demand all together e.g. conservation

reuse

reintroduce into the same flow (may require refurbishment) 

reduce

use less resources to met the need e.g. minimisation

carrying capacity

the maximum number of individuals of a species that the environment can sustainably support in a given area

toxic colonialism

the movement of waste from HICs to LICs

divergent thinking

the process of creating multiple, unique ideas or solutions to a problem that you are trying to solve

malthuanism

the idea that population growth is potentially exponential while the growth of the food supply or other resources is linear, which eventually reduces living standards to the point of triggering a population die off

neo-malthusianism

the advocacy of human population planning to ensure resources and environmental integrities for current and future human populations as well as for other species

boserup’s theory

Boserup is known for her theory of agricultural intensification, also known as Boserup's theory, which posits that population change drives the intensity of agricultural production. her position countered the Malthusian theory that agricultural methods determine population via limits on food supply. a major point of her book is that "necessity is the mother of invention"

stewardship

the conducting, supervising, or managing of something, especially the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care

sustainability

the practice of using natural resources responsibly, so they can support both present and future generations

optimum population

the number of people who, when working with all the available resources, will produce the highest per-capita economic return

Paul Ehrlich

malthusian who predicted that overpopulation will cause disaster for humanity

linear economy

based on 'take-make-dispose' is called as linear economy. The approach of linear economy involves the process of collection of raw material for transformation of them into finished goods and distribution until the customer until they are accumulated as waste

circular economy

a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible.

systems thinking

based on the generalization that everything is interrelated and inter­dependent

technical nutrients

strictly limited to non-toxic, non-harmful synthetic materials (plastics & metals) that have no negative effects on the natural environment (if they are not burnt or discarded); they can be used in continuous cycles as the same product without losing their integrity or quality. In this manner these materials can be used over and over again instead of being "downcycled" into lesser products, ultimately becoming waste.

biological nutrients

organic materials that, once used, can be disposed of in any natural environment and decompose into the soil, providing food for small life forms without affecting the natural environment. this is dependent on the ecology of the region; for example, organic material from one country or landmass may be harmful to the ecology of another country or landmass

sustainable development

meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

virtual/embedded water

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

nutrition transition

a change in diet from staple carbohydrates towards meat and fish products and dairy products

fracking

the process of injecting liquid at a high pressure into subterranean rocks, boreholes, etc. so as to force open existing fissures and extract oil or gas