Resources

Essential resources

• food

• Water

• Energy

significance of food

• “calories in” (fuel for body) are needed to work and enjoy ourselves

• The calories needed per day depend on the type of job you perform, age and gender

• Without food, malnourishment can occur and lead to immune system failure

Significance of water

• needed for drinking, washing, disposing of waste, growing and processing food and in industrial manufacturing processes

• Avrg person in the UK uses 150L daily

• Only 4% used for drinking

• Nearly 75% used in industry

Significance of energy

• used to make the bricks of our houses, heat homes, transport us, power machines and process food

• Amount and type of energy depends on various factors, including where people live and how healthy they are

• Traditionally energy has come from burning naturally occurring fuels such as wood and coal

• Today there is renewable energy from the wind and waves, as well as nuclear energy and solar power

How demands for key resources put pressure on the Earth’s natural ecosystems

• as the population grows, the pressure on the supply of resources becomes greater

• Rate of growth can cause huge problems, as the supply of resources struggle to keep up with demand

• Technology cannot change/improve fast enough to provide the essential resources needed

• One of the major problems facing us today is meeting the demand for these essential resources and solving the problems caused by their unequal distribution and consumption

Why is there demand for key resources and therefore a threat to the world’s ecosystems

• population increase means that more resources are needed

• Regardless of population increase, the world is generally getting wealthier and this means people have more money to spend

• Consequence of this is the purchase of goods and items, all involving the use of natural resources

Overview of inequalities in food

• in HICs, only around 5% of the population is undernourished

• In LICs (for example some countries in Africa), 25-35% and higher are undernourished

• This is because the distribution of essential resources is uneven

• while HICs use more resources, LICs suffer from a shortage in resources due to high demand as the wealth and population of the country grows

• Undernourishment is dangerous as it weakens people’s immune systems, making them more susceptible to diseases and even death

Overviews of global inequalities in water

• in HICs, little to no water scarcity

• In LICs, economic water scarcity

• The global supply of freshwater is limited and unequally distributed

• Due to differences in climate - warmer countries have less rainfall and also less freshwater sources

• In extremely cold countries e.g. Greenland, a lot of the water is ice and therefore cannot be used

• Some countries have water but don’t have the money to access it E.g. sudan

Overview of global inequalities in energy

• geology and physical geography contribute to energy distribution

• Energy consumption is increasing as the world becomes more developed and demand increases

• The richest 1 billlion ppl consume half of the world’s energy

• The poorest 1 billion consume only 4%

• As LICs and NEEs develop industrially and economically the demand for energy grows

More food required

• Population increase - increased demand

• Prices of food increase to support economy

• Trend towards agribusiness (treating food production in farms like a large industrial business)

• Large scale, capital intensive, commercial activity

• Large agribusinesses now own farms, processing factories, transport and retail outlets

• Increased food production

• Destruction of hedgerows (habitats) to increase size of farms

consumer demand

• impacts what is imported from other countries

• Out of season/exotic food often imported from places like Kenya and the Carribean

• Impact on the environment - 19 million tonnes of CO₂

• Increased carbon footprint

• high value products lead to inflated retail prices

• Costs for ppl in LICs

• Less land for locals to grow food

• Crops need huge amounts of water in areas where supply is unreliable or poor

• Ppl growing food exposed to chemicals and pesticides without protective clothing

• Jobs created in farming, transport, packaging

• Taxes paid from wages earned, can be used by government