Geography - Resources, Sustainability and Economic Resources

2023 Form 3 Geo Term 4

The natural greenhouse effect is necessary because without it the avg. global temp. would be..

-18°C

Enhanced greenhouse effect

When man-made greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere → global warming → melting of ice caps

4 potential results of the enhanced greenhouse effect

• Global warming

• Melting of ice caps

• Flooding of coastal areas

• Increase of hurricanes

Energy mix

Combination of different energy sources a country uses to meet its energy consumption needs

2 factors that make the Taranaki coast a good location for offshore wind farms

Constant 8m/s winds, existing infrastructure such as ports & platforms

Reasons to move to renewable energy

• Cheap to run

• Clean energy (reduces climate change)

• Will not run out if continuous energy (e.g. sun) does not run out or if used sustainably (e.g. replanting trees)

Renewable

Resources that can be replenished (regained) in a human lifetime (e.g. water, wind, solar)

Non-renewable

Resources that can only be used once (finite, will run out)

Reasons to use non-renewable energy

• Cost-effective

• Generates a lot of energy in one location

• Easy to transport oil or gas through pipelines

Reasons to not use renewable energy

• Can be expensive to start

• Loss of jobs

Reasons to not use non-renewable energy

• Pollutes the environment

• Will run out

• Can be dangerous (mine collapses, oil spills, explosions)

• Prices fluctuate greatly

SDG

Sustainable Development Goals

NZ does not use nuclear energy because

NZ is being preserved as a green unspoilt land

Primary energy

Any source of energy that is taken directly from nature and does not need a primary transformation (wind, solar, hydro)

HIC

High Income Country (GNI per capita above $13,205)

MIC

Middle Income Country (GNI per capita of $1086 - $13,205)

LIC

Low Income Country (GNI per capita of $1085 or less)

The higher the income of a country the…

higher the primary energy consumption

Biomass

Any material made from plants and animals — can be used to heat homes and produce electricity

Disadvantages of using biomass

• Food shortages (e.g. corn)

• Deprives soils of nutrients (growing the same crops all the time)

• High use of fertilisers

Animal agriculture

The practice of breeding animals for production of animal products

5 ways animal agriculture affects the environment on a global scale

• Contributes to 51% of greenhouse gases

• Consumes 1/3 of the world’s freshwater

• Occupies 45% of Earth’s land

• Cause 91% of the Amazon’s destruction

• Leading cause of species and habitat destruction

Dairy farming and site factors

• Fertile soil → grass growth

• Waikato river → irrigates grass (supplies water)

• Flat land → easier for cows to move around, less energy → more milk

Cultural factors to consider when setting up a farm

• Good transport in and out the farm

• Large markets to sell products

• Skilled labour

• Services (e.g. mechanics)

95% of cow methane emissions come from (burping/farting)

Burping

Cow urine and fertiliser contain

nitrates

Nitrates cause algae to grow quickly. Why is this bad?

Blocks sunlight → kills plants → bacteria consumes oxygen → fish die

It is estimated 1 litre of milk requires ___L of water

1000 litres

The weight of cows leads to

soil erosion, soil compaction, and loss of soil fertility

Adding seafood to cows diets for 5 months causes an __% reduction in methane

81%

Ways to help dairy farming

• Monitoring systems to check soil

• Fencing waterways so cows don’t urinate into rivers

• Placing plants next to rivers to absorb urine

• Rotating cows between fields to allow grass to grow and soil to not be compacted

Landfill

A place to deposit waste

3R’s

Reduce - Use fewer resources

Reuse - To reuse

Recycle - To turn it into a new product

Causes of ocean waste

Littering, storm winds, poor waste management

What is the Great Pacific Patch?

Patch of garbage in the Pacific

Effects of ocean waste

• Safety hazards on beaches (sharp objects) → Tourism affected → Economy affected

• Marine life digests plastic (e.g. turtles and plastic bags)

• Fish ingest plastic, we ingest the microplastics

Overfishing

Taking of fish at rates too high for fish species to replace themselves

By-catch

Unwanted fish trapped by commercial nets when fishing for a different fish species

Effects of overfishing

• Less fish to reproduce → population decreases

• By-catch (e.g. shark) decreases → intermediate predators increase in number as less sharks eat them → Less 1st order consumers as they are being eated by intermediates → More algae grows → blocks sunlight → ecosystems affected (e.g. coral reef)

Solutions for overfishing

• More marine protected areas

EV

Electric Vehicle

Two types of EVs

Battery electric vehicle and Hybrid vehicle

Auckland is producing __ (more/less) air pollution than Los Angeles

more

4 solutions to reduce car emissions in NZ

• AT to buy only zero-emission buses from 2025, full zero by 2030

• EV vehicles to be exempt from road usercharges until 31 March 2024

• Clean Car Standard - New & Used imported cars will have a maximum 105g of CO2 emissions by 2025

• Buyers of low → zero emission cars under $80,000 will receive a max. of $8645 rebate for new cars or max. $3450 for used EVs

Social sustainabilty

People get treated equally → happy lives

GNI

Gross National Income

Economic sustainability

Practices that support long-term economic growth without negatively impacting on people and the natural environment

Economic systems need to support the 3 pillars:

People, Planet, Profits

We need to balance the 3 pillars or they will all ___ (collapse/succeed)

collapse

location

where something is found

pattern

arrangement of features on the Earth’s surface

process

sequence of actions that shape and change the environment, place, society

interaction

elements of an environment that affect each other

sustainability

limiting the use of resources today to ensure there will be enough for future generations

change

alteration to natural and cultural environment

perspectives

ways of seeing the world

kaitiakitanga

protect and cherish everything left from our ancestors

greenhouse effect

process when gases in Earth’s atmosphere trap the Sun’s heat

global warming

increase in Earth’s avg. temp. over a long time

resource

something people need and value; natural minerals become resources when humans value them

reasons why humans need energy

• transport (petrol)

• domestic use (heat, cooking, appliances)

• industrial use (agriculture, offices, manufacturing)

advantages of biomass

• heats homes

• generates electricity

• crops can be made into biofuel

causes of overfishing

• poor fisheries management (lack of rules, quotas)

• large nets with small holes allow bycatch

• illegal fishing (20% global fishing)

• consumer demand

• government subsidies

• 1.5% of water is protected

EV batteries require raw materials such as _____. Mining this leads to air and soil pollution

cobalt

economic system

organization and distribution of available resources, services, and goods across a geographical area

command economy

government controls everything like resources to producing

mixed economy

some government control of essential services (eg education); opportunities for business venture

free market economy

no government control, individuals and businesses control everything. purely theoretical

factors for strong economies in HICs

• has a mixed economy system

• favourable geography (eg coastal locations, good climate)

• has trade, law, banks, markets

• businesses recognise the need for gender equality, human rights, need to help indigenous people

• entrepreneurs bring ideas, people, and capital together to make valuable products

reasons for China’s economic growth

• conversion from a command to a mixed economy

• reducing personal income tax

_______ people have been brought out of poverty in China

850 million

employment structure

how the labour force is divided

primary sector

extraction of raw materials (mining, farming)

secondary/manufacturing sector

turning raw materials into a finished product

tertiary/service sector

provides a service (education, healthcare)

quaternary sector

provides IT services (computing)

factors that have caused NZ’s workforce to increase since 1950

• baby boom after WWII

• educational improvements

• women entering the workforce

• immigration

• māori moving from rural areas to urban areas for work

ways NZ workers rights have improved this century

• minimum wage increased ($21.20 → $22.70 from 04/2023)

• annual leave increased (15 → 20 days from 2017)

pay equity

paying people fairly without discrimination

pay parity

same pay for the same job

comparator

a person doing work of a similar value but in a role mostly performed by men

in ____ the Equal Pay Act was introduced

1972

benefits for including women into the workforce

• improves the economy

• helps with food shortages

• reduces reliance on government (eg income support)

_____ 1993 and ______ 1990 were introduced to overcome discrimination

Human Rights Act, NZ Bill of Rights Act

factors that bring social sustainability

• changes to the employment sector

• improved education and work conditions

• immigration of required workers

• gender and ethnic equality

• ^ leads to higher wages and more leisure time → happier lives

fair trade

ensures fair competition; consumers given accurate info about a product that is safe

Consumer Guarantee Act 1993

allows a consumer to seek repairs, replacements, or refunds when goods are faulty

Fair Trading Act 1986

an act that makes it illegal to mislead consumers; encourages fair competition and safe products

globalisation

process where a business develops international influence or operate on an international scale

Amazon’s improvements

• FBA liquidations: to recover a bit of inventory cost

• FBA grade and resell: allows third party businesses to resell returned items

Waipipi Wind Farm site factors

• constant 8m/s wind speed

• access to the national grid and N. Island electricity market

• relatively isolated

Waipipi disadvantages

wind is intermittent