2C: The Challenge of Resource Management Flashcards
why is food significant to our well being?
1) Need food to work and contribute toward economic growth
2) the no. of calories per day affects your health (malnutrition and obesity)
why is water significant to our well being?
1) Needed for industrial processes and to support economic growth
2) drinking, washing, food production, waste disposal
3) In LICS, access to water enables female children to go to school
why is energy significant to our well being?
1) Needed for industrial processes and to support economic growth
2) needed for heating, domestic power, transportation, food production
give an overview of the global inequalities in the supply and consumption of food
1) UK consume 3200 calories per person per day
2) Somalia 1600 calories per person per day
3) Areas of greatest population growth have highest levels of undernourishment
4) Demand depends on changing diets and increasing population
5) Supply depends on climate, soil and level of technology
give an overview of the global inequalities in the supply and consumption of water
1) Fresh water is unequally distributed
2) Water footprint is the amount of water used per
3) Bangladesh uses 900 l per day and the USA is 2500 l per day
4) Water scarcity can be physical or economic
5) 1 in 5 people live in areas of water scarcity and 1 in 3 people have no access to clean drinking water
give an overview of the global inequalities in the supply and consumption of energy
1) Richest billion people use 50% of the energy
2) Poorest billion people use 4% of the energy
3) Countries import and export energy
4) Some countries do not have their own sources of energy
what percentage of its food does the UK import?
47%
why does the UK import so much food?
1) it is cheaper to produce food abroad in LICs
2) there is a growing demand for high value products (e.g. manuka honey)
3) customers want year round food
what is food miles?
the distance that food travels to reach its customer
what are the pros and cons of LICs producing food for the UK?
PROS: LICs benefit from the jobs and money through taxes that exporting food provides
CONS: places pressure on water supply and means exposure to chemicals
what are high value products?
products valued at 5 times the price of similar products
what is the total food miles of UK food imports?
18.8 billion miles
how much does food contribute to the UK’s carbon emissions?
17%
what percentage of UK food imports come from the EU?
68%
what is the argument for importing food to the UK from abroad?
Other countries’ climates are better suited (tomatoes have less of a carbon footprint being imported from Spain that being grown in the UK)
what makes food organic?
if it does not use pesticides and fertilisers
what is the trend in demand for organic food in the UK?
Since the 1990s there has been an increase in demand as people think it is healthier (even though it tends to be more expensive because yields are lower)
what is agribusiness?
industrialised agriculture on a large scale
where is there a lot of agribusiness in the UK?
in East Anglia
what are the concerns with agribusiness?
1) Farms are large, leading to loss of hedgerows to allow machinery to operate
2) Less people are employed in farming. 3) Big impacts on the environment as often heavy use of pesticides and fertilisers
what are ‘Eat local’ and ‘Eat seasonal’?
movements to encourage a reduction in the carbon footprint
how much has the amount of water used by the average household in the UK increased by since 1985?
70%
why has water demand in the UK increased?
1) Population growth
2) Wealth so have more water-intensive appliances (eg. dishwashers)
3) Demand of out of season food needs irrigation
4) Leisure use (esp. golf courses)
5) Increased personal hygiene (power showers)
6) Increasing industrial use
how is water quality managed in the UK?
1) strict laws on discharge from farms and industry
2) education campaigns not to dispose waste in water
3) waste water treatment
4) building better treatment plants
5) investing in infrastructure (sewers)
what are the main water pollutants?
1) fertilisers
2) pesticides
3) acid rain
4) oil from roads
why is water pollution a problem?
1) Fertilisers cause eutrophication which kills fish
2) Toxic chemicals can enter food chain eg through shellfish
3) Contaminated water