2C.1&2 Increasing Demand for Resources Flashcards
Define resources.
Features of the environment that are needed and used by people.
State 3 examples of resources.
- Fuels eg. natural gas, coal, oil
- Metals eg. aluminium, iron, copper
- Bioresources eg. fish, trees, soil
Define non-renewable resource.
One that is non-sustainable as its exploitation and use will eventually lead to it running out, eg. fossil fuels.
Define renewable resource.
One that can be used over and over again, eg. solar power. They can be self-generating if left to nature, eg. trees and soil.
Define resource consumption.
The way in which humans use resources, eg. using oil to fuel vehicles.
Define resource depletion.
The process by which a resource is being used up at a faster rate than it is being replaced.
Briefly explain how population growth increases demand for resources (Named example).
A greater world population means more food production may lead to overcultivation and overgrazing with soils being damaged or destroyed. With more land being needed for agriculture, natural ecosystems such as tropical rainforests will have to be destroyed, threatening to make many species extinct. EG. by 2030 the population of Asian countries will increase so much that Asia will account for 43% of the world increase in energy consumption.
Briefly explain how economic development increases demand for resources (Named example).
This means more factories and technological devices powered by electricity. As many LEDCs have started their own Industrial Revolutions, they are manufacturing more goods for export and so consume much more energy. EG. China is growing at a rate of 1 million people every month, and so is consuming resources at a rapid rate, including so much steel and cement because over the next 10 years China is likely to construct half of the world’s buildings.
Describe 3 impacts that increasing demand for resources has on PEOPLE.
- Living space - The vast number of people in NICs such as China and India puts pressure on living space. In China, whose population density is the 3rd highest worldwide, only 5% of the population live on 64% of the land and the remaining 95% live on 32% of the land.
- Food production - India is a rapidly urbanising country yet it still retains over 54% of its arable land. However it is having increasing difficulty in growing enough food for its population.
- Water - In China, water resources are insufficient and often badly polluted, mostly from sewage, animal and farm waste. Both agriculture and industry suffer from water shortage. Almost the entire rural population of 700m has substandard drinking water.
Describe 3 impacts that increasing demand for resources has on the ENVIRONMENT.
- Air pollution & global warming - Increased congestion from burning fossil fuels, wood stoves and engine exhausts has increased the amount of air pollution in urban areas. The growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has increased the threat of global warming. According to the WHO, over 750,000 people die each year from air pollution in China.
- Land - Urban areas are increasing constantly. LEDC cities like Sao Paulo are growing at a fast rate, with people moving from the countryside to urban areas, often into shanty towns and slums. The removal of rural areas destroys natural animal habitats.
- Waste management - Humans today produce more pollution and waste than ever before. Urban residents each produce around 200kg of rubbish every year. Disposing this waste, either by burning or landfill, produces air pollution and smog, which can damage the scenery and make land unusable in the future, due to radioactive or chemical waste.
Define carbon footprint.
A measure of the amount of carbon dioxide produced by a person, organisation or country in a given time.
State 2 INDIVIDUAL strategies to reduce our carbon footprint.
- Reduce electricity consumption in your house by using energy efficient light bulbs. These require less fossil fuels to be burned to generate the electricity so less greenhouse gases will be produced.
- Buy more locally grown food products, as this will reduce the airmiles of food products that are flown across the world in fuel guzzling aircraft.
State 2 GOVERNMENT strategies to reduce our carbon footprint.
- Encourage more people to use public transport instead of private cars. This can be done through improving bus and train services or by introducing more congestion charges. Less cars on the roads means less harmful gas emissions.
- Develop renewable energy sources such as wind power to replace power stations that burn fossil fuels and emit harmful gases into the atmosphere.
