7. People and the Biosphere: Demand for Resources Flashcards
What is happening to the worlds population
Population is increasing - require more resources
Population predicted to keep rising
What are the links between the demands for different resources
There is more people - more food needs to be grown - increases demand for water - as water demand increases it needs to be transported to other areas - requires more energy
What factors increase demand for resources
Increasing wealth
Urbanisation
Industrialisation
How increasing wealth increases demand for resources
Economic development means people are getting wealthier - more people have more disposable income - affects resource consumption
More money to spend on food and will buy more than they need
Can afford TVs, fridges and cars which all require energy - manufacturing these good also uses up water and more energy
More people can afford flushing toilets, showers and having dishwashers - this increases overall water use
How urbanisation increases the demand for resources
Urbanisation is the growth in the proportion of a countries population living in urban areas
Urbanisation increases resource consumption
Cities are more resource intensive
Waste needs to be removed which requires energy
Food and water needs to be transported - requires energy
How industrialisation increases demand for resources
Shift in a countries main activity from primary production to secondary production
Manufacturing goods - cars, chemicals and electrical appliances - uses a lot of energy
Manufacturing uses a lot of water - as a country industrialises, its need for water and energy increases
Malthus theory about resource supply
Population was increasing faster than the supply of resources - eventually too many people for the resources
When thus happened - people will be killed by catastrophes - famine, illness and war - until the population was at a level the resources could compensate
Bose rip theory of resource supply
However many people in the world - always be enough resources
If resource supply became limited, people will find new ways to get them and increase production in order to avoid hardship
