Challenges of Rescource management

Question 1

what is a resource?

Answer 1

A resource is anything that is used to satisfy human needs. It has a value or a purpose.

Question 2

what are the 3 main resources?

Answer 2

food
water
energy

Question 3

Food:

Answer 3

Food: Your health is affected by how much you eat. Over 1 billion people in the world are malnourished.
2 billion suffer from under nourishment
In HICs some people consume too much and are considered obese.

Question 4

water:

Answer 4

Water is essential for survival. It is essential for industry, agriculture and energy production. Many of the worlds poorest countries do not have adequate supplies.
Physical scarcity: there is not enough (deserts)
Economic scarcity: There is water but they are too poor to access/ clean it.

Question 5

Energy:

Answer 5

This is essential for all industries. Energy production and consumption is increasing in all countries
Primary energy is oil, coal, gas, wind, sun.
These are converted into electricity.
Oil is turned into petrol/ diesel for transport.

Question 6

why had UK food demand increased?

Answer 6

• Rising population
• increased demand for greater quantities and wider choice.
• Not all foods can be grown the UK, and some foods can only be grown at certain times e.g. strawberries in July and August.
• Food can be grown more cheaply elsewhere.
Impacts

Question 7

UK food impacts:

Answer 7

Positive impacts: Jobs and wages for those in LICs, more tax income leads to a better Q of L Negative impacts: less land for locals to farm for themselves, high water use and exposure to chemicals (pesticides and fertilisers).
• Production and transport create a carbon footprint. 17% of the UK’s carbon footprint is due to food.

Question 8

why is demand for water increasing in the UK?

Answer 8

Demand for water is increasing in the UK
It is estimated to rise by 5% between 2015-2020 because of a rapid growing population, more houses and an increase in water intensive domestic appliances (e.g. dishwashers).

Question 9

what are the challenges of meeting water demand?

Answer 9

• The north and west have a water surplus, where supply exceeds demand.
The south and east have a water deficit, where
demand exceeds supply.
• Water stress (where demand exceeds supply) is experienced in more than half of England.

Question 10

strategies to meet demand of quantity and quality:

Answer 10

There is a growing need to increase water transfer projects (Kielder Water). However. there is opposition because: high costs, effect on land and wildlife, and GHG released by pumping water The Environment Agency manage water quality by:
• Filtering water to remove sediment
• Purifying water by adding chlorine
• Imposing strict regulations

Question 11

Explain the UK changing energy mix

Answer 11

In 1970 91% from fossil fuels.
In 2015 Fossil fuels (65%) Coal 31%, Gas 25%, Nuclear 19%, Renewable sources 22%.

Question 12

Why have the UK energy changes taken place?

Answer 12

• The UK has invested in renewable energy e.g. solar energy and subsidies are given by the government.
• Reserves of North Sea oil and gas are declining.
• EU regulations on gas emissions has led to a decrease in fossil fuel use
• Energy efficient appliances and industry mean less energy is used in homes and industry.
• It is cheaper to import coal into the UK than to mine it..
• Economic issues - costs, jobs, set up costs, research, reliability.

Question 13

opportunities and challenges of improving energy security with nuclear energy:

Answer 13

Opportunities
Clean, reliable, efficient energy
Challenges
Radio active waste
Expensive to build
Lack of public support

Question 14

opportunities and challenges of improving energy security with wind:

Answer 14

Opportunities
Clean, free energy
Local residents benefit from cheap electricity
Challenges
Unreliable, cant store the excess produced
Unsightly unpopular

Question 15

opportunities and challenges of improving energy security with fracking:

Answer 15

Opportunities
Cheap and reliable
Challenges
Contaminated ground water
Causes earthquake uses a lot of energy.
3% of gas extracted is lost to atmosphere; this is methane, a greenhouse gas.

Question 16

what are areas of water surplus?

Answer 16

North America, South America and North Western Europe and Oceania have at least adequate supplies of water.
Areas between 45°N and 60°N receive high (frontal) rainfall and lower temperatures reduce evaporation.

Question 17

areas of water deficit?

Answer 17

Countries at 30°N and S of equator are where the deserts are located they suffer from physical water scarcity as they are located where the deserts are. Middle Eastern countries have enough money for desalination plants

Question 18

factors affecting global water availability:

Answer 18

Pollution of supply: Waste from industry causes pollution of water supplies. •HICs have laws preventing pollution of water supplies. Even if laws exist in LICs they are not always enforced.
Where sanitation is poor, sewage enters rivers and lakes..

Over-abstraction: When water is pumped from the ground at a rate which is faster than it recharges (fills again due to precipitation) the ground water levels drops and wells dry up

Climate• This is the most important factor. The equator 0° and 60° have high level of precipitation. The deserts are located at 30° N and S. They have low levels of precipitation.

Geology: Permeable rocks can store water.
Impermeable rocks may not store water in them

Poverty: Nearly 1 billion people do not have access to clean, safe water. Women and children may spend 6 hours to collecting water. This means they are not working or at school

Question 19

impacts of water insecurity:

Answer 19

Pollution
Too many chemicals from agriculture and
industrial waste pollute water supplies and ecosystems

Disease
Pollution can lead to waterborne diseases e.g. cholera, dysentery, typhoid. Which limits peoples ability to work go to school

Food Production
Most agriculture relies on irrigation to maintain high crop yields. If there is insufficient water of a high quality then crops can’t be grown. Live stock will die.

conflict
When water is limited it becomes a valuable commodity. International
competition can lead to tension or even “water wars”. Tensions are inevitable in large river basins which are shared by two or more countries e.g. Ethiopia and Egypt conflict over River Nile

Question 20

strategies to improve water supply:

Answer 20

Diverting supplies - Rainwater can be used to recharge aquifers. This helps support a clean supply of water that has been filtered by percolation.

Water transfer - Water from areas of surplus is
transferred to areas of deficit through canals and pipes. The infrastructure required can be expensive and areas that previously had a surplus may go into deficit such as Kielder Lesotho.

Dams and reservoirs - Damming a river allows water to be stored in a reservoir and controls river flow. This is a long term solution, but very expensive. e.g. Bakun Dam (Sarawak) opened in 2011.

desalinisation:
saline (salt) water is taken from the sea. This passes through a desalination plant to create fresh water. Water supplies cannot run out, but it uses a lot of energy and is expensive.
Middle Easter countries rely on these

Question 21

large scale water transfer scheme:

Answer 21

Lesotho Highland Water Project
40% of water from Segu River in Lesotho transferred to River Vaal in South Africa.
Advantages - Lesotho
-Provides 75% of Lesotho GDP.
-Supplies Lesotho with all HEP requirements.
- Sanitation coverage will rise from 15-20%.
Disadvantage - Lesotho
- 30,000 people were relocated due to the first 2 dams built.
•Construction of the Polihali Dam will displace 17 villages.

Advantages- S. Africa
Provides safe water to 10% of the population without access in South Africa.
- Fresh water reduces the acidity of the Vaal River Disadvantage- S.Africa
-Cost likely to reach US$4
billion.
-40% of water is lost through leakages.
- Corruption has plagued the whole project.

Question 22

what are the 3 sustainable water strategies?

Answer 22

-water conservation
-groundwater management
-grey water

Question 23

water conservation:

Answer 23

Using less water. The use of more efficient white goods and toilets reduces water use for example dual flush toilets and low flow taps. Water meters charge for the water used.

Question 24

groundwater management:

Answer 24

water can become polluted by fracking and mining. Governments can safeguard groundwater by creating protection zones. They can also ensure that leaky pipes are fixed. The UK loses 30% through leakage.

Question 25

grey water:

Answer 25

Water that has either been lightly used (e.g. shower water or sink water) or it is untreated rainwater. After filtering it can be used for toilet flushes.

Question 26

what is a local scheme to increase sustainable water supplies?

Answer 26

Wakel River Basin, India

Question 27

Wakel River Basin, India:

Answer 27

Water use has been poor due to over-use for irrigation.

Aim - increase water supply
& storage. Raise awareness
in local communities
Increasing Water Supply:
Taankas: underground
storage systems.
Johed: small earth dams to capture rainwater.
Pat System: irrigation channels transfer water
They use local materials which can be replaced should they
break.
They use immediate technology which means it
can be fixed easily
People are educated on how to fix it and conserve water to they can fix it themselves