Core - Resources

Question 1

Suggest two reasons for the changing importance of nuclear power.

Answer 1

Safety concerns regarding potential accidents eg the Fukushima incident in
Japan.
Concerns about future energy security many believe nuclear energy is the only valid alternative future energy that will meet the growing demand.

Question 2

Explain two characteristics of the circular economy.

Answer 2

1. Consumers rent products from companies instead of buying them which means responsibility for recycling when the product eventually breaks lies with the company. 2. Materials designed to be used again and again
   so materials are kept circulating (in flows) and do not enter landfill.

Question 3

Describe what is meant by “embedded water”.

Answer 3

Water resources that are used in the production of food and manufactured goods in one country/place that are transferred to other, often water scarce,
countries or regions via trading.

Question 4

Explain two reasons why diets are changing in middle-income countries.

Answer 4

1. Rising incomes in middle-income countries have given more people sufficient
   disposable income to incorporate more meat into their diets at the expense of
   vegetables and grains. 2. Eating more processed food due globalisation/ TNC adverts.

Question 5

Suggest two ways in which declining water availability might threaten a country’s
energy security.

Answer 5

1.Declining water availability might reduce the input of water into
reservoirs in hydro-electric power generation schemes, so a country that isheavily dependent on hydro-power may be unable to generate as much electricity
as previously and may be unable to meet demand. 2. need to safeguard supplies of safe water might lead to fracking being banned or lack of water for geothermal power - cooling…

Question 6

Explain two reasons why some countries receive large international flows of consumer waste.

Answer 6

1. Some low-income countries import waste because they receive
   money for it, eg Ghana is a low-income country and imports E-waste because
   valuable metals are found in it. 2. Norway accepts a larger volume and then it burns it to produce elctricity.

Question 7

Suggest two implications of a warmer climate for the food security of places.

Answer 7

1. Warmer climates lead to extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, which can destroy crops and reduce food security. 2. Temperature increase allows more agricultural output e.g. Greenland – increase in crop
   yields, changing limits of cultivation. 3. Warmer temperatures lead to increased evaporation and possibly less water
   availability for crops e.g. Sahel region of Africa.

Question 8

Describe what is meant by an individual’s ecological footprint.

Answer 8

The approximate area of land and water needed to provide a person with the
resources needed to live and to absorb their waste.

Question 9

Suggest two ways in which meeting a nation’s water needs could result in reduced food availability.

Answer 9

1. Over-extraction for cash crops leads to insufficient water left to grow food crops. 2. Water used for tourism, means less available for farming. 3. Reservoirs built to provide water for urban areas & manufacturing means less water available for food.

Question 10

Explain how a circular economy approach can contribute to:
(i) reduced use of new resources.

Answer 10

Products are produced in such a way that they have a “life after
death”, as parts will have further use later, decreases need for raw
materials.

Question 11

Explain how a circular economy approach can contribute to: changing attitudes to product ownership.

Answer 11

People rent goods as opposed to buying them, which means
that they are less likely to be “designed for the dump”.

Question 12

Explain how the growth of a country’s middle-class population can lead to:
(i) changing diets;

Answer 12

Increase in meat/dairy consumption – due to increase in wealth, expensive foods
are affordable.
Diversification of diet as increase in wealth enables more imported food.

Question 13

Explain how the growth of a country’s middle-class population can lead to: land-use pressures

Answer 13

Middle income groups have more money and aspirations and want to live in their own houses this increases the demand for housing which is built on land previously covered by trees.

Question 14

Suggest one way in which greater use of renewable energy can:
(i) decrease the size of a nation’s ecological footprint;

Answer 14

Decreased use of fossil fuels because of switching energy sources
decreases the amount of land required for mining or disposal of waste.

Question 15

Suggest one way in which greater use of renewable energy can: increase the size of a nation’s ecological footprint.

Answer 15

Greater use of biofuels requires palm oil cultivation across extensive
areas of land.
Solar farms require large areas of land which may lead to deforestation.

Question 16

Suggest one reason for a recent change in the diets of people in
middle-income countries.

Answer 16

Rising incomes so people have more money to spend on processed
foods or on meat.

Question 17

Explain one way in which ecological footprint measures an individual’s
resource consumption.

Answer 17

It determines the amount of the environment necessary to produce the goods and
services necessary to support a particular lifestyle.

Question 18

Explain two ways in which different resources are developed to support
Boserup’s optimistic view.

Answer 18

1. Improved technology through the use of mechanization to
   increase yields of food.
2. Substitution of fossil fuels for renewable energy.
3. Vertical farming.
4. GM crops.

Question 19

Suggest two reasons why progress towards access to safe water has beenslow in some regions.

Answer 19

1. In Madagascar there has been a lack of investment in water provision which has meant that the development of infrastructure such as water points is missing for a large proportion of the rural population. 2. Conflict between israel and Palestine 2014 conflict caused $34mn worth of damage + blockades stop the supply.

Question 20

Explain one economic advantage and one environmental advantage of the circular economy.

Answer 20

1. The circular economy results in employment growth – jobs are created through more labour-intensive activities/new innovative industries. more durable products saves money in the long term for customers. 2. less damage to ecosystems – fewer resources needed so land not used intensive agriculture, water bodies not impacted by dumping of toxins
   *reduces climate change – less energy used for production/supply lines leads tofewer emissions.

Question 21

Explain two aspects of Boserup’s optimistic view of resource management.

Answer 21

Increase in population stimulates agricultural change e.g. GM crops– more food produced to feed population.
*Humans will develop alternative resources– switch of food resources to culturedmeat/plant basd substitutes.

Question 22

Explain why the growth of the global middle class may lead to:
(i)increased water consumption;

Answer 22

The rise in disposable income associated with the GMC means they are able tobuy more advanced appliances eg power showers/recreational use of water. 2. Increased consumption of food/meat – embedded water/growth of crops requireswater/meat production is heavy user of water.

Question 23

Explain why the growth of the global middle class may lead to: changes in diets

Answer 23

1. An increase in knowledge about what makes a healthy diet, leads to ani ncrease in buying more fresh/organic food products OR 2. Growth of GMC in urban settings – access to restaurants &convenience foods.

Question 24

Explain one reason why oil consumption per person over the last 20 years has:
(i)decreased in some HICs.

Answer 24

UK has adopted renewable sources of energy such as large scale wind farms due to a desire to cut carbon emissions. 2010 7% renewables and today over 40%.

Question 25

Explain one reason why oil consumption per person over the last 20 years has: increased in some middle-income countries.

Answer 25

Growth of wealth of the middle class leads to increased use of/demand for cars . OR industrialisation = factories need powering.

Question 26

Explain one environmental impact and one economic impact of international flows of waste on receiving countries.

Answer 26

1. Water may become polluted by heavy metals from dump sites. 2. Jobs are created extracting precious metals from electronic components.

Question 27

State two physical factors that make this place a good location for a solar energy farm.

Answer 27

Space, flat land, number hours of sunlight.

Question 28

Explain two reasons why some countries decide not to utilize nuclear power.

Answer 28

1. Nuclear power plant accidents could release radiation which can cause considerable damage to wildlife and humans. 2. High construction and decommissioning costs - there may be cheaper alternatives e.g. availabel renewable like solar.

Question 29

Explain two ways in which nations can improve their water security

Answer 29

1. Improving sanitation so that clean water is accessible for all. 2. Using sustainable practices e.g. rainwater harvesting / using grey water. 3. Changing diets, such as eating less meat – decrease water used to keep livestock. 4.Desalination plants/purification systems – increase the quality of water available.
2. Increase agricultural efficiency/sustainable agriculture – water-saving irrigation

Question 30

Explain two implications of poverty reduction in China for resource consumption.

Answer 30

With improved wealth more industrial growth has occurred increasing China’s demand for raw materials with poverty reduction millions of Chinese now have greater spending power and so demand for domestic goods and services increases impacting on resources.

Question 31

Name and explain how one tool measures and compares patterns of global consumption.

Answer 31

Ecological footprint is a measure of the amount of land and resources an individual, or place consumes in supporting itself. It combines the impact of water use, energy use, land area use and material use . It’s often quantified in number of hectares required to support an individual, which can be increased by the world’s population to show how many worlds would required support the individual if everyone consumed that amount resources.

Question 32

Explain two impacts of changing diets on the availability of food.

Answer 32

1. A growing reliance on fatty foods and fast food has led to rising rates of obesity, not only in developed countries like the USA but also in many middle income countries. This change in lifestyle
   food leads to a shortage in nutritious food. Prices of convenience food falls and the prices of healthier
   foods such as fresh fruit and vegetables increases. 2. One impact on the availability of food concerns the growing consumption of meat in middle income countries. Rates of meat consumption have increased in seven fold since 1980 in China. This
   requires farm conversion to animal feeds such as soya on a massive scale and a loss of production in
   staple yields such as rice, corn and wheat.

Question 33

Explain the emergence of the “new global middle class”

Answer 33

The emergence of the “new global middle class” refers to the many millions of people in the
world that have been lifted out of poverty in the last 30-40 years. Regions such as East Asia
and South Asia have more than halved their poverty levels. This change has been brought
about mainly by rapid economic growth and industrialization. Stable governments have enabled
investor confidence leading to FDI. In addition, government investment in education and a
greater openness to the global market, especially in China and other South East Asian economies has created a large group of people with increased consumer spending power.

Question 34

Explain the changing relative importance of two sources of non-fossil fuel based energy.

Answer 34

Energy 1: Wind energy is of growing importance to the energy mix of countries wishing to reduce their
carbon emissions, which are known cause of climate change. Wind turbines offer some countries such
as th UK to capitalize on the natural advantages of wind found at offshore sites and upland regions.
Although wind energy can be unreliable if the wind does not blow, it offers great potential, provided the storage of this energy can be improved.
Energy 2: Solar cell technology such photovoltaic cells are of increasing importance in the push towards renewables. They are increasingly falling in cost to the point that they are also most as price
competitive as conventional fossil energies. In addition there is significant room for further technology
innovation in the future where greater efficiencies can be achieved.

Question 35

Explain with the Mekong how interactions within the water-food-energy nexus impacts national
energy security.

Answer 35

In China there is a clear tension between energy security and water security. This is
evident China’s large scale dam projects in the Mekong. China has several dam project and two megadam
projects known as the Mekong Cascade. It has potential to generate 15000 MW of energy.
However to maintain its economic growth, its heavily industrialized northern cities also require water. Diversion of water to satisfy this demand is likely to threaten the viability of hydroelectric power from the
Mekong Cascade.

Question 36

Explain with the Tana Delta, Kenya how interactions within the water-food-energy nexus impacts national
energy security.

Answer 36

Energy production in the Tana Delta in Kenya seems to be threatened by population growth
and pressure on land resources. The potential capacity of the 5 dams currently built in the region, which produces half of Kenya’s current energy needs is only at 44% capacity. One of the pressures for this is
the falling water inputs due to conflicting resource demands. Upstream pressure such as deforestation for farming leads to disruptions to the hydrological cycle and furthermore to water storage and river
inputs.

Question 37

Explain with Mekong examples how interactions within the water-food-energy nexus impacts national
water security

Answer 37

Mekong River flows through 6 Asian countries and is vital source of water for energy, livelihoods and food production. In total there are 11 major hydroelectric dams and 120 tributary damseither constructed or planned for construction. The restriction of water downstream impacts lower
Mekong nations, such as Vietnam. At times of El Nino, drought conditions are experienced, the dams
exacerbate water security issues. This is leading increased salinization and failure of rice crop yields.

Question 38

Explain with Tana Delta how interactions within the water-food-energy nexus impacts national
water security (3+3)

Answer 38

In the Tana Delta in Kenya there are major plans for energy. Two major projects include
two dams which provide for more than half of the country’s energy needs. A second project is to convert
more than 20,000 square hectares over to sugar production for biofuel export. The impacts of this are felt by disappearing rivers and reduced water quality for rural subsistence farmers. In this case national interests for energy exceed the needs of inhabitants of the Delta leading to conflict.

Question 39

Examine how energy can be considered an important geopolitical issue.

Answer 39

Energy is a vital component of a developed and industrialized economy and therefore it is of huge
geopolitical importance. In order to sustainably manage its industrial output and domestic energy
demand there is a need for energy security. This way, future economic growth and demand-changes
can be foreseen and planned for. Source regions, such as the Middle East are of huge geo-strategic
importance to countries like the US and Russia, securing safe production and supply routes is therefore a priority. Domestic production of oil and gas, both fossil fuels, remains a national priority for resource rich
countries despite the known impacts they have for climate change. For the USA this has meant
huge capital investments into shale gas fracking, which now accounts for about 30% of its energy mix and 94% of it natural gas use, providing it with energy independence. In addition, oil and gas exports for Russia represented 68% of its export revenues in 2013. This economic dependence has led to Russia’s militarization of the Arctic beyond that of all other Arctic nations combined. Its influence over energy supplies to Europe is also a geopolitical tool over the region, which provides it with leverage over European policy. Therefore energy security can be seen as a critical factor in many countries’ foreign
policies.

Question 40

Explain with Mekong how interactions within the water-food-energy nexus impacts national
food security

Answer 40

Food security in Laos is directly effected by water and energy demands along the Mekong. Water can and is often held back behind two hydroelectric mega-dam projects in China. Laos is the least developed downstream nation with 65% living in rural areas and is densely populated in farming communities alongside the fertile banks of the Mekong. However due to unpredictable water releases from China their fields, crops and livelihoods can washed away, causing loss of livelihoods and
increasing hunger.

Question 41

Explain with Tana Delta how interactions within the water-food-energy nexus impacts national
food security

Answer 41

Conflicts of water access in the Tana Delta Kenya threatens the food security of many thousands of people. The government is involved in different schemes such as energy production and
cash crops for biofuel export. These require water diversion and irrigation which restricts water levels within the Delta. At times of drought conflicts over water access needed for both pastoral farmers with herds and arable farmers erupts. Scarce water resources are a vital for food security for both conflicting groups in the region.

Question 42

Explain how the disposal of waste in the UK is unsustainable.

Answer 42

Some countries such as the UK adopt a reliance on landfill disposal of waste, with limited
waste recycled. Land fill can be considered unsustainable as it is part of linear system of disposal rather than circular economy approach that includes recycling, up-cycling and reusing. Landfill is also
environmentally damaging both in the physical environment and in terms of polluting local water courses and air quality.

Question 43

Explain how the disposal of waste in Ghana is unsustainable.

Answer 43

Another example of unsustainable practice concerns the export of ewaste to developing and
emerging economies. This export often under label of second hand goods ends up too often as toxic
landfill in countries such as Ghana. In addition, people are exposed to toxic gases and water due to the
unregulated methods of extracted valuable metals and components from exported ewaste.

Question 44

What is Thomas Malthus’ view on pop & resource consumption?

Answer 44

Pessimistic -Thomas Malthus first observed in
the late 18th century that population growth was outstripping food production growth. He envisaged pessimistic outcomes. One where either the world took extreme measures to control population growth
or alternatively we would face what he termed ‘positive checks’, thing like famine.

Question 45

What was Boserup’s point of view?

Answer 45

Optimistic - Esther Bosrup proved
an alternative optimistic perspective, whereby when forced to make changes due to environmental and
resources pressures, world governments will find a way. This idea sees necessity as the trigger for
technology innovation.

Question 46

What does the Club of Rome argue?

Answer 46

Pessimistic -The Club of Rome, comprised of eminent researchers suggest that we face Malthusian
disasters in regard to our current rates of resource consumption. The Club of Rome suggest that population growth, with its resource consumption will outstrip the availability and supply of resources that in turn will lead eventually lead to environmental collapse and economic shocks.

Question 47

What does Bjorn Lomborg argue?

Answer 47

Bjorn Lomborg, who leads the think tank,
Environmental Assessment Group and who is climate change skeptic advocates an approach in line
with Bosrup. He suggests that we invest in long term research and solution to environmental problems.
These ideas are also supported by Julian Simon who suggest resource problems will be solved by price and investment in technology solutions.

Question 48

1 applicatiof circular economy.

Answer 48

One application of the circular economy in the EU can be seen in the organization
Bundles. This company works with washing machines and tumble driers. Rather than selling these
products they collaborate with Miele to lease them alongside a smart energy monitor that can inform the user on how to save energy use. All repairs and returns this way stay with the manufacturer and so at the end of their lifespan components can be recycled or products can be upcycled allowing for a circular use of resources rather than a linear wasteful use.

Question 49

Food application of the circular economy.

Answer 49

A second application of circular economy can be seen in the vertical-farming company
Verticrop in Vancouver. They use hydroponic technology to grow vegetables and herbs in greenhouse
rooftops, with the aim of producing some 70 tons of leafy vegetables per year. The company targets
yields up to 20 times higher than normal (field) production volumes, with fewer resources—only 8% of normal water as well as no strong herbicides or pesticides. The vertical farms are much nearer urban centres, so they promote local sourcing and the supply of fresher food. The shorter transportation
distances reduce costs, energy consumption and carbon footprint.

Question 50

Definition of Stewardship

Answer 50

An approach to resource management which views humans as ‘caretakers’ of the natural world. Indigenous Amazonians are the model caretakers.

Question 51

Balanced viewpoint - Stewardship.

Answer 51

*Population growth can be managed with sensible conservation strategies for natural resources.
*Good governance is essential for resource stewardship.
For example -Carbon capture, improved solar power.
*Stewardship approach combines conservation & preservation strategies. It sees humans becoming the ‘caretaker’ of the natural world.
*Conservation – efficient & non-wasteful use of natural resources, so we do not deprive our descendants.
*Preservation – views nature & wilderness as something bets left apart from human commerce – National Parks & ‘re-wilding’ strategies.

Question 52

Examples of resource stewardship.

Answer 52

1. Antarctic Treaty - protected from territorial claims & exploitation of resources. Only scientific research allowed. 2. MPAs - Marine Protected areas in the Ocean or National Parks e.g. Yellowstone in USA. 3. US Dept for Agriculture - offer resource stewardship evaluation to farmers - ratings given on soil management, water management, habitats, air..farmers can see where doing well and where need improve. Offer support to make changes. 4. TNCs aligning to SDGs e.g. Inbev Leuven.