Global trends in consumption Flashcards

1
Q

what is meant by the “new global middle class”

A

The growth of the middle class demographic that causes an increase in: resource consumption, demand, and expectations of living

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2
Q

what has been the impact of the MDG around the world

A
  • increase in global middle class
  • 1965: total number of middle class was 732 million out of 3.3 billion
  • 2030: estimated middle class will be 4.9 billion out of 8 billion people
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3
Q

define biocapacity

A

land and water to provide resources for humanity

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4
Q

define ecological footprint

A

hypothetical area of land required by a society, group or an individual to fufill all their resource needs and assimilate all their waste and measured in global hectares (ha). For example, a country with an ecological footprint of 3.2 times its geographical area consumes resources that would require a land area 3.2 times the actual size of the country

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5
Q

name 3 positives of increasing population

A
  • rapid innovation -> boosts economy
  • expansion of market size for goods
  • Asia - 53% of global GDP in 2050
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6
Q

name 3 negatives of an increasing population

A
  • higher waste disposal
  • increased energy demand
  • increase consumption of foreign goods can have disastrous environmental impacts (cattle rearing)
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7
Q

what is the distribution of biocapacity globally

A
  • high biocapacity in rainforests, icier regions
  • low biocapacity in desert areas -> MENA
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8
Q

what is the distribution of the ecological footprint globally

A
  • high EF in HIC
  • low EF in LIC
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9
Q

is a high ecological footprint bad or worse

A
  • high ecological footprint is bad
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10
Q

do the trends of the growth of the middle class continue? + example

A

No
-> 1960s -> Brazil and S Korea experienced similar growth rates and income
-> 1980s -> Brazil’s middle class accounted for less than 30% of the population, and South Korea was more than 50% of to the population
-> due to South Korea’s growth over Brazil, it could diversify its economy away from export–consumption to domestic consumption
-> not all middle class has economic security. Many are on $4 incomes and remain vulnerable to unemployment, unemployment and informal jobs

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11
Q

factors used in full ecological footprint

A
  • bioproductive land and sea
  • energy land
  • built land (urban)
  • biodiversity land
  • non-productive land
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12
Q

What is the global trend of the middle class

A

A huge shift in the middle class to Asia from Europe and North America:
-> estimated 400 million in the middle class by 2030 in most parts of Asia in especially: India, China, Indonesia

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13
Q

What is the water-food-energy Nexus concept?

A

Refers to the close link between these three sectors, and stresses the need for stewardship of these resources

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14
Q

What is an ecological creditor

A

An ecological creditor is a country with an ecological footprint lower than their carrying capacity.

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15
Q

what is ecological debtor

A

An ecological debtor is a country with an ecological footprint greater than their carrying capacity

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16
Q

What is the global distribution of ecological debtors

A

Higher income countries: North America, Europe, MENA, Central/East Asia

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17
Q

What is the global distribution of ecological creditors

A

South America, South Africa, Oceania, Scandinavia

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18
Q

Name three factors affecting Nexus

A

-Climate change
-urging economies means higher resource use (BRICS)
Pollution

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19
Q

name the four key benefits of Nexus-based adaptations

A

-Goal
-core principles
Main focus
-broad strategies

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20
Q

Briefly explain the benefits of the goal of a Nexus-based adaptation

A

The goal in order to use resources efficiently to achieve water, energy and food security objectives in order to build adaptive capacity against climate change risks

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21
Q

Briefly explain the benefits of the core principles of an Nexus based adaptation

A

The principle aims to minimise resource waste and increase economic efficiency by managing and reducing vulnerability to climate change risks

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22
Q

Briefly explain the benefits of the main focus of an Nexus based adaptation

A

Provided integrated solutions at multiple scales in order to minimise shock, risks and vulnerability with climate change to reduce overall poverty

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23
Q

Briefly explained the benefits of broad strategies in an nexus based adaptation

A

Broad strategies include policy integration, harmonisation and governance to generate co-benefits across all sectors and stakeholders. This helps build resilience for climate change mitigation

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24
Q

what are the benefits of knowing the ecological footprint of an area?

A
  • can act as a model for monitoring the environmental impact
  • allow for direct comparisons between groups and individuals (HICs and LICs)
  • Can highlight sustainable and unsustainable lifestyles
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25
Q

estimated remaining world supplies of non-renewable resources:
- fossil fuels
- ecosystems
- minerals

A
  • fossil fuels = 40 years left
  • ecosystems = 100 years left
  • minerals = 45 years left (however some as short as 10-20 years left)
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26
Q

how does a country increase their ecological footprint (3)

A
  • having a large per capita consumption of food (i.e. having a meat-rich diet)
  • high levels of imported foods
  • relying heavily on fossil fuels
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27
Q

how does a country decrease their ecological footprint (3)

A
  • improving the efficiency of resources
  • reducing its population to reduce its resource use
  • using technology to intensify land use (GM crops to increase yield on the same area of land)
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28
Q

what is Earth Overshoot Day

A

The day in the year when humanity has used up all the resources that it takes the planet to regenerate

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29
Q

how do nations ecological footprints compare?

A

HICs ->
- more disposable income
- high demand of energy resources and consumption
- produce far more waste than LICs as by-products of pollution
- HICs are usually high meat-eating countries, which take up more land and energy, as animals take 90% of the energy they eat for respiration and mobility
- greater reliance on fossil fuels

LICs ->
- lower disposable income
- the informal economy has led to an increase in recycling
- more commonly veg countries, that use less energy to grow more crops

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30
Q

name 1 HIC and 1 LIC comparing ecological footprints

A

HIC: France
- Ecological footprint: 4.5 Hectares per person

LIC: Ethiopia
- Ecological footprint: 1.0 Hectares per person

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31
Q

To what extent is a future global increase in ecological footprint inevitable due to a rapid growth of the Middle class (10 marks) For and Against

A

For:
- increasing global population rapidly -> high proportion of middle class
- greater disposable income
- higher living standards
- greater demand for energy resources
- greater marketing towards ultra-processed food with a higher price)
- glocalisation has made it harder to resist ultra-processed food from TNCs, as they have adapted their products to the culture in the country they operate in
- more waste created

Against:
- alternate technological advancements/ renewable energy resources that limit the impact of a country’s ecological footprint
- introduction of population policies to reduce population and control ecological footprint
- become part of international economic policies (Kyoto Protocol)
- increased awareness and education

Therefore, the rapid growth of the middle class will inevitably have a major increase on the global ecological footprint as development in that country increases but can be limited by how it is managed and restricted

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32
Q

what are the global patterns and trends in water availability and consumption

A
  • HIC: high industrial use (60%)
  • LIC: high agricultural use
  • water availability will decrease in many regions
    ->, i.e. 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa live in a water-scarce environment, and Central and Southern Europe are predicted to get drier as a result of climate change
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33
Q

how important is water?

A
  • 97.5% is salty
  • 2.5% is fresh water
  • 2/3 of fresh water is in glaciers
  • domestic, agricultural and industrial use
  • 1.2 million live in water scarcity
  • increase demand for water
  • global pop has tripled, and demand has increased by 6x
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34
Q

name 4 reasons that cause the trend of an increase in pressure to manage water

A
  • population growth -> set to reach 9 billion by 2050 (some say it may reach a peak of 11 billion)
  • the growing middle class -> increasing affluence leads to greater water consumption, for example, showers, baths, gardening
  • tourism and agriculture -> increased water usage for swimming pools, water parks and golf courses
  • urbanisation -> Urban areas require significant investment in water and sanitation facilities to get water to people and to remove waste products hygienically
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35
Q

what is virtual water

A

how water is transferred from one country to another through its exports, i.e. in clothes, food, flowers, manufactured goods

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36
Q

what are the continental patterns with virtual water

A
  • most virtual water is being exported from south-east/south Asia and South America to Europe
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37
Q

why is virtual water important + how can countries become dependant on it (is this good)

A
  • allows countries to outsource their water from countries that have more water resources = dependency
  • for example: Mexico imports maize, and saves 12 billion cubic metres of water each year
  • if there are conflicts in the country you are importing from, that can affect many aspects of our country
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38
Q

why do people eat more convenience food as the level of economic development increases?

A
  • food consumption is price-dependant
  • in LICs, an increase in economic development increases the calorie intake, because people have a greater disposable income
  • Rising incomes allow for priority of convenience over cost
  • shifting lifestyles, like changes in work culture, provide less cooking time
  • Globalisation -> International companies expand to other nations
  • Dietary changes -> varied diets arise, and often in processed forms
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39
Q

what is the impact of food production? (Brazil - case study)

A
  • reached the most remote parts of Brazil
  • 1 million new cases of obesity
  • destruction of dietary diversity (changing from traditional diet to processed food diet due to increasing economic power and targeted marketing towards ultra-processed foods)
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40
Q

what is the difference between adaptation and mitigation

A

adaptation - making changes to something that has already happened
mitigation - making changes to prevent something happening

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41
Q

why has energy insecurity risen? (6)

A
  • increasing demand, especially from newly industrialising countries
  • decreased reserves as supplies are being used up
  • global warming and natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, have increased awareness about the misuse of energy
  • terrorist activities such as in Syria
  • The conflict between Russia and Ukraine
  • where countries get energy from a sole supplier
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42
Q

who controls the majority of the global oil reserves

A

Middle East

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43
Q

The USA consumes over 200 million barrels per day, why is this an issue?

A

Because they have far fewer reserves of oil, they need to source from somewhere else

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44
Q

how does the middle east benefit?

A

source of oil for the USA

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45
Q

how does the USA keep good relations with the Middle East for oil

A
  • ensures political stability in the Middle East
  • maintains good political links with the Middle East
  • involves the Middle East in economic cooperation
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46
Q

Why is the demand for fossil fuels increasing in LICs?

A

-> because of their rising population, rising incomes and technological advancements

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47
Q

who has a higher demand for fossil fuels and why?

A

HICs, because the economies of hICs have been based on a high-energy generation built on fossil fuels

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48
Q

name 3 adv of fossil fuels

A
  • relatively cheap
  • plentiful
  • technologies have been developed for the same extraction and use of fossil fuels
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49
Q

name 3 dis.adv of fossil fuels

A
  • most important contributor to the build-up of carbon dioxide
  • unsustainable -> finite stock
  • extraction may be more difficult as mines get deeper and oil rigs are placed further out to sea, such as in the Gulf of Mexico
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50
Q

3 pros of wind energy

A
  • efficient use of land space
  • low operating costs
  • can work in multiple settings
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51
Q

3 cons of wind energy

A
  • noise and visual pollution
  • construction can cause local disturbances
  • reliant on wind to work
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52
Q

pro of tidal energy

A
  • more powerful energy source than wind
53
Q

2 pros of wave energy

A
  • reliable
  • zero emissions
54
Q

3 cons of tidal energy

A
  • initial cost is very high
  • effect on animals and plants living near tidal stations
  • very few suitable sites for constructing barrages
55
Q

2 cons of wave energy

A
  • scalability
  • high costs
56
Q

what is nuclear power

A

Use of fission reactors (uranium is bombarded with neutrons) to make it unstable so it splits apart to release energy to heat water to produce steam to turn a turbine

57
Q

nuclear power pros (6)

A
  • emission-free
  • sustainable
  • has a small footprint
  • 50% of USA power is from nuclear power
  • big investment in smaller reactors that are safer, cheaper, portable and easier to operate
  • can be used 24/7, whereas other renewable sources (like solar) can only be used at a specific time
  • can be operated remotely -> reduce risk to human life
58
Q

nuclear power cons (3)

A
  • produces radioactive nuclear waste
  • changed perspective against nuclear power due to accidents like Chernobyl and Fukushima
  • expensive
59
Q

3 adv of HEP

A
  • created water reserves as well as energy supplies
  • high quality energy output, with low energy input
  • reservoirs used for amenity
60
Q

3 disadv of HEP

A
  • costly to build
  • have to relocate people to flood the area
  • have major environmental issues with the life cycles of marine animals
61
Q

2 adv of biomass

A
  • cheap and readily available
  • if crops are replanted, biomass can be used for a long time
62
Q

3 disadv of biomass

A
  • maybe replacing food crops on finite cropland and lead to starvation
  • when burned, it still releases atmospheric pollutants
  • if crops are not replanted, it is now non-renewable
63
Q

3 disadv of solar energy

A
  • need sunshine, do not work in the dark
  • need maintenance regularly
  • manufacture and implementation can be costly
64
Q

4 adv of solar energy

A
  • potentially infinite supply
  • safe to use
  • single dwellings can have their own energy supply
  • northern countries have limited supply in winter
65
Q

how do we get solar energy?

A

from the conversion of solar radiation into energy via chemical energy

66
Q

2 adv of waste

A
  • readily available
  • does not deplete natural capital
67
Q

1 dis.adv of waste

A
  • burning waste adds to global warming
68
Q

what is peak oil?

A

refers to the year in which the world or an individual oil-producing country reaches its highest level of production, with production declining thereafter

69
Q

why does peak oil vary from country to country?

A
  • discovered in the 1960s
  • but the usage of oil passed the amount found in 1980s
  • has different rates of usage and discovery around the world, because advancements in technology and mining have allowed some countries to discover more than others
70
Q

have we reached peak oil? why can’t we be sure?

A
  • reliable data is jealously guarded
  • peak oil can be affected by many other factors
  • countries are discovering and using oil and different rates
71
Q

what is the change in global energy demand

A
  • HICs = major consumers of energy
  • NICs = increasingly rapid demand
  • Energy resources are used in large quantities for manufacturing and transport
  • Non-renewable resources are still used due to the fact there are recoverable resources and the infrastructure is already in place to use these
72
Q

what are the top 3 producers of energy + figures

A
  • China - 2614 million tonnes
  • USA - 1881 million tonnes
  • Russia - 1340 million tonnes
73
Q

what are the top 3 consumers of energy + figures

A
  • China - 3022 million tonnes
  • USA - 2188 million tonnes
  • India - 775 million tonnes
74
Q

what are the facts and figures relating to a change in global energy demand

A
  • 2016 -> OECD countries accounted for 42% of energy use
    -> China = 23%
    -> Africa = 4%
  • by 2040 -> OECD countries will account for 35% of energy use
    -> China = 23%
  • Africa 5%
75
Q

why is there a change in global energy demand?

A
  • LICs and MICs will continue to grow faster than HICs, but their consumption remains low in comparison
  • As economic growth rates slow down as economies mature, there may be a small decline in the use of energy
  • However, countries with high living standards will consume large amounts of energy and import many goods and services
  • Nevertheless, new sources of energy may emerge (like, fracking and tar sands), and BRICS and other emerging economies will demand and increasing proportion of the world’s energy resources
76
Q

Examine the changing importance of three energy alternatives to oil (10 marks) - PLAN

A

Intro:
- background on oil, and how it continues to fuel the modern world. No other substance on Earth can equal the enormous impact that oil use has had on so many people, so rapidly, in so many ways. Oil is the basis for the manufacture of petrochemical products including plastics, medicines, paints and a huge number of other useful materials

Paragraph 1: Nuclear
+ adv of nuclear and its use and infrastructure

Paragraph 2: Wind
+ adv of wind and its use and infrastructure

Paragraph 3: Solar
+ adv of solar and its use and infrastructure

-> will explore the extent to which these energy alternatives could be used as a long term replacement for oil, and their changing importance at different levels of economic development

77
Q

what is nexus

A

the interrelationship, interdependence and interactions between water, food and energy

78
Q

what is the nexus approach

A

stresses the need for stewardship of these resources

79
Q

what are the sustainable development goals (SDGs)

A

The 17 SDGs were introduced in 2015 and are set to exist until 2030. They replaced the millennium development goals that existed between 2000 and 2015

80
Q

Case study (a nexus perspective from the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, South Asia)

how many people of the global pop and what percentage of water and land does the south Asian population rely on?

A

population: 66% of global population
water consumption: 59% of global water consumption
land usage: 3% globally

81
Q

Case study (a nexus perspective from the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, South Asia)

name 4 Himalayan ecosystem services + examples of each

A
  • provisioning: freshwater, raw minerals
  • regulating: climate regulation, biological control
  • supporting: erosion control, recharging groundwater
  • cultural: recreation, traditional knowledge and practices of conservation
82
Q

Case study (a nexus perspective from the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, South Asia)

name two ways (facts) the Hindu Kush population is undernourished

A
  • per capita arable land is continually declining due to population growth, urbanisation and increasing biofuel cultivation to meet energy demand
  • food production is becoming increasingly water and energy dependent, therefore agricultural growth is constrained due to a shortage of water and energy supplies and a declining water table
83
Q

Case study (a nexus perspective from the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, South Asia)

name two ways (facts) the Hindu Kush population experience water stress

A
  • there is a high dependence from downstream communities on upstream communities for water to grow food and for hydropower, as HKH rivers are the lifeline for irrigation in the dry season
  • growing water demand is expected to increase by 55% since 2005, as there is increased water pollution. This leads to waterborne diseases, high child mortality and poor human health
84
Q

Case study (a nexus perspective from the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, South Asia)

name two ways (facts) the Hindu Kush population experience energy stress

A
  • 63% of the population is without access to electricity, and 65% use biomass for cooking, due to a growing demand for water and land for energy production
  • hydropower in the Himalayas is limited in places due to the risk of causing landslides, therefore energy diversification is needed to meet growing demands (having different sources of energy)
85
Q

Case study (Improving food security in South Africa)

what are the issues being faced in south africa for their agricultural potential

A
  • 10% reduction is rainfall = 4% reduction in maize fields
  • increased temperatures means a decrease in potato production
86
Q

Case study (Improving food security in South Africa)

what are the solutions in south africa for their agricultural potential

A
  • diversification of crops
  • changes in planting times
  • greater use of shade crops
  • change from flood irrigation to sprinkler irrigation
87
Q

Case study (Improving food security in South Africa)

what are the consequences of climate change on food security in South Africa

A

impacts on crop productivity:
- increase in temperature and changes in the timing, frequency and amount of rainfall has harmed agricultural systems
- In the dry western areas, crop production will become more marginal, while in the high-potential eastern areas there may be a slight increase in production

Impacts on food production:
- sugar cane appears to be most resilient to climate change, and yield rates are projected to increase by 55%
- barley will experience a yield reduction of 20-50% for the warmer regions

88
Q

what are the main reasons for poor resource security in south asia?

A
  • lack of water
  • lack of energy to grow food
  • growing population pressure
89
Q

what are the main reasons for poor resource security in south africa?

A
  • lack of water for food production
  • growing climate change pressure
90
Q

how can climate change influence the nexus?

A
  • influence the distribution of pests and diseases
  • higher temperatures and evapotranspiration rates will reduce water supplies and increase the need for additional water provision
  • attempts to limit climate change may have an impact on the water-energy-food nexus, e.g. the production of biofuels and HEP - can create new demands for water resources
  • influences food availability, crop yields, water availability and the need for irrigation
91
Q

Case study (Improving food security in South Africa)

what are the consequences of climate change on food quality in South Africa

A
  • rising minimum temperatures are a problem for the fruit industry due to sunburn and heat stress, especially for apple farming, in terms of fruit quality
  • usually, chilling units during autumn and winter are needed, but in their absence, hormone sprays are used to ensure this condition, but some EU countries demand them to be phased them out, due to possible health concerns
92
Q

Case study (Improving food security in South Africa)

what are the consequences of climate change on livestock farming in South Africa

A
  • livestock will need greater water requirements for livestock heat stress
  • the Northern Cape, a desert zone, accounts for the largest proportion of livestock (44%) in the country, therefore if climate change exacerbates water shortages in the desert, livestock farming will be affected
93
Q

what are the methods of waste management

which is the best and which is the worst

A
  • remove - best
  • reduce
  • re-source
  • reuse
  • recycle
  • recover
  • return - worst
94
Q

how do the volume of waste vary over time, culture and society?

A
  • more paper and plastic waste is generated around Christmas
  • more garden waste around the summer months
  • HICs produce a considerably larger volume of waste than LICs
95
Q

what are the social impacts of unsafe rubbish disposal

A
  • waste pickers tend to have a low social status
  • they face public scorn, harassment, and violence
  • they are vulnerable to exploitation by middlemen who buy their recovered material
  • they live in deplorable conditions: lack of water, sanitation and other basic infrastructure
  • vulnerable to health and safety risks, including exposure to dangerous waste, and various illnesses and diseases
  • low life expectancy rates, i.e. in Mexico City, dumpsite waste collectors live an average of 39 years, compared to 69 years for the general population
96
Q

what are the economic impacts of unsafe rubbish disposal

A
  • In some cities of Colombia, India, and Mexico city, waste pickers can receive as little as 5% of the prices that the industry pays them for the recyclables
97
Q

what are the environmental impacts of unsafe rubbish disposal

A
  • The world’s largest dumps pollute rivers, groundwater, air and soil and harm the people who live there
    -The Mbeumbeuss waste dump in Senegal covers some 175 hectares, whereas the dump used to receive few thousand tonnes of rubbish a year in the 1960s, it now takes 475,000 tonnes of rubbish a year - increasingly e-waste from computers, television and mobile phones
98
Q

what are the 6 forms of waste disposal

A
  • recycling
  • reduce/reuse
  • composting
  • landfill
  • incineration
  • EFW (the energy from waste)
99
Q

how does recycling aid pollution

A
  • the recycling of paper, glass and some metals and plastics saves scarce materials and helps reduce pollution, i.e. in Europe, there are high rates of recycling (Austria, Germany, Netherlands)
100
Q

how is reduce/reuse good for waste disposal

A
  • reuse is more energy efficient than recycling
  • can involve individual reuse of materials (containers, bags)
  • reduce includes using less energy such as turning off lights when not needed
101
Q

how is composting good for waste disposal

A
  • the decomposition of biodegradable material
  • it recycles organic household waste into humus-like soil or compost, which returns valuable nutrients back to the soil
102
Q

are landfills good for disposable waste?

A
  • cheap
  • not healthy
  • living near landfill sites increases teh risk of health problems (heart diseases)
  • landfills need to located close to the source of waste to be economic (near high pop density)
  • give off gases like methane and may contaminate water supplies and is a greenhouse gas
  • chemicals and heavy metals can pollute the soil and groundwater
  • the noise, smell and vermin asssociated with landfill means that they should be sited away from residential areas
103
Q

Evaluate incineration for waste disposal

A
  • converts waste to ash and gas
  • heat can be used to generate electricity
  • they can reduce the volume of the original waste by 80-90%
  • can dispose of hazardous waste products safely
  • air pollution - C02, S02, NO2, NO, can also lead to other env problems like acid rain and smog, increasing rates of lung disease
  • increased volume of traffic to get waste to incinerators
  • toxic ash is equal to 10-20% of the mass of the original waste
  • high initial capital cost
104
Q

evaluate EFW (Export of waste)

A
  • many municipal incinerators are trying to produce energy from waste
  • i.e. Puente Hills (LA) produces enough methane to generate electricity for 70,000 homes
  • however, communities prefer these facilities to be located “somewhere else”
  • the USA has some 1900 municipal landfill sites
105
Q

what are the strategies to manage solid domestic waste

A
  • altering human activity, including reducing consumption and composting food waste
  • controlling the release of pollutants, by governing and legislating to encourage recycling
  • reuse initiatives
  • imposing taxes on SDW collection and on disposable items
  • reclaiming landfill using SDW for ‘trash to energy’ programme and clean-up restoration programmes
106
Q

what is the global comparison of garbage

A
  • urban areas generate more waste than rural
  • the costs of dealing with the disposal of this rubbish are high
  • rubbish is expected to rise to 2.2 billion tonnes by 2025
107
Q

briefly explain the export of waste

A
  • containers that arrive in the UK and other countries with goods exported from China, load up their waste products for the journey back to China

China imports:
- more than 3 million tonnes of waste plastic
- 15 million tonnes of paper and cardboard each year

108
Q

what is E-waste?

A
  • the waste and toxic chemicals released from electronics
109
Q

what is the process of E-waste

A
  • 1000s of different minerals and metals and mined from all over the world
  • they are shipped to factors where underpaid workers construct these electronics in hazardous conditions and experience frequent bouts of illnesses
  • they get sent to the consumer who buys these products in stores
  • after the electronic has lived its use, they are sent to a dumping site (usually in Guiyu, China (the e-waste capital of the world)
  • They deal with the waste by smashing the electronics and taking the valuable metal inside
  • they then burn the rest of the electronic and are heavily affected by the toxic chemicals that are released when they do
  • The European Environment Agency estimates that between 250,000 tonnes and 1.3 million tonnes of electric products are shipped out of the EU every year
110
Q

what was Malthus’s basic theory (1798) ?

A

humans will continue to reproduce exponentially until the population of an area will overcome the resources available, and there will be a point of crisis. When pop surpasses resources, the population will decrease as there is not enough biotic potential to sustain them. This is because the population grows exponentially (or geometrically) and food supply only increases at an arithmetic rate

111
Q

what are preventative checks (malthusian)?

A
  • measures taken by humans to reduce shortages
  • like family planning or anti-natalist policies
112
Q

what are positive check (malthusian)?

A

actually quite negative - encouraging fighting, war and famine to reduce the overall pop

113
Q

what was Boserup’s view in 1965?

A
  • Believed that people have the resources to increase food production (resources = knowledge and technology)
  • when a need arises someone will find a solution
  • was based on the idea that people knew the techniques required by a more intensive system and adopted them when the population grew
  • people who believed this school of thought are called “Anti-Malthusians”
114
Q

who are the Neo-Malthusians (The Club of Rome)?
what model did it create? and what did it predict?

A

This is an idea that follows Malthus’ ideas. They created the Limits to Growth model, which examined natural resources, population, agricultural output, pollution, and industrial production.
- It predicted that the limits to growth would be reached in 2070
- this model suggests that the ability of resources, food, and the environment to meet human needs will be reached by 2070
- beyond this point, if a population is not controlled naturally, it will start to decline due to increased death rates

115
Q

what is carrying capacity?

A

the amount of organisms within a region that the environment can support sustainably

116
Q

what is the optimum population?

A

the number of people who, when working with all the available resources, will produce the highest per-capita economic return. Highest standard of living and quality of life. The concept is dynamic - changes with changing population sizes

117
Q

what is overpopulation

A

occurs when there are too many people, relative to the resources and technology available locally to maintain an adequate standard of living

118
Q

what is underpopulation

A

far more resources in an area than can be used by the population

119
Q

what is resource stewardship?

A

using resources in a way that they will be available to future generations. It suggests that there will not only be environmental sustainability but also social equity over access of resources

120
Q

what are global commons

A

it refers to areas that lie outside political reach of any nation state

121
Q

what are the 4 global commons in the UNEP programme

A
  1. High seas
  2. Antartica
  3. Atmosphere
  4. Outer space
122
Q

what is the tragedy of the commons

A

a situation in which individuals with access to a public resource act in their own interest and, in doing so, ultimately deplete the resources

123
Q

what is a circular economy

A

recognises the interconnectedness of our world - the economy, the society and the environment.

124
Q

what are the 3 principles behind a circular economy

A
  • preserve and enhance natural capital -> control finite stocks and balance renewable resource flows
  • optimise resource yields -> circulate products -> design for recycling and the remanufacturing of products
  • develop system effectiveness by eliminating negative externalities, e.g. pollution and climate change
125
Q

what are the two ways to minimise waste?

A

technical nutrients:
- strictly limited to non-toxic, non-harmful synthetic materials that have no negative effect
- used in continuous cycles as the same product without losing their integrity

Biological nutrients:
- organic materials, once used, can be disposed of and decompose into soil providing food for small life forms without affecting the natural environment
- but is dependent on region’s ecology

126
Q

Case study - IslaBikes, UK

What are IslaBikes?

A

Bikes that are made with new technology and are rented to children. When a child outgrows their bike, they return it, where it is cleaned and maintained, before renting it out to the next child. Therefore it is a bike that lives forever. However, one limitation is it is currently implemented in her neighbourhood and not nationally as there are not many bike renting spots in the UK

127
Q

what are the sustainable development goals?

A

The 17 SDGs were introduced in 2015 and are set to exist until 2030. They replaced the Millennium Development goals

128
Q

name 5 SDGs

A
  • no poverty
  • gender equality
  • affordable clean energy
  • clean water and sanitation
  • climate action