Resource Development

Question 1

Stock Resources

Answer 1

Stock resources can run out and can’t be replaced in the foreseeable future (the planet has a limited ‘stock’, which when used up won’t be replaced within human timescales).
Fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) are stock resources- they take millions of years to form, so when used up are no longer available.

Question 2

Flow resources

Answer 2

Flow resources are resources that can be replenished.
They include resources that will never run out and don’t rely on human input to manage them, e.g. sunlight, wind.
They also include resources that may require careful management by humans to ensure they are replenished, e.g. wood from forests. These are called critical flow resources.

Question 3

Economically viable

Answer 3

If it can be extracted and sold whilst still making a profit.

Question 4

Possible resources

Answer 4

Possible resources these are resources that are thought to exist (e.g. based on knowledge of local geology), but haven’t been sampled.

Question 5

Inferred resources

Answer 5

Inferred resources- these are resources that have been identified (e.g. from limited samples of local geology) but haven’t been measured.

Question 6

Indicated reserve

Answer 6

Indicated reserve the size of the reserve has been partly measured, and the measurements have been used to estimate the actual extent.

Question 7

Measured reserve

Answer 7

Measured reserve - the size of the reserve has been measured and is known accurately.

Question 8

Resource Frontier

Answer 8

A resource frontier is a place with abundant natural resources that are being exploited for the first time. Areas often haven’t previously been exploited because they are geographically remote (e.g. the Arctic) or hard to access (e.g. very mountainous or sub-sea areas).

2) Resource frontiers often develop as other, more accessible, resources are depleted. Ongoing or increasing demand makes it necessary or economically viable to exploit areas that weren’t previously worth exploiting.

Question 9

What is an EIA

Answer 9

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is undertaken before a new development is started. It’s used to assess the potential environmental effects of the development, as well as related social, economic and cultural impacts. These are used to decide whether it can go ahead.

Question 10

An EIA is used when planning a new resource development (e.g. a new mine, wind farm or dam). It normally involves the following steps:

Answer 10

Assessing potential impacts, e.g. damage to habitats, increased pollution, health impacts for people living nearby.
Identifying how any negative impacts can be managed or reduced.
Looking at alternatives to see whether there are less damaging options (e.g. a different type of development or a different location).
Making a decision about whether the project can go ahead, and under what conditions.
Monitoring the development to assess whether the impacts are in line with those predicted.