Resource development

Question 1

Concept of a resource

Answer 1

• A resource is any aspect of the natural environment that can be used to meet human needs.
• They have economic value + can be used to improve country’s wealth and further development

Question 2

Resource security

Answer 2

• Resources can be transported and traded
• An important concept is resource security
• the ability of a country to ensure a safe, reliable and sustainable flow of resources to maintain existing levels of development and allow future generations to advance

Question 3

Resource classifications : Stock resources

Answer 3

Finite and will run out eventually e.g. fossil fuels.

Question 4

Resource classifications : Flow Resources

Answer 4

Infinite and can be replenished and renewed e.g. biofuel.

Question 5

Reserves

Answer 5

• Part of a resource that is economically, legally and technically viable to extract

. - Resources can be converted into reserves if there is technological advancement

Question 6

Stock resource evaluation : Measured reserve

Answer 6

• Estimated with confidence as quantity, grade and quality are well established
• Results in a ‘proven reserve’ which is economically viable to extract

Question 7

Stock resource evaluation : Indicated reserves

Answer 7

• quantity, grade and quality can be estimated with less confidence than measured reserves and require further evaluation of the economic viability
• Degree of confidence is less than with measured reserves but enough to allow a reliable estimate, which leads to a ‘probable reserve’

Question 8

Stock resource evaluation : Inferred resource

Answer 8

• quantity, grade and quality can be estimated on the basis of only limited sampling
• they remain ‘possible reserves’ as there is insufficient information on tonnage or grade

Question 9

Stock resource evaluation : Possible resources

Answer 9

• knowledge of these resources based on the existence of other, mostly undiscovered deposits
• They may become economically viable in the long term but there is less confidence about this than with inferred resources
• Hypothetical and speculative resources

Question 10

Resource exploration

Answer 10

• Exploration = process of searching for available resources and then upgrading the resource from inferred to measured if appropriate
• Resources are difficult to find due to their uneven global distribution, but new technologies such as remote sensing, allow more efficient exploration.

Question 11

Resource exploitation

Answer 11

Exploitation is the process of extracting the material from the ground and its use is dependent on the economic viability of a resource.

Question 12

Resource exploitation : Grade of deposit

Answer 12

• High grade deposit is more viable
• Quantity of high grade ore resources, as more resources are exploited
• Remaining high grade deposits are difficult to access/exploit

Question 13

Resource exploitation : Geological structure of the ground

Answer 13

• Resources close to the surface are easier and cheaper to exploit in the open pit mining
• Resistant rock will take longer and be more expensive to exploit

Question 14

Resource exploitation : Proximity to markets

Answer 14

• Stock resources are often bulky, so large travel distances have a cost
• For more expensive materials such as diamond, this is less important

Question 15

Factors affecting resource economically viability

Answer 15

• Available technology
• Price of the resource
• Quantity of the resource
• Quality of the resource
• Location and accessibility

Question 16

Resource frontier

Answer 16

• An area where resources are brought into production for the first time
• A resource frontier is the boundary between exploited areas and areas considered too difficult to exploit under current political and technological conditions .
• Resource frontiers are changing as technology advances to allow new areas to be exploited.

Question 17

Resource peak

Answer 17

• Time of maximum production of a reserve or of a resource as whole
• The amount of the resource being extracted will vary over time but usually follows a long-term trend known as ‘Hubbert’s Curve’.
• Production increases exponentially until it peaks around halfway through available resources and is followed by decreasing production.
• Not all production follows this curve precisely , as demonstrated by the graph showing US crude oil production. However, on a global scale, the production will follow the bell-shaped curve. There will be fluctuations from the expected curve

Question 18

Time at which peak production occurs is dependent on :

Answer 18

• The availability and discovery of reserves
• Development of new technologies
• Demand for the resource
• Grade of available resources

Question 19

Sustainable resource development

Answer 19

• Sustainable= ability to keep something going in the long-term. It can refer to the production of a stock resource and involve environmental, social, economic and political factors.
• A sustainable resource development involves long-term planning that ensures extraction doesn’t increase too quickly or rise to unsustainable levels. It will ensure that workers are protected in future and there is a plan for when the resource can no longer be exploited and the facility will close, though the aim is to prolong this point
• Sustainable Resource Development will include a long-term environmental plan, (EIA).

Question 20

Sustainability of resource development is a concern because :

Answer 20

• As LICs develop, their resource use will increase
• The environmental impact of current levels of resource use is an issue
• There needs to be careful management of current resources use so that future generation can have access to the resources they require

Question 21

EIA (Environmental impact assessments)

Answer 21

• Can be used to evaluate the costs and benefits of resource development projects
• They inform decisions by balancing economic gain with potential environmental impact and offer alternative approaches

Question 22

EIA stages :

Answer 22

• outline of the proposed development
• Description of existing environment
• Assesssment of the likely impact
• Outlining of mitigation
• Official publication of an environmental statement
• Decision for or against the proposal
• there is a right to appeal from both sides