resource management Flashcards
resource management
a resource is something people use and rely on with a value; most common ones being food, water and energy. Adequate supply is essential for countries to develop
distribution of food
- In HICs less than 25% of the population is malnourished
- Average caloric consumption is 3,200Kcal a day in the UK
- over 1 billion people in LICs such as Niger consume less than 1800kcals which is well below the recommended amount by the WHO
global distribution of water
- 75% of the UK’s water is used in industry
- Desert areas and NEEs are in water scarcity
- Niger uses 82% of its water for agriculture- water scarcity
global distribution of energy
- UK consumption is between 75 and 149 british thermal units (quite high)
- China’s energy consumption between 2003 and 2011 increased by 53%
- World’s richest 1 billion use 50% of the worlds energy and poorest 1 billion use 4%
sources of water in the UK
aprox
1/3 from ground water
2/3 from reservoirs
rivers make a very small amount
why is demand for water increases
more appliances- due to an increasing population
more houses- due to an increasing population
grey water
waste water from peoples homes
supply
the amount of water available to be provided
water surplus
when supply exceeds demand
demand
how much water we want to use
water stress
when annual demand is more than 80% of the available supply
water defecit
when demand exceeds supply
use of water within the households
50% of the water used in houses are used for bathing and toilet flushing (12% for showering)
47% of water in the UK is used for households
21% of water is lost to leakages
strategies to combat water stress
Thirlmere water transfer scheme
- lake district to manchester (support industry growth)
- Ennerdale is cumbria’s main source of water
- the scheme would transfer water along 2x30km pipelines
main causes of water pollution in the UK
Agriculture
Urban water pollution
Industrial pollution
how does agriculture lead to water pollution
- 1l milk= 40l of sewage - grows algae too much O2
- chemicals such as fertiliser are highly toxic (NH4)
how does Urban water pollution lead to water pollution
- e.g washing machine, paved street, roads
- new draining pipe by river Langan reduced pollution by 85%
how does industry lead to water pollution
- when last of collieries closed lots of mine water was released
- Coal authorities new treatment facilities treats 120l of mine water a second preventing 72 tonnes of mine water from reaching rivers
What is the overall water quality of the UK
even though water quality in the UK is among the best in the world in 2020 none of the rivers in the UK were pollutant free
The water industry act 1991 requires water to be monitored by local authorities
indicators of water quality
- dissolved O2
- acidity
- temperature
- salinity
- nutrients (nitrogen or phosphorus)
- insecticide/ herbicide + metals
What is the purpose of Kielder Water reservoir
The reservoir holds over 100,000 hectares of water and supplies water of almost the entire NE region (3 million people) which used to be an area of water insecurity
Advantages of Kielder Water
- 20,000 MWh of hydroelectric power a year from the dam
- Reduced flood risk to the area
- is a sight leisure opportunities
- Regulates North tyne
Disadvantages of Kielder Water
- 58 families, several farmers and1100 hectares of habitat displaced
- Higher risk of contamination between different drainage basins
- Locals see it as a waste of money
Food miles
distance in kilometres from farm to supermarket
Issues with importing food
- 12% comes from LICs where farmers are taken advantage of
- contributes to global warming
- vulnerbility to natural hazards
- transport costs themselves
effect of Brexit on importing food
higher price
less than 5% of revenue goes to farmers
1/4 of Kenya’s trade now goes to the UK
Kenya’s mangetout
- one of the main sources of income in Kenya
- producers earn only 12% of final price
- LICs recieve more jobs but are being taken over by TNCs
Why is demand for organic food increased
Even though its more expensive due to higher labour costs demand for organic produce increased by 4.5% between 2018-2019 (and home deliveries of organic food increased by 11%)as people want less harmful chemicals in their produce
food security
When all people at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietry and food preferences for active and healthy life
Rutherford organic farm (Devon)
- gives weekly produce (organic food and dairy)from farms in Devon, Yorkshire, Peterborough and Hampshire to their local populations. Reduces food miles, there is a stronger connection between consumer and grower and it only grows seasonal produce
What is agribuisness
large scale commercial farms that are part of national/ international business (get lots of money). They tend to use specialist tech and scientific research/ chemicals to maximise production.
ATB
- large scale agribusiness in Herefordshire
farms 2600ha of land sustainably - Have an established relationship with the - - Herefordshire Beekeepers association to take care of the area
use mostly renewable energy such as biomass and solar to power the farm
how has energy usage in the UK decreased
60% fall in industrial use of energy
12% fall in household use of energy
(freezers use 70% less energy than the 2000s and bulbs use 30% less than the 2010s)
sources of energy in the UK
- since 2007 have completely cut out the use of crude oil as an energy source
- recently (2020) the amount of nuclear power used is slowly decreasing due to not opening any new plants (around 22 billion to build hinkley point power station)
Biomass provides the most energy of renewable sources with solar and wind increasing but being vey seasonal (as of 2020 offshore provided the most energy in the fourth quarter)
Hornsea One (North Sea/ Yorkshire)
Completed in 2021 its 174 turbines can power 1 million homes.
Hornsea 2 was due to finish in 2022 with plans to create hornsea 3 by 2025 and 4
Drax powerstation
North Yorkshire has been converted from coal to biomass. Began operations in 2021 should be able to power up to 6% of Uk’s total energy demands
Hinkley point C Sommerset
costs around 22 billion to build this nuclear power station will supply 7% of the UKs energy. Plans for Sizewell C in suffolk & Bradwell B in Essex
energy security
uninterrupted availability of energy at an affordable price
Fracking
Sand water and other chemicals are injected at high pressures into sedimentary rock to extract natural gas. The climate change committee suspended it in 2021 after banning it in 2019 due to the risks (small earthquake in Lakashire in 2011 leading to protests and can pollute groundwater)
Water insecurity
When water availability is insufficient to ensure the good health and livelihood of a population due to short supply or poor quality
Why is demand for water increasing
- global population set to reach 9.3 billion by 2050
- demand for food set to increase by 70% by 2050 (food needs water to grow)
- India and China have the largest middle class in the world which means they use a lot of water for industry
how does climate affect water insecurity
high rainfall means rarely face water scarcity
how does geology affect water insecurity
permeable rocks such as sandstone are more likely to form aquifers as water can percolate through
how does pollution affect water insecurity
only 1% of water found on earth is actually potable and LICs and NEEs often have water sources as open sewers leading to the spread of waterborne diseases
How does over abstraction lead to water insecurity
the water table decreases causing wells to dry up often due to agriculture and can cause rivers to dry up
How can poverty lead to water insecurity
2.2billion people worldwide don’t have access to clean water (4.2 billion people total often use a shared water supply)
Industrial use of water
- china set to use 30% of the earth’s water by 2030- insufficient supply may reduce industrial output by 40billion dollars
Food production demands for water
Frequent droughts in USA inhibits the US’s maize production which is 30% of the earth’s supply
70% of the earth’s water is used for agriculture to ensure the most optimum yields
International disputes over water
- Water supplies in Sudan caused a war
- Egypt controls the use of the Nile which causes conflict with the 9 other countries the nile flows through
- lake Chad provides water for 20 million people in 4 countries but has shrunk by 5 %
How to increase water supply
- Dams and reservoirs (kielder water)
- Water transfer (China north-south transfer scheme from Yangtze River to yellow river basin in the arid north- diverts water from the south)
- Desalination- Saudi Arabia has the biggest desalination plant that produces 1.4 m^3 of water a day- highly energy intensive though
- Diverting supply and increasing storage (oklahoma USA rainfall infrequent but heavy it is diverted to allvial soils where it can be stored with a reduced risk of drying up
Water conservation
25-30% of global water supply is lost through leakages (in the Uk 3.4 billion litre of water are lost each day)
14.4 billion pounds have been invested to improve the victorian pipes
how to save water
Domestic:
- use of grey water in the garden irrigation (70% of water used for irrigation in Jordan in grey water)
- install twin flush
- use water conserving appliances
- install low flow shower heads
in industry:
- use recycled water for cooling (e.g Paolo Verda, Arizona)
- Kolkota India use recycled water for fish farming
Lesotho highland water project
through 32Km pipeline water is pumped from the Meula plant while also creating Hydro electric power
the polidah will hold 2.2 billion m^3 of water
2000 million m^3 of water is to be transferred to South Africa each year
Advantages of the Lesotho Highland Water project
- sanitation in Lesotho has risen from 15-20%
- contributes to 75% of Lesotho’s GDP (150 million pounds to buy water each year
- provides water for 10% of the population of south Africa without a safe supply of water
- protects local ecosystem as it reduces the acidity of the Vaal River resevoir
Disadvantages of the Lesotho highland water project
- will displace 17 villages(30,000 people had to move) and will displace agricultural land for 71 villages in Lesotho
- destruction of wetland ecosystems in Lesotho
- 40% of water transferred in the schem lost to leakages before reaching south afric
- costs for south africa set to hit 4 billion USD
conditions in Rajistan and how humans have made it worse
summers can reach over 53 degrees celcius meaning surface water often evaporates and over irrigation in tandem with the fact that wells are privately owned and hence are over abstracted
there is only 250mm of rain per year mostly during the monsoon season
Efforts to aid the Wakal river basin
the united states agency of international development worked with people from 2004-2014 to improve education and increase water supply to the Wakal river basin
Local strategies to increase water supplie
Taankas- 3m in diameter and 3/4 m deep (are an underground storage of water- collect surface water from roofs)
Johads- Small earth dams to divert water flow (helped raise the water tables by 6m 5 rivers now flow throughout the year)
Irrigation channels that transfer water straight to fields (villagers take turns with who’s turn it is)
