Resources glossary Flashcards
Water security
The capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable water quality for sustaining wellbeing, livelihoods and development
Food security
When all people at all times have physical/social/economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet the dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life
Energy security
Access to clean, reliable and affordable energy sources for cooking, heating, lighting, communications and productive uses
Optimum population
The number of people who, when working with all available resources, will produce highest per capita economic return. Highets SOL and QOL
Expressing standard of living
(natural resources × technology)/population
Overpopulation
When there are too many people, relative to the resources and technology available, to maintain an adequate SOL
Underpopulation
When there are far more resources in an are than can be used by the people living there
Circular economy
An approach to business management and product design that maximises the efficiency of resource use, and aims ultimately to phase out waste and pollution altogether
Water deficit/Physical water scarcity
When demand for water is greater than supply
Economic water scarcity
When there is water available, but for some economic reason it cannot be utilised
Water footprint
the amount of fresh water utilized in the production or supply of the goods and services used by a particular person or group
Middle class
People with discretionary income
Embedded water
A measure of the amount of water resources used in the production of manufactured goods or food; transferred to other (often water scarce) countries via trade;
Water surplus
When water supply exceeds demand
Ecological footprint
A crude measurement of the amount of area of land and water required to provide a population with all the resources it needs and to assimilate its wastes (measured in global hectares)
Absolute poverty
Inability to afford basic necessities such as adequate food, water, shelter, education and healthcare
Biocapacity
The productive area that can regenrate what humans take from nature
Adaptation
A response to actual or predicted aspects of climate change.
Mitigation
The reduction and/or stabilisation of GHG emissions and their removal from the atnosphere
Decarbonisation
Large reduction in CO2 emissions per value of a gross world production
Consumption
The level of use a society makes of the resources available to it
Relative poverty
when a person’s income of too low to maintain the average standard of living in a particular society
Non renewable resource
natural resources that are not replenished by the environment at the rate at which they are consumed
renwable
natural resources that are replenished by the environment over relatively short periods of time
Energy mix
proportion of hydrocarbons, reneables and nuclear energy that a country uses to meet its domestic needs
FWE Nexus
The complex and dynamic interrelationships between food water and energy resource systems. understanding of the interrelationships is essential if resources are to be used and managed more sustainably
