The Challenge of Resource Management Flashcards
what is a resource
something from the natural world that people make use of
why do resources need to be managed
so they don’t run out as this could decrease quality of life
what is economic wellbeing
a person’s, family’s or country’s standard of living based primarily on financial situations
example of economic wellbeing
job
money
house
clean water
what is social wellbeing
an end state when all basic human needs are met, people have friends, healthcare and education
examples of social wellbeing
education
health
friends
clothes
sleep
heating
supply of resources in HICs and LICs
HICs often have a plentiful supply of resources and have a high standard of living
LICs have a poor supply of resources and can struggle to progress and have a lower quality of life
water resource inequality
both the quantity and quality of water a country has access to is vital to wellbeing
HICs have access to higher volume of water and water is vital for energy production, growing crops and food supply
many of the world’s poorest countries have a poor supply of water and are trapped in a cycle of poverty
what is access to water effected by
natural factors including the climate and economic factors - some people lack access to water because they cannot afford it
what is scarcity
lack of access to water
energy resource inequality
energy supplies are uneven and not all countries have their own energy reserves so rely on importing energy
the middle east supplies much of the world with oil but it consumes very little
why is global energy consumption increasing
as countries develop with HICs use lots of energy whereas LICs use much less
as countries develop they have an increasing demand for energy to power industry machines and air conditioning
the use of technology and transport increases which adds to the demand
even agriculture becomes more energy intensive as farming practices become more mechanised
food resource inequalities
countries in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa have high percentages of the population undernourished
the climate in some parts of the world makes food production difficult
LICs may not be able to afford to import food from abroad, whereas HICs enjoy all year round access to exotic and non-native foods because incomes are higher
what are processed goods
goods converted from a natural state into something different and higher value
what are semi-processed goods
goods that have been partially processed (transformed into something different)
what is an import
items that have been purchased from another country for consumption
what is an export
items that are sent to another country for consumption
what is a high value food export
food that makes higher profit per item than traditional bulk produce like rice and crops
what is organic produce
food produced without the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides or other artificial chemicals
what is seasonal produce
food items that only grow at a certain time of year
what is bulk produce
food items offered in large quantities
examples of high value foods
processed foods e.g instant coffee and cereal
semi processed foods e.g wheat and oil
horticultural products e.g fresh fruit and veg
why is there a growing demand for high value foods from LICs
as they are poorer countries nearer to the equator so have good crop growing conditions which we can’t grow in the UK e.g avocados and coffee but they can get exported for cheaper from those countries which can be resold for a higher profit
what is a food mile
a term that measures how far food travels from its place of origin to where it is consumed. It is a method of assessing the environmental impact of foods and their ingredients
what is a carbon footprint
something that measures how much CO2 is released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a particular person, business or community
what is a local economy
the money circulating in an area
what is a provenance
the origin of something
what is a food box delivery
ordering a box of seasonal veg
how can we reduce food miles and carbon footprint
buying food from local places such as farmer’s markets (not chains) and only buying seasonal produce and by transporting things more efficiently e.g by train instead of trucks
what is agribusiness
a large-scale commercial (for profit) farming. Business skills are applied to farming and food production
what is an energy mix
the mix of energy sources used by energy companies in the UK to make electricity
what sources of energy can be in an energy mix
coal, natural gas, nuclear, solar, wind, tidal, biomass (renewable sources)
why is domestic coal declining
political issues
decline in demand
new energy sources
environmental concerns
increasing expenses
uncompetitive industry
how does political issues affect the usage of coal
as the UK coal industry was very political and dashed with the government, leading to strikes in the 1980s when coal production declined significantly. In the 1990s, the industry was privatised and no longer received any government funding, leaving it unable to compete against foreign competition
how does a decline in demand affect coal usage
as even as late as the 1960s, British railways were run on coal power, but were soon replaced with diesel and electricity. Households used to burn coal for central heating but after the clean air act in the 1950s, this rapidly declined as people switched to more modern forms of central heating
how does new energy sources affect coal usage
as we now reply on coal less and use a wider range of different sources of energy, many of which are cheaper than coal
how does environmental concerns affect coal usage
as coal is a ‘dirty’ source of energy which has high carbon dioxide emissions contributing to climate change and the UK government is committed to reducing its emissions so coal is a less attractive source of energy
how does increasing expenses affect coal usage
as the little coal we have left in the UK is deep underground in narrow seams which are very expensive to mine
how is uncompetitive industry affecting coal usage
as cheaper coal is being imported from abroad which means that there is less demand for domestic coal
why is the demand for water in the UK growing
due to the population of the UK increasing as well as increasing economic prosperity (wealth). More people means more housing and an inevitable increase in the demand for water due to household appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers which are being more widely available due to more competitive pricing
why does water quality matter
because freshwater makes up only 2.5% of all water on the planet as the rest is saline and ocean based. Out of that 2.5% only 0.15% of it is easily accessible, with much of the rest of it trapped underground or in icecaps and glaciers
also because there are lots of sources of potential pollution in our modern day lives such as pesticides, chemicals and oil which affects our water quality by fertiliser running off crops when it rains into our water supplies and oil contaminating our water when spills occur. To reduce this, we could use organic farming more, plan when to spray crops, use less / no oil and dispose of oil in a more eco-friendly way
the increase in demand also puts pressure on supplies which can come from domestic uses, livestock, irrigation, industries and the population increase
what are the two types of rainfall the UK experiences
frontal and relief rainfall
what is frontal rainfall
rainfall that occurs when two air masses meet (warm and cold) but they don’t mix as they have different densities and instead the warm air mass is pushed up and over the cold air mass, creating the ‘front’. As a result, the warmer air cools and the water vapour condenses into water and calls as precipitation
what is relief rainfall
rainfall produced as a result of clouds formed from the relief (shape) of the land as where there is high ground, the moist air is forced upwards, producing clouds and potentially precipitation. Mountainous areas close to prevailing Westerly winds are most likely to experience this type of rainfall such as the west of the UK where warm, moist air from the Atlantic cools as it it forced upwards over high land
describe patterns of rainfall in the UK
the areas of highest rainfall are in the west of the UK at over 1200mm/year - especially in western Scotland in areas such as the Highlands
the areas of lowest rainfall are in the east of the UK at under 800mm/year - such as in areas surrounding London
describe crowd patterns in the UK
the most crowded areas of the UK are in the eastern region - specifically London at over 500 people / sq km
the least crowded areas are in northern Scotland and western Wales at under 100 people / sq km
water transport systems in the UK
most of the existing water transport schemes in the UK are found in the north west of the UK going towards major cities as the west has more water than the east due to relief rainfall
most water transfer schemes take water to major cities as they are heavily populated compared to towns
the suggested schemes are found in the south and west wales and are moving towards the south east in places such as London and commuter towns such as Abingdon and Banbury
economic impacts of water transfer schemes
water rich areas can sell water to drier areas
cost of pumping water
social impacts of water transfer schemes
reduced demand
running taps in drought
can’t afford water
environmental impacts of water transfer schemes
impact of transport on wildlife and landscape
recycling sewage water
what is water security
having long term access to enough clean water to live a healthy life, earning a living and having a healthy environment
describe the global distribution of water security
In North America, there is no water stress in the majority of it, although there is extreme stress in the middle of the US border. Similarly, most of the USA, there is no water stress, but in areas around Arizona, Utah and Florida, there is extreme stress
Europe as a whole has moderate stress (e.g Germany)
North west India has extreme stress and so does North Africa in areas such as Algeria and Libya
how is the distribution of water expected to change globally
By 2050, North Africa is expected to have lots more countries under extreme stress and so will all Middle Eastern countries as well as central and south western Asia
where is there areas of water surplus
water surplus is common in countries such as Australia where there is a lot of water and is not densely populated as most people reside on the coast. Other areas of water surplus include Russia, Canada and South America
what is the % distribution of water usage as a world average
70% - agriculture
22% - industry
8% - domestic
what is the % distribution of water usage in LICs
82% - agriculture
10% - industry
8% - domestic
what is the % distribution of water usage in HICs
30% - agriculture
59% - industry
11% - domestic
why is water important
controls weather
supports life
carries O2 and nutrients
most important natural resource
earth is 70% water
washes away toxins
carries clean water
cleans atmosphere
what are the factors affecting water availability
climate
over-abstraction
geology
limited infrastructure
pollution of supplies
poverty
how does climate affect water availability
hot and dry climates (e.g Nigeria) mean that people have less access to water as water evaporates quicker in hotter climates.
This means that there is not much water on the surface of the land which could lead to a drought.
Therefore climate can seriously limit the amount of water available to people
how does over-abstraction affect water availability
In some areas, more water is being taken than put back by rain and this is because more water may be needed in industry, agriculture or irrigation and tourist resorts in places such as Spain, Italy and Turkey
Therefore, more salt gets into the water so you can’t use it as widely e.g drink it
how does geology affect water availability
In some places such as Cameroon, more mining means that more water will be lost and this is because water can be stored underground in the rocks.
When people go mining, it disrupts the water storage and causes excess water loss and causes it to become contaminated
Therefore, geology affects how much water is available to use
how does limited infrastructure affect water availability
In LICs (e.g Bangladesh), the infrastructure is limited or non-existent as the dense layout of slums makes it difficult to build pipes underground.
This means that these places only have dirty water so have ill-health and diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea.
Therefore, they have a higher death rate and higher rates of child mortality
how does pollution of supplies affect water availability
as it contaminates the water with chemicals and diseases as countries such as the USA may not be able to clean the water as they may not have the money or resources to do this.
This means that untreated sewage is pumped into rovers which can contain cholera and typhoid as well as farmer’s fertilisers and other waste products reaching the rivers and other water bodies
Therefore, pollution of supplies heavily impacts water sanity around the globe
how does poverty affect water availability
as countries with less money (e.g Chad) may not be able to access clean water as they often get water from wells, rivers and sandpipes which may not have been treated to be safe to drink
This means that their ‘clean water’ may also have chemicals in from agriculture
Therefore poverty affects water security as it prevents people from having clean and safe water
what are the impacts of water insecurity
conflict
industrial output
food production
water pollution
waterborne diseases
how does water insecurity impact conflict
as infrastructure and pollution can cross borders, such as the Nile, therefore countries may argue to own the resources and this has caused over 37 violent disputes and 150 treaties in the last 50 years
how does water insecurity impact industrial output
as industries that are heavily water dependant don’t have enough water which causes the price of their products to rise which can cause a decrease in people buying their products which leads to a lack of profit and further employment
how does water insecurity impact food production
as agriculture uses a lot of water and if there’s a water shortage then crops can’t grow which can lead to food shortages and malnourishment. As well as this, it can affect livestock as the animals won’t have enough water - especially in hot and drier climates
how does water insecurity impact water pollution
as 70% of industrial waste is dumped into rivers, untreated, which causes it to no longer be able to be drunk as it poses a risk to health and sanity. This can be due to pesticides, open sewers and diseases
how does water insecurity impact waterborne diseases
as contaminated water can cause outbreaks of deadly diseases such as malaria, cholera and typhoid. Without access to other water supplies, 2.6 billion people globally may be forced to drink polluted water which causes illness and death
pros and cons of diverting water supplies
moves water to areas of deficit
can be stored for the future
done via canals, pipelines, tunnels and aquaducts
costly so is used in places that have infrequent, but heavy rain
pros and cons of building dams and reservoirs
stops water from going into other parts of the river
can be built over political / national borders which can cause conflict
dams may be used to create reservoirs which may be done by flooding villages
reservoirs are made during water surplus so can be used during deficit
made in places of constant rainfall
dams for hydroelectric power
pros and cons of desalination plants
desalinating sea water makes it able to drink
works either by evaporation or passed through a special membrane
expensive due to energy use
disposal is an issue to marine ecosystems
Dubai supplies 98.8% of water through desalination
common in desert countries
there is a desalination plant on the banks of the Thames in case of a drought
what are the methods of sustainable water supplies
water conservation
groundwater management
recycling and ‘grey’ water
what is water conservation
when you try to use less water by:
fixing leaking reservoirs, pipes and taps
fitting dual flush toilets
buying efficient washing machines and dishwashers
irrigating farmland using drip pipes and sprays
fitting homes and businesses with water metres so they are aware of how much water they are using
educating people to take shorter showers and turning off taps
what is recycling and ‘grey’ water
recycling water is taking water that has already been used and using it again rather than returning it to a river or sea straight away as it means that less water needs to be extracted
water from homes and industries can be sent to water treatment plants so it is safe enough to reuse e.g toilet water, irrigation, industry and power plants
grey water is a type of recycled water which is usually reused immediately and is mostly waste water from washing machines, showers or sinks and since it is relatively clean, can be used for irrigation, washing cars and flushing toilets
what is groundwater management
monitoring the amount of groundwater extracted to prevent over-abstraction and having laws in place to ensure this
preventing the pollution of groundwater by encouraging farmers to use less pesticides and artificial fertilisers as well as fining for leaks of toxic waste
making sure one country doesn’t take an unsustainable amount if it is shared between borders, leaving the other country with not enough to meet the needs of their population
how do you reach a sustainable water supply
achieve a balance between water demand and water supply
make sure this balance is maintained in the long term as demand rises
what does a sustainable water supply mean
being more efficient in how we use water and reducing waste
