Unit 2C The Challenge Of Resource Management

Question 1

explain the significance of food to economic and social well-being

Answer 1

• without access to enough safe, nutritious foods people can become malnourished
• malnourishment increases likelihood of getting diseases
• people not getting enough to eat may not perform well at school, so lack skills needed to help country’s economic development
• malnourishment can prevent people working, harming personal economic well-being and economy of country

Question 2

explain the significance of water to economic and social well-being

Answer 2

• clean, safe water needed for drinking, cooking and washing
• without proper sanitation, water sources polluted by raw sewage
• water-borne diseases kill many people
• walk long distances to fresh clean water economic impact on people and country’s economy. people sped less time working + children not able to go school
• water needed produce food, clothes and other products

Question 3

explain the significance of energy to economic and social well-being

Answer 3

• needed or industry, transport and households
• electricity can allow industries to develop, creating jobs making countries wealthier
• without electricity people may burn wood/kerosene which could lead to local deforestation and emission of harmful fumes

Question 4

describe the distribution of resources globally

Answer 4

• uneven
• some countries don’t have own energy reserves, others have dry climates or unsuitable environments for food production
• to access more resources, countries import them or find technological solutions to produce more

Question 5

describe the global inequalities in the consumption of resources

Answer 5

• consumption greater in developed HICs, can afford to buy resources they need + expect higher living standard
• lower in LICs, either can’t afford to exploit resources they have or import resources
• increasing rapidly in NEEs, industry developing v fast + pop + wealth increasing rapidly

Question 6

describe the demand for food in the UK

Answer 6

growing demand for high-value food exports from low income countries and all-year demand for seasonal food and organic produce

Question 7

describe the carbon footprint of or food

Answer 7

• growing, processing and packaging of food produces CO2 and other greenhouse gases
• transporting food produces CO2
• imported foods transported long way so high food miles and large carbon footprint

Question 8

describe the trend towards agribusiness

Answer 8

• farm sizes increasing
• amount of chemicals used in food production increasing
• number of workers employed falling because greater use of machinery

Question 9

define agribusiness

Answer 9

large-scale, industrial farming where processes from production of seeds and fertilisers, to processing and packaging of food are controlled by large firms

Question 10

describe the changing demand for water in the UK

Answer 10

• since 1975, amount of water used by households in UK gone up by about 70%
• UK population predicted to increase by around 10 million people by 2040
• population densities changing

Question 11

describe water quality and pollution management

Answer 11

• polluted/ low quality water reduces amount available for use
• river water quality in UK improving
• up to 80% water in some parts of southern England comes from groundwater, pollution affecting water quality of nearly 50% of groundwater used for public supply in UK

Question 12

describe some of the problems with the quality of river water in the UK

Answer 12

• nitrates and phosphates from fertilisers used on crops washed into rivers and groundwater
• pollutants from vehicles being washed into water sources through surface run-off when rains
• accidental chemical and oil spills at factories polluting local water sources and groundwater supplies

Question 13

what are strategies for managing water quality

Answer 13

improving drainage systems and imposing regulations on amount and types of fertilisers and pesticides used

Question 14

describe the supply and demand for water in the UK

Answer 14

• north and west of UK, high rainfall means good supply of water
• north and west areas of water surplus
• south east and midlands have high population densities means there’s high water demand
• south east and midlands areas of water deficit

Question 15

describe the need for transfer to maintain supplies

Answer 15

water transfers can help maintain supplies by transferring water from areas of surplus to areas of deficit.

Question 16

describe some issues of water transfer

Answer 16

• dams and aqueducts that needed are expensive to build
• can affect wildlife that lives in rivers
• might be potential political issues (people might not want their water transferred to another area)

Question 17

describe the UKs changing energy mix

Answer 17

• in 1970, 91% of energy came from coal and oil
• by 1980 22% of energy supplied by gas
• use of nuclear energy to produce electricity increased during 1990s
• all coal fired power station in UK due to close by 2025 and in 2014, 19% of all electricity generated from renewable resources

Question 18

describe the reduced domestic supplies of coal, gas and oil

Answer 18

• North Sea oil + gas reserves being rapidly used up and production been declining since 2000.
• decline in demand of coal due to an effort to reduce CO2 emissions
• cost of mining remaining reserves increasing

Question 19

explain the economic issues associated with exploitation of energy sources

Answer 19

• extracting fossil fuels expensive and cost increases as reserves used u
• cost of producing electricity from nuclear and renewable energy sources relatively high
• many renewable sources don’t provide reliable enough supply of energy, so UK still has to pay to import energy from other countries

Question 20

explain the environmental issues associated with exploitation of energy sources

Answer 20

• burning fossil fuels releases CO2 and other greenhouse gases
• fracking may pollute groundwater and cause mini-earthquakes
• natural ecosystems damaged by renewable energy generators like large wind farms

Question 21

describe the global distribution of energy consumption

Answer 21

uneven, strong relationship between wealth and energy consumption. wealthy developed countries tend to consume lots energy per person because can afford to . poorer, less developed countries consume less energy per person as less able to afford it

Question 22

describe the global distribution of energy production

Answer 22

uneven, some countries produce lots energy because have large energy reserves and money to exploit them. some countries produce little energy because have few resources or unable to exploit their resources due to lack of money or political instability

Question 23

describe economic development as a reason for increasing energy consumption

Answer 23

economic development has increased wealth of some poorer countries so people buy more things that use energy

Question 24

describe rising population as a reason for increasing energy consumption

Answer 24

in 2011 world population just over 7 billion and projected to increase to over 9 billion in 2040- more people means more energy needed

Question 25

describe technological advances as a reason for increasing energy consumption

Answer 25

created loads of new devices that all need energy,these becoming more popular so more energy needed

Question 26

describe the physical factors affecting energy supply

Answer 26

• unequal distribution of fossil fuels
• fossil fuels non-renewable so supplies will run out
• variations in climate and geography affect potential for use of renewable energy sources
• likelihood of natural disaster that could damage energy infrastructure affects what energy sources can be developed and used

Question 27

describe the economic actors affecting energy supply

Answer 27

• non-renewable resources left in world becoming difficult to reach, so more costly to extract
• prices of fossil fuels very volatile, can vary a great deal , countries relying on energy imports might not be able to afford them
• some LICs may have potential energy resources but can’t afford to exploit them

Question 28

describe the technological factors affecting energy supply

Answer 28

-some countries not able to exploit their energy resources as tech required expensive or unavailable

Question 29

describe the political factors affecting energy supply

Answer 29

• wars + political instability in countries with large energy reserves can affect their ability to export resources
• climate change linked to burning fossil fuels resulted in international agreements to reduce amount of CO2 emissions

Question 30

describe exploration of difficult and environmentally sensitive areas as an impact of energy insecurity

Answer 30

-as fossil fuels get used up, reserves in more difficult and environmentally sensitive areas are exploited. this increases cost of producing energy and risks environmental damage

Question 31

describe food production as an impact of energy insecurity

Answer 31

demand for cleaner and cheaper energy sources increases demand for biofuels. growing crops for biofuels has negative impacts on environment and takes up land that could be used for growing food

Question 32

describe industrial output as an impact of energy insecurity

Answer 32

energy shortages and higher energy costs reduce industrial output, factories have to produce less or relocate to somewhere with better energy security

Question 33

describe the potential for conflict where demand exceeds supply

Answer 33

potential for political instability or conflict between countries with an energy surplus and countries with an energy deficit

Question 34

describe biomass as a renewable source of energy

Answer 34

wood, plants or animal waste burnt for power or used to produce biofuels. burning biomass doesn’t require much technology but only renewable if biomass used is managed sustainably

Question 35

describe wind power as a renewable energy source

Answer 35

turbines use energy of wind to generate electricity, either on land or out at sea. no greenhouse gas emissions once built. wind variable so wind farms can’t generate electricity all time

Question 36

describe solar power as a renewable energy source

Answer 36

energy from sun used to heat water and solar cookers or generate electricity using photovoltaic cells. water heaters and solar cookers can be cheap source of electricity but cells more expensive

Question 37

describe hydro power as a renewable energy source

Answer 37

uses energy of falling water. water trapped by dam and allowed to fall through tunnels where pressure of falling water turns turbines to generate electricity. building dams destroy habitats an communities and may be too expensive for LIC

Question 38

describe tidal power as a renewable energy source

Answer 38

currents or changes in water level caused by tides used to turn turbines and generate electricity. it can’t generate power all day, but can reliably predicted as tidal cycles regular

Question 39

describe wave power as a renewable energy source

Answer 39

wind blowing across water makes waves, which drive turbines to generate electricity. turbine expensive and don’t produce much energy in calm conditions

Question 40

describe geothermal power as a renewable energy source

Answer 40

water pumped into ground, where heat deep in Earth’s crust turns it into steam, which drives a turbine to generate electricity. cheap to set up, but works best in tectonically active areas, which not every country has

Question 41

describe fossil fuels as a non-renewable energy source

Answer 41

supply of fossil fuels can be increased by searching for new reserves to exploit, or by exploiting reserves that have been discovered but not yet used. as tech develops become possible to extract resources that were previously too difficult or costly to use

Question 42

describe nuclear power as a non-renewable energy source

Answer 42

nuclear power used to generate large amount of energy from a small amount of fuel. nuclear power plants very expensive to build and decommission, nuclear waste must be safely stored for 1000s of years and accidents can be catastrophic

Question 43

describe advantages of extracting fossil fuels

Answer 43

• lots of shale gas available in UK. fracking increases energy security of UK as supplies of other fossil fuels start running out
• gas is less polluting than other fossil fuels
• fracked gas cheaper source than some renewables

Question 44

describe disadvantages of extracting fossil fuels

Answer 44

• gas not sustainable, non-renewable and releases CO2 when burned
• risk of pollution of groundwater, drinking water and air
• uses lots of water
• known to cause small earthquakes
• investment in fracking may slow down investment in renewable energy

Question 45

describe sustainable design as a method of conserving energy

Answer 45

• insulation, less energy required to heat homes + workplaces
• modern boilers, more efficient so use less energy
• switching to electric(vehicles), more efficient
• solar panels provide renewable, low-carbon energy

Question 46

describe demand reduction as a method of conserving energy

Answer 46

demand reduction reduces amount of electricity that needs to be generated:

• demand reduced by encouraging people to turn off lights, boiling only water needed and using more efficient appliances
• improving public transport and encouraging walking or cycling reduces demand for energy used for transport

Question 47

describe increasing efficiency as a method of conserving energy

Answer 47

• hybrid cars,and trains combine diesel and electric power to increase efficiency
• regeneration braking, road vehicles and trains can be fitted with devices to store energy lost under braking to be used later or return to national grid
• power stations switching to gas and using gas turbine combined cycle technology

Question 48

briefly explain rice husks being used to generate sustainable power in Bihar

Answer 48

Bihar is rural state in north-east India (an NEE).around 85% people living there not connected to electricity grid. in 2007 scheme began to use local biomass to supply homes in rural parts of Bihar with electricity

Question 49

describe the use of rice husks in Bihar

Answer 49

rice husks collected and used to generate electricity in small, local power plants. each power plant has simple design and contains a rice husk gasifier, filters to clean gas, gas turbine, generator and distribution system that can supply electricity to homes within 1.5km range

Question 50

how is producing sustainable power with rice husks efficient

Answer 50

producing electricity locally very efficient, as energy sources don’t have to be transported long distances and electricity produced doesn’t need to be transferred over long distances to homes

Question 51

what does energy from rice husks in Bihar provide

Answer 51

• providing electricity from biomass reduced demand for small diesel generators and kerosene lamps, so reduced use of fossil fuels
• power plants provide employment for local people, they’re trained in management, operation or maintenance, keeps scheme sustainable as reduces reliance on external organisations and expertise