Unit 3 - Global Resource Consumption and Security Flashcards
Between 1990 and 2015, how did the number of people living in poverty change?
- decreased
- fell from 1.9 billion to 840 million
How did the amount of people living in poverty change in LICs from 1990 to 2015?
- fell from 50% in 1990 to 14% in 2015
How did the amount of middle-class population change in LICs from 1990 to 2015?
- increased from 18% in 1990 to to nearly 50% in 2015
How many middle-class people were there in 2009 worldwide?
- 1.8 billion
Why is the increasing number of the middle-class sector an important economic feature?
- helps to increase sales of consumer goods such as electrical goods, mobile phones and cars
By how much did sales of cars and motorbikes increase from 2009 to 2015?
- increased by over 800%
Is it true that not all the middle class has economic securtiy?
- yes
- many middle class people remain vulnerable to unemployment and underemployment, especially those working in informal activities
Approximately how many global workers work in unsafe conditions?
- approximately half
What is the middle class?
- those living on at least $4/day
What is an ecological footprint?
- the hypothetical area of land required by a society, a group or an individual to fulfil all their resource needs and assimilate all their wastes
What would it mean if a country had an ecological footprint of 3.2 gha (global hectares)?
- it is consuming resources and assimilating its wastes on a scale that would require a land area 3.2 times larger than the actual size of the country
What can ecological footprints act as a model of?
- as a model for monitoring environmental impact
What does it mean if populations are living with a larger footprints than their land area?
- living beyond sustainable limits
What is the available biological capacity for the population of the Earth?
- about 1.3 gha per person
- if marine areas are included as a source of productivity, then 1.8 gha
How many people worldwide do not have access to safe water ?
- 780 million people
Why will demand for clean water increase?
- due to population growth
- due to rising standards of living
What else, except for people, will further stretch the Earth’s water resources?
- increased demand for water for renewable energy
How is water availability likely to change in many regions worldwide?
- decrease
For what will more water be required for in the future?
- to produce food for the world’s growing population(, partly because of changes in diet)
What are some of the number of trends increasing the pressure to manage water more efficiently?
- population growth, which is predicted to reach 9 billion by 2050 and may eventually peak at 11 billion
- the growing middle class - increasing affluence leads to greater water consumption
- the growth of tourism and recreation
- urbanisation - urban areas require significant investment in water and sanitation facilities
- climate change
What does the concept of virtual (or embedded) water refer to?
- the way in which water is transferred from one country to another through its exports, such as in foods, flowers or manufactured goods
- allows countries with limited water resources to “import or outsource” their water from countries that have more water resources
- allows a country to reduce the use of its own water resources by importing goods
How has food intake (measured in calorie intake) changed?
- steadily increased as the world’s population has increased
Where has calorie intake remained steady?
- sub-Saharan Africa
Where has calorie intake increased dramatically?
- East Asia
- Middle East
- North Africa
Why has land availability/person declined in many areas?
- due to a combination of:
- rapid population growth
- land-use changes
- land grabs by foreign companies
(- increasing urbanisation)
By how much did meat consumption per capita in LICs increase between 1964 and 1999?
- by 150% in LICs
By how much did dairy products consumption per capita in LICs increase between 1964 and 1999?
- by 60%
How will global meat production change from 1998-9 to 2030 (predicted)?
- 218 million tonnes to 376 million tonnes
Since 1961, how did the total fish supply and consumption change?
- increased by about 3.6% per year
Why has the production from the world’s ocean fisheries levelled off since the 1970s?
- overfishing
Why have the growth rates of food production and crop yields been falling?
- some of this reduction can be put down to:
- natural hazards (fires, floods, drought)
- global climate change
- use of land to produce biofuels
What are the three mains ways of increasing crop production?
- extensification - expanding the area farmed
- multicropping - harvesting two or more crops a year
- intensification - e.g. using high-yielding varieties or genetically modified organisms
According to the FOA, how will the growth in the demand for food change?
- likely to fall from 2.2% per year to 1.5% per year
- however, this is still an increase
What was the period from 1985 to 2003 an era of?
- energy security
Since 2004, what kind of era was there?
- energy insecurity
Following which two events, was there a period of low oil prices and energy security?
- the energy crisis of 1973
- the Iraq War (1990 - 91)
What are some reasons why energy insecurity has risen?
- increased demand, especially from newly industrialising countries (NICs)
- decreased reserves as supplies are used by
- geopolitical developments, for example, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine
- global warming and natural disasters have increased awareness about the misuse of energy resources
- terrorist activity such as in Syria
What offers the best energy security for most countries?
- a diversified energy mix
When is a country more likely to lead to energy insecurity?
- when depending on a single source, especially from a single supplier
What can energy be generated from?
- both renewable and non-renewable resources
What are non-renewable energy supplies?
- fossil fuels (such as coal, gas and oil)
- provide most of mankind’s energy supply and their use is expected to increase to meet global energy demand
- cannot be renewed at the same rate as they are used (this results in depletion of the stock)