AQA Geography: Section C: Resource Management

Food, water and energy are fundamental to human development.

HICs have plentiful supplies and high standard of living.

LICs lack resources so have a low quality of life.

Rescource: The stock of supply of something that has a value or purpose

Consumption: The action of using up a resource

Finite: limit on the size or extent of something

Importing/Exporting: Bringing/sending a good or service from/to another area

Water Scarcity: Lack of sufficient available water resources to meet the demands of water usage

Undernourished: A poorly balanced diet lacking in vitamins and minerals, resulting in a range of illnesses and disease

Food

• WHO suggests we need 2000-24000 Kcal a day to be healthy-
  • >1 billion people fall below this level

Water

• Population growth = water shortage
• North/South divide in water scarcity
  • variations in climate and raingall
  • as GNP decreases, water scarcity increases (economic) 
  • urbanisation= more people in an area with less water

Energy

• Requred for economic development
  • powers factories and machinery
• Consumption is increasing
  • world becoming more developed

Population increase = increase in demand

Why does the UK import so much food?

• Demand for seasonal produce all year and more exotic foods
• Food is cheaper from abroad (supermarkets compete for low prices)
• UK climate is unsuitable for production of some foods (cocoa, tea, bananas)

Impacts on LICs                                                                Alternatives?

• Jobs + income for locals                                               Organic Farming - no chemicals
  • wages = taxes for government                                 aims to protect environment
• Less land for locals
• Requires huge amounts of water                                   Agribusiness- intensive farming to
  • crops grown where water is unreliable                      maximise food production (chemicals) 

Carbon Footprint increases                                                 eg. Lynford House Farm

• Transport adds >19million tonnes of CO2                                      

Demand is increasing due to:                           

• growing population                                          Water Surplus: supply>demand
• more houses being built                                  Water Deficit:demand>supply and water stress
• and increase in water-intensive appliances      (mainly due to low rain and high population)

Water Transfer:

• Government proposed a water grid (takes water from areas of surplus to defecit) 
  • Small scale- water transferred via Tyne, Derwent, Wear, Tees to as far as Yorkshire
• Opposition
  • the effect of river wildlife/ habitats (eutrophication)
  • high cost
  • greenhouse gases produced from pumping water long distances

Managing Water Quality:

• Monitoring, Filtering, Purifying, Resiticting, Regulations on water
• Groundwater sources lostdue to pollution (leaching from mines, discharge from industrial sites, runoff from chemical fertilisers)

Increasing demand but falling consumptionI(decline of industry and improved energy conservation)

The UK's energy mix changed from 3/4 non-renewable in 1990 to increasing renewable energy.

Why?

• no longer self sufficient in energy (gas and oil reseves exhausted) 
  • energy security is affected as it becomes dependent on imported energy
• 2/3 gas reserves remain in less accessible areas
  • eg. Mariner oilfield
• decline in coal due to concerns about greenhouse gas emissions

Fossil fuels will remain important:                            Fracking:

• remaining reserves will provide for decades           Extracting gas using high pressure liquids
• coal imports are cheap                                            to fracture shale and release gas.
• existing power stations use fossil fuels                   Concerns:
• shale gas deposits exploited (fracking)                  Earthquakes, Pollution of water, High Costs

Economic: Nuclear and Wind Farms

• Expensive to build
• High costs to produce electricity
• Decomissioning old nuclear plants is ££
• Provides jobs and boosts economy
• High construction costs
• Reduce visitor numbers
  • but could become tourist attractions
• Locals could benefit from lower energy bills
  • eg. Delabole wind farm in Cornwall

Environmental:

• toxic radioactive waste and radioactive leaks
• waste water harms ecosystems (warm)
• visual impact (eg. Lake District plans rejected)
• avoid greenhouse gases and reduce carbon footprint
• noisy wind turbines