Resource Management

Everyone needs food, energy and water for human survival.

Without food or access to it, people become malnourished which can affect childrens growth, as they may not get enough iron. This can increase the liklihood of disease. It can affect a countrys development, as people cant work, or may not perform well at school.

People need clean, safe water for cooking, drinking and cleaning. Water borne diseases kill loads of people a year. Access is also important, people have to travel miles in some areas of the world, so it prevents them from working or going to school.

Energy is needed for industry and transport. Energy is needed for countries to develop. HICs rely on large amounts of energy. Without energy people use wood and fules for heating, which can cause deforestation.

Global distribution is uneven, most LICs have poor climates so cant grow food. They need to rely on importing food, and they cant develop as they need money for better technology. HICs use more resources as they can afford them, whilst LICs dont, as they cant afford it.

The types of food we have in the UK have changed since the 1960s. Before the only available food, was the food that was in season so if you couldnt grow it, you couldnt eat it. However people want all types of food all year round, so the UK imports most of its food. Spices and exotic food has to be flown in as culture is brought in.

The carbon footprint is growing, as food miles increase. Food miles is the distance the food has travelled. Imorting food from abroad mean having to fly, or ship it over, which releases a lot of CO2 and increases the carbon footprint.

Farming is becoming more industrialised. Large scale farming requires larger fields, meaning hedges are cut down, and biodiversity decreased. The amount of machinery has been increasing, and the amount of pesticides and fertilisers.

The North and West have water surplus- supply is greater than demand. The South has water deficit- demand exceeds supply.

Since 1975 water demand has increased by 70%. 80% of the souths water comes from groundwater, but 50% is polluted by chemicals from farming. Water pollution is a concern as areas with low supply cant afford to not be able to use water.

Water transfer can help. Birminghams water mostly comes from Wales. There is a problem, habitats and wildlife are disrupted and fih migration is disturbed.

Uks energy mix has changed. In 1970 91% of energy came from fossil fuels,as they were easy to extract. Coal and oil were first used, then by 1980 22% came from oil. Recently we are changing to renewable sources. In 2014 Uk had 19% use of renewable sources.

Oil gas and coal are running out. There has been a drop in their useage in attempts to reduce CO2 emissions.

Exploiting energy resources creates jobs and wealth, but there are issues too.

Economic: Extracting fuels is expensive, some fuels can be more expensive to extract than to sell. Many renewable sources dont provide enough energy, so we still have to pay for more.

Environmental: Burning fossil fuels release greenhouse gases. Developing powerstations destroy habitats. Fracking can pollute water and make it unsafe. 

Water insecurity means there is not enough water, places where demand is higher than supply have water stress.

Areas with high rainfall usually have low water stress, or low poulation. High population and low rainfall usually hive high water stress.

Rising population increases demand as there are more people who need it.

Economic development also uses a lot of water, as machinery needs it, or people have a higher standard of living.

Water availability is affected by physical and economic factors.

Physical: Climate- if climates are hot lots of water is lost to evaporation. Climate change is affecting how much rain places gtet. Geology- If a rock is impermeable water will flow into rivers where it is easily accessible. If the land is permeable water is stored underground, which can be hard to get.

Economic- Over abstraction- more water is used than being replaced. Population growth, economic development mean more water is needed. Pollution from industry restricts the water that is safe to use. Poverty. Poor people may not be able to afford water from suppliers so need to find other sources.

Insecurity can lead to: Pollution and disease, if water is limited suplies may become polluted, but people are forced to drink it. Also means food can not be produced because water is used for other things instead.

Water Trasfer- Water is piped from areas where its not needed to areas where demand is high.

Dams and resevoirs- A dam stores large amounts of water, that is built up when its not needed. Then when water is needed it releases it which means the river has a continual flow.

Desalination- removal of salt from sea water. The water is either evaporated and condensed, or passed through a special membrane that removes the salt. Its expensive as it requires alot of energy. Most places like London, only use it in times of drought, but some wealthy desert countries use it as their main supply, such as Dubai.

Water conservation- using less water. Fixing leaking so no water is wasted, fiting dual flush toilets, they use less water. Buying efficient washer and dish washer machines, or only use them for a full load. Fitting homes with water meters which makes people aware of what they are using.

Groundwater management- Groundwater is monitored to ensure not too much is being extracted. Farmers are encouraged to use less fertiliser, as it pollutes the water supply.

Recycling- water from homes are piped to treatment areas where the water is cleaned and can be reused elsewhere. Most recycled water is used for irrigation, industry and toilet flushing. Grey-water can be immediatly reused, like from the washer machine. Its realtively clean so can be used for irrigation. It cant be used for drinking.

China- planned a $62 billion project that will transfer 44.8 billion cubic litres from the South to the North of the country. Two out of three routes have been completed.

Advantages- Provides water to the capital Beijing and Tianjin. It allows industry to continue to develop and bring in wealth. It can support the huge population.

Disadvantages- Large areas flooded and ecosystems destroyed. 345 000 people had to move from areas of flooding. The South wont have enough water in times of drought, 30 million locals wont have enough.

Kenya- Sand Dams. A low dam is built across the river, during rainy season sand is trapped along the dam. Water is trapped in the sand particles, and the sand prevents the water from evaporating. Water can then be extracted from the sand when its needed.