Resource Security

• Carbon Trading - The restriction of carbon emissions by countries or companies. Companies under their carbon emissions cap can ‘sell’ to other companies.
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) - An assessment of the possible environmental impacts of a resource development project.
• Exploitation - The process of extracting the resource.
• Energy Mix - The composition of a country’s energy sources.
• Decentralised Energy - Energy produced away from the National Grid and close to where it will be used.
• Flow Resource - A resource of infinite supply and so can be replenished and renewed e.g. Biofuel. Greywater Recycling - Reusing water already used in a non-toxic process (washing pots, etc).
• Energy Pathway - The movement of energy from its extraction or source, through pipes, freight logistics or cabling.
• Hubbert’s Curve - The amount of resources extracted by a country over time, which follows a bell-shaped curve.
• Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) - Managing the supply of water from a river basin, optimising the supply of water whilst protecting the environment and ensuring fair distribution of water.
• Energy Players - Key companies and individuals who own, distribute and sell energy and energy sources.
• Mineral - A naturally occurring compound formed by chemical processes.
• Nuclear Fusion - The process of joining atomic nuclei together, to produce energy.
• Non-Renewable - A source of energy that can only be used once to generate electricity or takes thousands of years to replace e.g. Fossil Fuels.
• Rainwater Harvesting System (RHS) - Collecting rainwater for use. Rainwater is cleaner than greywater.
• Primary Energy - The initial source of energy, as it is naturally found. This could be natural ores, water, crops or radioactive material.
• Renewable - Primary energy that can be re-used to produce electricity or has a short lifetime, therefore any used can be replaced quickly e.g. Hydroelectric, biomass, solar.
• Resource Frontier - The boundary between exploited area and areas considered too difficult to exploit.
• Resource - Any type of asset, commodity or item which can enhance the quality of life or improve a function’s efficiency.
• Stock Resource - A resource of finite supply and so will run out eventually e.g. Fossil Fuels.
• Sustainable Resource Development - Long-term planning to ensure the rate of extraction doesn’t rise above an unsustainable level.
• Water Conflict - Any disagreement between groups of people over water resources.
• Water Scarcity - Renewable water supply is less than 1000m3
• Water Footprint - The water demand per person for the services you use and products you consume.
• Water Stress - Demand for water exceeds the supply of clean, non-polluted water.