7.6A Superpower resource demand

• • As the world population increases so does the demand on resources
  • Superpowers and emerging superpowers place the greatest demands on resources and have the largest environmental footprint
• Water

  • Over 2.7 billion people suffer water scarcity for at least one month each year
  • Both India and China are suffering increasing water scarcity due to:
  • Increasing industry and agricultural demand
  • Increasing population
  • Pollution of fresh water sources by industry, agricultural and domestic waste water
  • Uneven water supply, the highest demand in China is in the north-east whereas the highest supply is in the south
• Food:

  -> The demand for food increases as a result of:

  • Population increase
  • Increased calorie intake
• Fossil fuels:

  -> As countries develop, their energy requirements increase as:

  • More energy is used in factories and industry
  • Domestic demand increases as people have more technology - washing machines, TVs, fridges etc...
  • ->Many emerging countries rely on fossil fuels as they are cheaper and they may have their own reserves of fossil fuels
  • In Indonesia 81% of electricity is generated by fossil fuels
  • 57% of China's energy is produced using coal
• Minerals:

  -> Minerals are used in many different ways:

  • Energy
  • Industry
  • Construction
  • Metals
  • The use of minerals is projected to continue to increase, with particularly demand for minerals such as graphite and lithium which are used in batteries and renewable energy

  
• Environmental degradation:

  • The increased demand for resources is leading to significant environmental degradation including:
  • Water pollution from industry, agriculture and domestic waste
  • An estimated 80% of groundwater in China is unfit for human consumption
  • Severe air pollution
  • About 90% of the global population experienced unhealthy air quality
  • Soil degradation is an increasing issue around the world 
  • The UN estimates 40% of the world's land is degraded

  
• Carbon emissions:

  • Superpowers or emerging superpowers are the largest emitters of CO2
  • China emits over 30% of all global greenhouse emissions, followed by the USA (13%) and the EU (8%)and India (8%)
  • The UN reported in 2019 that the group of 20 major economies (G20) are responsible for 78% of greenhouse gas emissions