Resources - food, energy and water

• Resources

  A supply of something (e.g. money or materials) that can be used
• Essential resources

  • Food
  • Water
  • Energy
• Food, water and energy resources help maintain social and economic wellbeing
• The production and consumption of resources is not equally spread between countries
• The UK has reserves of each resource type
• Food resources

  • People cannot live without food
  • The average person needs to consume between 2,000 and 2,500 calories per day
  • Eating too few calories causes weight loss and can lead to a lack of energy
  • Consuming too many calories can cause weight gain which can also make it difficult to work
• Water resources

  • People cannot live without water
  • Water makes up about two-thirds of a person's body
  • Each person should drink between 1.6 and 2 litres of water a day
  • Water is also used to keep ourselves clean and healthy, and is needed to grow food and for industry
• Energy resources

  • Energy heats homes and offices, cooks our food and powers transport
  • Much of the energy used is in the form of electricity, which is secondary energy generated from primary energy sources like fossil fuels or the wind
  • Energy affects both food supplies and industry
  • Mining and growing biofuels required to generate energy takes up valuable farmland, reducing food availability
• If energy is more expensive or in short supply, it costs more to produce and transport food, which is passed on to consumers through an increase in food prices