23 - Food

• Water pollution


  Causes of water pollution in the UK
• Water pollution


  How water pollution affects the UK
• Water quality


  How water quality is managed in the UK
• Causes of water pollution

  • Rubbish (supermarket trolleys, bicycles) dumped
  • Untreated waste (metals, chemicals) from industries
  • Hot water used for cooling processes in industry pumped into rivers
  • Chemicals (pesticides, fertilisers) run off from farming land
  • Sewage containing bacteria pumped into rivers and the sea
  • Oil pollution from boats and ships
  • Runoff from roads and motorways (oil, heavy metals, salt)
  • Inappropriate items (waste engine oil) put into water disposal system
• Water pollution


  • Can poison wildlife and transfer toxins to humans
  • Can poison drinking water supply
  • Can increase water temperatures and lead to death of wildlife and disruption of habitats
  • Can increase nutrients and lead to eutrophication and lack of oxygen
  • Can kill important parts of the ecosystem
  • Can spread infectious diseases
  • Can harm livelihoods dependent on clean water
• Methods to manage water quality in the UK

  • Legislation to limit discharges from factories and farms
  • Education campaigns to inform public (Yellow Fish campaign)
  • Waste water treatments to remove solids, bacteria, chemicals, minerals
  • Building better treatment plants and infrastructure
  • Pollution traps (reed beds) installed near rivers and watercourses
  • Green roofs and walls to filter pollutants and reduce runoff
• Only 35% of UK water is classified as being of 'good status' under the EU Water Framework Directive
• 73% of UK water could be polluted or of poor quality
• The improvement in water quality has seen wildlife, including salmon, otters and birds, returning to live in these habitats
• Today, rivers, lakes and coastal waters in the UK are cleaner than they have ever been since before the Industrial Revolution
• Energy demand


  How the demand for energy in the UK is changing
• Energy mix


  The UK's energy mix
• Energy mix


  How the UK's energy mix has changed
• Non-renewable energy sources


  • Coal
  • Oil
  • Gas
  • Nuclear
• Renewable energy sources


  • Sun
  • Wind
  • Waves
  • Tides
  • Running water in rivers
  • Geothermal heat
  • Methane from landfill sites (biomass)
• The UK actually consumes less energy today than it did in 1970, despite there being more than an extra 9.1 million people living in the UK
• Reduction in domestic energy consumption

  • Introduction of energy-efficient devices
  • Increasing public awareness to save energy
  • Increased cost of energy leading to lower demand
• The number of cars on the road has increased from 10 million in 1970 to over 37.5 million today
• The increase in air travel has also contributed to the rise in energy demand in the transport sector
• The UK's reliance on imported fossil fuels has increased due to a reduction in oil, gas and coal reserves and production
• Policies introduced nationally and internationally can affect energy production and the energy mix, e.g. the use of coal increased in 2011 as older coal-powered stations worked to full capacity before being closed in 2025 due to EU emissions regulations
• The British Government is encouraging investment in renewable energy sources such as wind and solar to reduce reliance on imported fuels and carbon emissions
• Economic and environmental issues


  Of different types of energy production
• There is sufficient coal in the UK for at least another 150 years
• The amount of energy generated in the UK by nuclear power has fallen from around 25% in the late 1990s to around 18% today
• Nuclear power stations in the UK are all expected to be closed (decommissioned) by 2023, but new-generation plants are planned to be working by 2025
• Many people see nuclear power as a clean form of power production that will enable the UK to meet targets for the reduction in CO2 emissions, but the risks and costs are seen as high
• There are concerns about the visual impact of renewable energy sources like wind turbines on the environment
• Food security


  When all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life
• The world as a whole produces enough food for everyone, but not everyone has equal access
• If we distributed the world's food evenly, there would be enough for every person to receive around 2,831 calories per day
• Diet composition in HICs

  • Over a quarter of the diet is made up from meat, fish, eggs, milk and cheese and approximately a quarter from cereals
• Diet composition in LICs

  • Approximately half the diet is made up from cereals and a further 20 per cent from tubers such as yams
• Cereals and tubers provide food energy (calories) but are low in other nutrients, which leads to undernourishment
• Demand for food


  Has grown over time, as we develop new processes and new products, and change our way of life
• As LICs and NEEs develop industrially and economically, their demand for different food products increases as well
• Global population growth is the greatest pressure on our essential resources such as food
• In the past ten minutes, the world's population has grown by approximately 1,690 people
• Population growth rates


  • Africa 2.52% per year
  • Europe 0.1% per year
• Areas of greatest population growth

  Correlate with areas which have the highest levels of undernourishment and lowest calorie intake per person