Resource Management

• Food miles - The distance that food travels from the point of production to the point of consumption.
• Advantages of importing food - year round food e.g. strawberries from Morocco, more variation in food/cultures.
• Disadvantages of importing food - carbon footprint, loss of jobs, less control over quality standards.
• Benefits of local sourcing - supports local economy, reduces transport costs, fresher produce.
• Drawbacks of local sourcing - seasonal availability, higher prices due to smaller scale farming.
• Organic farming is an alternative method of agriculture which aims to reduce reliance on chemical fertilisers and pesticides by using natural methods such as crop rotation and composting.
• Sustainable fishing involves managing fish stocks through measures like quotas, closed seasons, and marine protected areas (MPAs) to ensure they can be harvested sustainably.
• Fairtrade ensures that farmers receive fair compensation for their products, often including premium payments to invest in community projects or improve working conditions.
• The main advantages of organic farming are reduced pollution levels, improved soil health, and increased biodiversity.
• Agribusiness - A business that deals with the production of food and agricultural products.
• Why is agribusiness growing?

  • long term global need (in next 35 years, pop forecast to grow by 2billion) ~ 60% increase in demand
• Pros of agribusiness

  • efficient - large scale
  • absorbs heat
  • economic growth for local communities
• Cons of agribusiness

  • child labour risks
  • environmental risks (use of pesticides)
  • health issues (chemical pollution)
  • overgrazing
• Food carbon footprint

  • the effect your actions have on the environment based on food choices - emissions, transport, produce, package (LCAs)
  • 1/3 of food we buy is wasted
• fossil fuels - a natural fuel formed in the geological last from the remains of living organisms
• fossil fuels - release carbon dioxide when burned, leading to the heating of the earth via the greenhouse effect
• oil, coal and natural gas are fossil fuels
• Renewable energy - energy that is replenished as it is used.
• Sustainable energy - energy that is available for future generations to use. is being used at a lesser rate than is being provided
• Energy mix - The proportion of energy sources used in a country's energy supply.
• Decrease in using oil in UK

  • has decreased by almost 2/3 from 1990-2016
  • increased imports in petroleum
  • UK able to access cheap North Sea gas
• Expansion of Renewables

  • by 2020 the EU targeted 20% of energy must be renewable
  • more money invested
  • Energy White Paper (2007) cut CO2 emissions. energy bill 2012-2013 meant coal stations closed
• Economic issues concerning Energy exploitation

  • building power stations
  • unfair pay in LICs- HICs exploit as they have less rules about emissions and staff exposure
  • conflicts between countries cause higher costs
• Environmental issues concerning energy

  • ruins landscape (NIMBY-istic attitudes)
  • dangers - e.g nuclear waste
  • infertile land due to deforestation, less space for farming
  • habitats destroyed
  • CO2 emissions - health impacts
  • noise and air pollution
• Fracking - drilling 3km deep into Earth’s crust and travelling sideways to break rock, releasing gas
• Advantages of fracking

  • cheaper
  • profit for landowners
  • reliable
  • cleaner than coal
• Disadvantages of fracking

  • lots of water required
  • devalues house prices
  • high carbon fossil fuel
  • less people in area - weak economy + services
  • could cause earthquake tremors
• In USA, fracking was not moderated and there were many examples of radioactive substances being dumped into rivers and lakes due to fracking and nuclear power stations
• Energy mix change, UK

  - renewables increased from 10% (1990) to 50% (2014)

  • coal 2/3 (1990) to 1/3 (2014)
• Water security - The ability to access sufficient water for human, animal and plant needs.
• Reasons for water insecurity

  • Economic water scarcity (e.g China, which focuses on manufacturing for its economic development, leaving rural areas without factories without the money to obtain water supplies)
  • Physical water scarcity (e.g India, second largest world population, 354 million without access to clean water)
• Climate affecting water supply

  • hot arid areas, water evaporates
  • low rainfall
  • melting of ice caps affects river patterns (1/3 of global population rely on snowmelt rivers for supply)
  • seasonal reliance - if monsoons are late in Asia
  • excessive rainfall can lead to contamination of water stores via tube wells
• Geology affecting water supply

  • permeable rocks absorb water, making it unavailable
• Pollution of water supply

  • industrial waste (e.g lead, cadmium) dumped
  • metals accumulate in soft body tissue, poisoning them
  • water pollution kills 2000 children per day
  • eutrophication
  • cholera, hepatitis, typhoid
• Over-abstraction of water

  • in Mexico City, over abstraction has caused the city to sink 9m in the last century, breaking water pipes and contaminating them
• Water infrastructure and poverty affecting water supply

  • 2.6 million people live in poverty
  • 27% of urban poor have no access to piped water
  • slum dwellers (e.g in Nairobi) pay 10x more for water than Londoners
• 1 in 8 people have no access to clean water
• Lack of fresh water supply

  • 71% of earths surface covered in water but only 2.5% is in liquid freshwater form
  • 70% of clean water for agriculture, 22% industry, 8% domestic use
• Lesotho Highlands Water transport scheme - 2000km of pipes to transport water from Lesotho‘s Senqu/Orange river to South Africa
• Why was the Lesotho scheme needed?

  • provide funds for Lesotho
  • meet the demand for water in South Africa’s populated centres and industrial needs