geo

• Resource


  Any type of asset, commodity or item which has value to enhance the quality of human life or help it function more effectively
• Resource types


  • Stock resources
  • Flow resources
• Stock resources


  • Finite and will run out eventually (e.g. fossil fuels)
• Flow resources


  • Infinite and can be replenished and renewed (e.g. biofuels)
• Natural resources


  Those that exist without human intervention and can include stock and flow resources
• Resource exploration process


  1. Inferred

  2. Possible

  3. Indicated

  4. Measured
• Grade of deposit


  Percentage quantity of desired resource in all the material that is being exploited
• Exploration


  The process of searching for available resources and then upgrading the resource from inferred to measured if appropriate
• Exploitation


  The process of extracting the material from the ground and its use is dependent on the economic viability of a resource
• Resource frontier


  The boundary between exploited areas and areas considered too difficult to exploit under current political and technological conditions
• Resource frontiers are changing as technology advances to allow new areas to be exploited
• Changing/warmer climates may allow areas such as Antarctica to be exploited
• Resource peak


  The amount of the resource being extracted will vary over time but usually follows a long-term trend known as 'Hubbert's Curve'
• Production increases exponentially until it peaks around halfway through available resources and is followed by decreasing production
• Not all production follows this curve precisely, as demonstrated by the graph showing US crude oil production
• On a global scale, the production will follow the bell-shaped curve
• There will be fluctuations from the expected curve and recent data on global oil production demonstrates this
• It is predicted that in 2030, peak oil will occur
• Factors affecting the time of peak production

  • Availability and discovery of reserves
  • Development of new technologies
  • Demand for the resource
  • Grade of available resources
• Sustainable resource development


  Involves long-term planning that ensures extraction does not increase too quickly or rise to unsustainable levels
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

  Used to assess the possible environmental impacts of a resource development project and should be completed before the project is approved
• EIA states the potential environmental disturbances caused by a project across different areas of the environment, from the flora and fauna to the physical landscape
• EIA suggests ways to mitigate and reduce any environmental impacts
• A project may not be approved if the environmental costs are too high, though money for a project is likely to dominate over any environmental worries
• An EIA leads to an Environmental Impacts Statement (EIS)
• Companies such as the mining TNC Rio Tinto also create a Social and Environmental Impact Assessment (SEIA)
• Mineral


  A naturally occurring compound formed by chemical processes, not organic
• Minerals are often found in veins (lines of material) in rock and most commonly in igneous rock, but also in some metamorphic rock
• Technological advances and the development of LIC countries has increased the global demand for resources and changed trading patterns
• Manufacturing of technological devices mostly occurs in Asian NIC's such as Taiwan, though the majority of consumption is in North America, Europe and developed Asian countries
• This creates a global trading network, where minerals are shipped from all over the world to Asia for manufacturing and then shipped back across the world for consumption
• Strategies to reduce environmental impacts of mineral resource projects

  • Extraction
  • Transport
  • Processing
  • Site Restoration
  • Recycling
• Mining companies work with community projects, governments and train workers after a mine closes to ensure economic, social and political sustainability
• Global renewable internal freshwater resources per capita have decreased from 13,206 in 1962 to 5,925 in 2014
• This trend is continuing due to development and population growth, which is predicted to increase water demand up to 55% by 2050 as economic activities such as manufacturing and agriculture increase
• Water stress


  Demand exceeds the available amount of clean, non-polluted water during a certain period, leading to over-exploitation of long-term water stores such as aquifers
• Renewable water in a country decreases to less than 1700m3 per capita
• 66% of the world's population only have access to 25% of the world's annual rainfall
• Reasons for increased demand for water

  • Population Growth
  • Socio-Economic Factors
  • Development
• Reasons why supply cannot meet demand

  • Aquifers are being over-exploited
  • Water is being utilised in long-term stores, faster than it is being recharged
  • Climate change is causing extended drought periods
  • Water tables are decreasing