resource management

• what is a resource?

  a naturally occurring or human-made feature or material present in the environment that can be used to satisfy human needs and wants
• food

  provides us with the energy needed to work and enjoy ourselves. measured in calories - 2500 men, 2000 women, 1800 age 5-10, 1850 girls 11-14, 2200 boys 11-14
• water

  to survive, washing and disposing of waste in industry and manufacturing. average person uses 150 litres a day, only 4% is used for drinking, 75% is used in industry in the uk
• energy

  • used for heating homes, manufacturing goods, processing food and power transport
  • varies depending on where people live and how wealthy they are.
  • comes from burning wood and fossil fuels such as oil and coal, renewable energy
• describe water use by sector in the uk

  • 75% is used by industry
  • 22% is used by domestic
  • 3% is used by agriculture
• what are possible reasons for food insecurity?

  • climate
  • difficulties buying and importing food
  • wealth and poverty
  • conflict
  • 1985, princess diana and prince charles opened live aid, a concert organised to raise money for the relief of famine-stricken africans
  • raised more than $125 million, $309 million in today's dollars
• what are possible reasons for variation in energy consumption and availability across the world?

  • less/more acess to technical tools/devices that require energy
  • not enough money to afford energy ; less people use it
  • poverty and development
• what does physical water scarcity refer to?

  when you cannot physically get water
• what does economic water scarcity refer to?

  when you cannot get access to water available due to economic problems
• how stable is the uk in terms of resources?

  • food - moderate climate, largely influenced by the atlantic ocean, plentyrainfall and mild temperatures; most efficient producers ; fertile soils and gentle relief and advanced technology
  • water - wetter in the east, water can be transferred from surplus to deficit areas
  • energy - has considerable fossil fuels, coal was the main source, but oil and gas are used more now. there are reserves of oil and gas beneath the north sea ; several nuclear power plants ; has potential for renewable energy; has 7 of the world's ten largest offshore wind farms
• how have the uk's eating habits changed?

  • less white bread, less full fat milk - buying white bread has dropped 75% since 1947, wholemeal risen by 85%; semi-skimmed milk
  • less liver - dropped from 36g-3g, chicken and minced beef had rose in popularity
  • italianisation - pasta purchases have doubled since 2014
  • cheaper food
  • freezer revolution - total consumption of canned vegetables dropped by 1/3 as ready made meals consumption went up fivefold
• opportunities created from reducing the uk's carbon footprint

  • economic growth - renewable energy, new jobs
  • technological advancement - renewable energy, energy efficiency
  • environmental benefits - reduction in pollution, preservation of natural resources
  • health improvements - decrease in respiratory diseases, improved quality of life
  • global leadership -uk as a leader in climate action, influence global environmental policies
• challenges created from reducing carbon footprint in the uk

  • high initial investment
  • technological reliability - dependence on unproven or emerging tech, integration challenges with existing infrastructure
  • environmental impact - wildlife, disposal of waste
  • cultural and social - resistance to change, public awareness and education
  • policy and regulatory challenges - making effective policies and regulations, balancing national interests with global comittments
• why does the uk import so much food?

  • uk climate is often unsuitable for the production of some foods e.g. cocoa, tea and bananas
  • there is cheaper food abroad which allows supermarkets to try to outcompete each other for low prices
  • customers demand greater choice and more exotic foods
  • strawberries and apples are only in season in the uk in certain seasons yet there is demand all year round
  • uk produced food can be expensive because of poor harvests and price of animal feed
• positive impacts of importing food

  • less energy is used in growing certain crops in LICs as there is no need for heating greenhouses in HICs, there is less damage to environment
  • wide range of food are available in our shops all year round, cheaper
• negative impacts of importing food

  • harder to monitor food production standards
  • people do not buy local produce as much
  • relying on foreign producers means that if there is disruption, food can be more expensive
  • increased road traffic, accidents
  • uses more packaging
  • less fresh
  • increased fuel use
• what are food miles

  the distance that food travels from producer to consumer
• what is carbon footprint

  amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere due to the activities of humans
• what are the alternatives to importing food?

  • consuming seasonal produce from the uk
  • only allowing imported foods that cannot be grown in the uk
  • label origin or food so customers can make informed choices
  • consuming food produced locally
  • growing food in your own garden or allotment
• organic farming

  • when additional chemicals are not used in production
  • locally produced, so food miles will be less
  • doesn't necessarily reduce food imports
• agribusiness

  • when a farm is run like a large industrial business
  • large scale, money intensive commercial activities
  • bird's eye, cadbury's
  • reduces food imports as they are able to produce food on a large scale
  • producing more food than they need, reduces carbon footprint, food miles etc
• local seasonable food

  • food that is grown close to where people live, it is in season
  • strawberries in summer, potatoes in autumn
  • reduces food imports as goods are produced locally, reducing distance from farm to fork
• advantages of water transfer schemes

  • water for industry and peoples homes, good quality water
  • boosts industry
  • you can use what is available to you
• disadvantages of water transfer schemes

  • costly to transport across the country
  • reservoirs displace habitats and interferes with valleys
  • evaporation
  • negative impacts on farmland as more space is needed for water intake
• where is kielder located?

  • area of high land called the pennines
  • means it receieves more rain than areas in the east which lie in the rain shadow
  • water collected here is transported southwards and released into rivers that flow to the cities of newcasle-upon-tyne, sunderland, durham, darlington and middlesbrough
• facts and figures - kielder water transfer scheme

  • 11km long
  • reservoir's dam is at the south-east end of the valley, 1.2km long and 52m high
  • area had rainfall twice the national average
  • used boulder clay to construct the dam
  • took 2 years for reservoir to fill up
  • 1,500 engineers, 7 year project
  • opened by the queen in 1982
• opportunities of the kielder water transfer scheme

  • tourism - more jobs and income
  • more water - boosts economy
  • largest hydroelectric plant
  • provides leisure facilities - water sports, walking, canoes, fishing
  • provides for industry and homes
• challenges of the kielder water transfer scheme

  • families were displaced
  • farmland and habitats were lost behind the dam
  • disturbed wildlife
  • cost lots of money
  • takes water a few days to be transported
• factors contribution to uk's lower energy consumption

  • energy efficient appliances
  • insulation
  • de-industrialisation
  • electric cars
  • factories using robots
  • more nuclear power
• biomass

  • wood, plants or animal waste burnt for power or used to produced bio fuels
  • adv: renewable, carbon neutral, multi-purpose, easy for poorer countries to grow
  • disadv: carbon neutral, takes up farmland, releases co2
• wind

  • turbines use energy of wind to generate electricity
  • adv: renewable, demand in winter is much higher and the wind levels are higher
  • disadv: not reliable, can disrupt radio and tv signals, birds can die
• tidal

  • currents of changes in water level caused by tides are used to turn turbines and generate electricity
  • adv: produces a lot of energy and elecriticity, high capacity, reliable
  • disadv: extremely expensive, only works twice a day, interferes with navigation of ships, limited locations
• solar

  • energy from the sun heats water to generate electricity
  • adv: can be used on roofs, can create hot water and generates electricity, energy can be sold back to national grid
  • disadv: positioning, not enough sunlight
• geothermal

  • water pumped into ground where the heat deep in the earth turns it into steam and drives a turbine to generate electricity
  • adv: electricity and hot water
  • disadv: limited to small number of locations, release of greenhouse gases
• wave

  • wind blowing accross water makes waves which drive turbines which generate electricity
  • adv: suitable for many locations
  • disadv: expensive, affects eco systems, unreliable
• hydro

  • energy of falling water trapped by a dam and collected to fall through tunnels where the pressure of the falling water turns the turbines to generate electricity
  • adv: increase production instantaneously
  • disadv: located in mountainous areas, difficult to access
• fossil fuels

  • creates jobs, brings money into areas, supports industries
  • miners will suffer from diseases which will cost money to take care of, very expensive to mine, expensive to import from other countries
  • carbon captive storage is efficient but expensive
  • releases co2, waste is visible, destroys wildlife
• nuclear

  • creates jobs, development for new technology in the industry, cheaper
  • costly to build, store and transport nuclear waste and do decommission
  • cleaner and less polluting
  • must be stored safely for years to avoid contamination, dangerous, releases radiation
• water surplus

  when supply exceeds demand
• water security

  having access to enough clean water to support good health and economic development