Resource Reliance

Outstripping of Resources

A resource is something that people need and value

Natural materials become resources when humans value them

Natural resources are naturally occurring substances such as oil, forests, water, animals which are considered to be of value by human populations

Human resources are the number of people in a population and their abilities and skills

Some countries such as Japan have limited natural resources but have built up a wealthy economy through their high level of skills

Carrying capacity: the maximum number of species that can be supported on our planet

Factors

Increasing Global Population

Population increased from 2Bn in 1927 to 7Bn in 2011

Increasing consumption

More people creates a higher demand for:

Food

Water

Energy

Shelter

Space

Jobs

etc.

As global income increases, so does the demand for:

More varied food

Bigger housing

More luxuries

More travelling

All of these rely on resources

The spiral of consumption suggests that natural resources, food, water and energy spiral rapidly as population and income increase and global resources decline so that access of resources per person also declines

Changing technology and employment

Industrial revolution in the late 18th and early 19th centuries

» people earned more money through using machinery and new resources

» could afford better food and live longer

As technology improves and poulations grow, there is a need for people to access more remote locations

Increases access to resources

Increases demand for construction materials and transportation

Accounts for over 40% of all energy use worldwide

Increase in 2nd and 3rd sector jobs

New technology increases demand for new resources

More mobile devices than people
» increased use of finite materials

eg. electronics, robotics

Global food and industrial manufacturing has had to increase in order to satisfy demand
» uses more resources

Water

Water is mainly used in:

Agriculture

Industry

Domestic

Drinking

Washing

Especially irrigation

Cooling machinery

Food and drink manufacture

Energy production

As a country's economy becomes stronger, the wealth of individuals increases and there is more money for luxuries

Types of water:

Blue water: fresh water from lakes

Green water: from precipitation

Grey water: polluted or recycled water

Why isn't there enough water

Rising population

Industry and agriculture

Economic development

Lack of rainfall

Climate change

Generating electricity

Food

Factors affecting food supply

Population growth

Consumption per person is also increasing

Changes in diet

Much higher global demand for meat

Economic development

Can afford to eat more meat

Grain is grown to feed animals rather than humans

7kg of grain to produce 1kg of beef

4kg of grain to produce 1kg of pork

Inefficient energy transfer

Requires more water

25 gallons = 1lb of wheat

2400 gallons = 1lb of meat

Half of all water in the US goes to animal agriculture

Bad for the environment

More greenhouse gases than all vehicles combined

Methane release by cattle and rice farms

Nitrous oxide from fertilised fields

Carbon dioxide from cutting rainforests

How have humans impacted global biomes

Ecosystem: a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment

A biome is a global-scale ecosystem

Mechanisation of farming

Deforestation

Commercial fishing

Subsistence Farming:

Farmers grow food and animals to feed their families

Commercial

Usually highly mechanised, farms produce crops and animals to sell for a profit

Mechanisation: the introduction of machines, replacing work done by human and/or animal labour

Intensification of agriculture: getting more produce from the same amount of space

Removal of hedges to create large fields

The use of fertilisers, pesticides and insecticides

Genetically modified seeds

Impact of commercial farming on the environment

Increasing farm size
–deforestation and habitat destruction

Destruction of hedgerows —loss of habitats and species

Pollution of field and water sources from chemicals

Overcultivation and overgrazing removes nutrients from the ecosystem

Monocultures—fields used only for one species and all other eradicated, reduces biodiversity

No fallow period—reduction of soil nutrients over time

Eutrophication

Key terms:

Subsistence—only producing enough goods to meet your own basic needs, with no extra to trade

Mechanisation—the process whereby machinery is introduced to complete work normally done by hand

Eutrophication—The process of excessive nutrients building up in water sources

Traditional small scale fishing communities are now threatened due to the collapse of fish stocks

No jobs are available for young men

eg. Palawan, Philippines

Tao expeditions

Aims to protect reefs by working with local communities

Provides schools and education programs for communities

Provides funding for the foundation and jobs in tourism

Solutions

Institute and monitor safe catching limits

Place controls on secondary catches

Protect key habitat areas

Change enforcement protocols

Know what you are eating

Over 1Bn people rely on fish for their primary food source

Uses large trawlers rather than small boats, with thermal sensors and digital imagery to identify fish stocks

Leads to over-fishing of popular species

eg. cod, tuna

Also the accidental death of other unplanned species

eg. dolphins caught by mistake in large nets, coral reefs snagged by deep trawlers

Stocks migrate away
» fishing boats have to travel further
» more diesel is used for fuel
»water pollution, increase in fossil fuels

World loses carbon storage

Tree roots store water and nutrients and bind soils together

Leaching of soils

Increased surface run-off and soil erosion

Reduction in agricultural productivity

Increases the risk of floods and landslides

Damage to local habitats and food chains

'Slash and burn'

Led to the world's largest ever wildfires in 2015 in Indonesia—over 5000km2 ablaze

More CO2 was released than by the entire US in a year

Food security

Food security: the access of all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life

All people at all times

Safe and nutritious food

meets their dietary needs and food preferences

Physical and economic access to food

Live a healthy life

Hunger: the distress associated with lack of food

Undernutrition: deficiencies in any or all of energy, protein or essential vitamins and minerals

The result of inadequate intake of food in either quantity or quality

Malnutrition: refers more broadly to both undernutrition and overnutrition (unbalanced diets, includes consuming too many calories)

2014—805Mn people globally did not have access to sufficient food

Factors affecting food insecurity

Physical:

Climate

Length of seasons

Soil

Water stress

Diseases

Pests, insects and bacteria

Human:

Poverty

Technology

Conflict

Over-farming

Malthus

Rate of global population growth would inevitably produce a population larger than could be fed

Population grows geometrically but food resources grows arithmetically

Nature imposes limits on population growth

Negative checks—lower fertility rate, abstinence, increased cost of food

Positive checks—increase in death rate eg. famine, war and disease

Didn't take technological advances into account

Boserup

People have the resources of knowledge and technology to increase food supply

Food production reacts to changes in demand

Refers to cultural and technological issues

Refers to environmental limits

Measuring food security

Global hunger index

Four components

Undernourishment

Child wasting

Child stunting

Child mortality

Daily food supply per capita

Globally most calories come from grain

ACs have a lot of sugar and fat, dairy and eggs and meat

MICs have lots of grain

China has a lot of meat and produce

India has more sugars and fats, and dairy and eggs

LIDCs have a lot of grain, dairy and eggs, and sugar and fat

Kielder Water

Strengths

Weaknesses

Threats

Opportunities

Stops drought in the North-East of England

Generates Hydroelectric power

Can be used for recreation

Has encouraged new industries, such as Nissan at Washington

Only seven families would have to be moved

The land was marginal quality, and would only be used for forestry and farming

The Kielder area is good for building a reservoir because it is a large flat-bottomed valley with steep sides and a narrow exit and it has a record of high rainfall -1370mm per year

Has a shoreline of 43km, and is surrounded by forest land, which makes it an ideal resource for encouraging tourism and recreation

It gets 30,000 visitors each year

It is the 3rd most popular tourist attraction in the Northumbria Tourist Board area

This tourism creates jobs for local people and can expand and develop local businesses

A hydroelectric power station provides enough electricity to meet the demands of a small town

The water drives two turbines which operate generators producing 6,000 kilowatts of power

If a wind farm was built, it would involve building 260 turbines in a remote part – many people object to this

Plans to build a £10Mn wood-burning power station using timber from Kielder – bad for the environment

Not everyone was in favour of the reservoir

Over 1200 hectares of timber were cut down

Over 100 buildings were demolished

Roads were flooded so new ones had to be built

Valley floor was flooded

North Tyne river had to be diverted, disrupting wildlife

People were displaced

The profits are shared between Northumbrian Water and the Central Electricity Generating Board

Altitude makes it ideal for wind farming

£80Mn wind-farm has been proposed