Compare and contrast the national resource security of two countries that you have studied
Deconstructing Question
Command Term: Compare and Contrast- give an account of similarities and differences between 2 situations- refer to both throughout
Refer to both China and UAE throughout response
differences
similarities
Key Terms
National Resource Security
Two Countries
China
UAE
Current Situation
Possibilities
water-food-energy nexus
refers to the links between these three sectors (the way in which changes in one sector impact the others)
Water security
Food Security
Energy Security
access to clean reliable and affordable energy sources
access to safe drinking water and sanitation
availability and access to safe sufficient and nutritious food
China
UAE
Food Security
Energy Security
Water Security
Food Security
Energy Security
Water Security
Climate change- How is climate change going to influence national resource security between these two countries
Current Situation
Possibilities
Current Situation
Current Situation
Possibilities
Possibilities
nexus- Interconnected thinking
Affected by climate change
energy insecurity is also an uninteded consequence of China's long-term-net-zero emissions goal
water scarcity poses risks to hydropower electricity generation, China's second largest source of electricity, further increasing the risk of energy insecurity
the southwest province of Sichuan relies on dams to generate 80% of its electricity
Sichuan suffered from power shortages after low rainfall dried up rivers and reservoirs
reducing domestic demand from energy
expanding on clean energy
switching supplies to have less dependence on imports
importing energy from a wide range of suppliers
LIST
I:Climate change
I:Reduction in Bio-capacity
I:Water tables declining
I:Land degradation
T:How is security changing over time
reduced global hunger rates by two thirds
In 2015 China met its millenium development goal of halving the number of people facing food insecurity
However, 150.8 million people remain malnourished, particularly in rural areas
Climate change is the largest factor affecting food security in China
Rising sea levels threaten farmland along the coast
Harvest yield has predicted to have fallen by at least 30%
water scarcity and climate shocks continue to impact China's agricultural production
In 2022, a severe heatwave significantly decreased national rice production
increasing land area for cultivating crops
increasing campaigns against food waste
digital village
In 2020 AI assisted farmers outperformed traditional farmers in a strawberry growing competion
produced 196% more than traditional farmer
this is due to more precise analysis and application of data
sea water rice
salt tolerant strains designed to thrive in salty alkaline soil
produces a higher yield than standard varieties
High area of land that is too high in saline for crops to grow
using just a 10th of this land to grow seawater rice could boost China's rice production enought to feed 200million people
Nearly 1/4 of China's urban residents lack access to proper drinking water and sanitation facilities
Key issue: water scarcity and pollution
Half of China's water pollution comes from land use and degradation
One of the most water stressed countries in the world
only has access to 6% of the world's total freshwater supply
China's electricity consumption is highly water intensive
Hydropower is China's 2nd largest source of electricity
20% of China's national water withdrawels goes towards coal mining, processing, coal ash control and coal-fired power plants
Clean energy requires water as well
Concentrated solar energy requires 48, 667 tons of water
Solar PV requires 494 tons of water
Wind energy requires 1767 tons of water
Publicity activities to improve water usage efficiency
In 2022, China released a 5 year plan to improve their water security, through 4 main goals:
improving water resources and optimising allocation capacity
This is due to the increasing climate insecurity China is facing- increasing importance of forecasting and managing floods and drought disasters
Improving the ability to prevent floods and droughts
improving the ability to conserve water resources
strengthening the ecological protection and governance of large rivers and lakes
seek to significantly reduce non-revenue water
water saving appliances will be encouraged
this will be done by improving the leak detection systems of the water supply pipe networks
sewage recycling facilities
urban water supply pipe networks
Possibilities
Current Situation
Current Situation
Possibilities
Current Situation
Possibilities
Rapid population growth and high energy demand is contributing to water scarcity
Total water withdrawal: municipal- 2.63 billion cubic meters, industrial -69 million cubic meters, agricultural - 2.32 billion cubic meters (all 2020 estimates)
Only 150 million cubic meters of total renewable water resources
Natural water resources are rare, minimal precipitation, high evaporation rates - reasons for water depletion
Municipal is the one withdrawing water for withdrawing
Closest water source to Abu Dhabi - Persian Gulf (371km away)
898 square km of land is irrigated (2020 data)
poorly designed water subsidies for urban households has caused increase of demand for water and places
4.6% of land is used for agriculture (estimated in 2018) (CIA 2023)
Measures to manage water demand: using modern irrigation technologies and saline water for irrigation (where possible), developing strains of crops that require less water and modifying crop mixes, redistributing water supplies among other sectors, rationalising water consumption and promoting water awareness (A-Farra 2015)
5.6% prevalence of undernourishment, 29.9% prevalence of obesity
Overall is a quite foodly secure country (23rd out of 113) - mainly lacks in the sustainability and adaptation department (53rd out of 113 countries) (Economist Impact 2022)
UAE per capita water supply: 13.6 cubic meters per person per year however due to population growth water resources will become strained
One of the biggest per capita consumers of water
Rainmaker: deploying sensors and algorithms for clouds that will produce rain
Cloud seeding: creating artificial rain using electrical charges from drones to manipulate weather and force rainfall across desert nation
Importing water via pipelines
Weather modification
could help mitigate drought conditions world wide
reduce the length and frequency of the nation's annual heatwaves
140% rise in demand for water over the past decade
Significant water issues
greater water subsidies
depletion of groundwater reservoirs
falling per capita water availability
rising municipal demand for water
inequality/imbalance between agricultural demand and available water
High affordability of food items, however lacks availability of products
85% of water resources is consumed by Gulf Cooperation Council agriculture
low micronutrient availability
Limited availability of arable land and lengthy drought period
Lack of natural freshwater resources are being compensated by desalination plants
Recycling of waste water from sewage systems and agricultural and industrial operations
Introduced relatively recently and is obtained via wastewater and sewage treatment plants that supply water for agricultural purposes only
60% of world's desalinated water is produced by GCC
Desalination is straining budgets of GCC
using old shipping containers and high-tech hydroponics (growing plants in sand,gravel, or liquid with added nutrients) to overcome Abu Dhabi's hostile climate and increase local food production
Creating vertical farms with shipping containers - helps communities grow more of their own produce and cut costs of transporting food to the city and UAE in general
Madar Farms - use of hydroponic systems that require less water than traditional farms to grow lettuce, herbs and brassicas
Plants are growing in a controlled environment inside container w/ nutrients coming from enriched water, pesticides and insectiides not being required
LED lighting is used with deep red and blue hues which is used to replicate sunlight and cycles on and off to represent periods of day and night for the plants
Uses 95% less water than traditional farming
Failure of water/power supplies for a few hours would interrupt normal business and life and if continued for a few days will threaten economic security
Inability to export oil freely or a spike in imported food/gas prices
Country's power stations are almost entirely fuelled by gas
quarter of this is imported from Qatar
also fuelled from liquefied natural gas by Dubai which is also of Qatari origin
nuclear power programme at Barka
has safety challenges but would diversify power generation mix away from near-total dependence on gas
Cutting subsidies for electricity, water and fuel to promote rational use to create economic resilience
More energy-efficient osmosis desalination plants which can run on electricity from any source
educes dependence on burning gas
Recycling 'grey' water instead of generating desalinated water (uses less energy)
Solar power programmes in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are very small currently, but could economically reach 10 to 20 per cent of generation capacity
Small-scale rooftop schemes can be beneficial in boosting energy security - providing power in case of local issues
Creating more resilience of urban landscapes - cityscapes that are tailored to avoid trapping heat (eg. Masdar City), water-efficient irrigation and multi-modal public transport
Better insulation and shading, and thermal storage in chilled water or ice - ensures buildings stay cooler for longer even if there is a power outage