Resources in the UK 🥒(food)💧(water)⚡️(energy)

Question 1

🥒 There is a greater demand for which products in the UK?

Answer 1

• high-value products
• seasonal products
• organic produce

Question 2

🥒 Why is there an increasing demand for high-value products?

Answer 2

People’s incomes have increased, so exotic fruits, veggies and spices and coffee have become popular
Grown in LICs then exported to UK

Question 3

🥒 Why is there an increasing demand for seasonal products?

Answer 3

Seasonal fruit is only available during growing months
Imported to meet demands for seasonal produce all year round

Question 4

🥒 Why is there an increasing demand for organic produce?

Answer 4

People are more concerned about the environment impact of food production and how chemicals affect health
Organic food production is regulated, demand is growing
Most of UK’s organic food is imported

Question 5

🥒 What is the Carbon Footprint like the in UK (in terms of food production)?

Answer 5

• 10% of uk’s total greenhouse gas emissions are from agricultural (2017)
• transporting food creates CO2 (food miles)
• imported foods travel a long way so add to the carbon footprint and therefore global warming
• people are becoming aware of environmental impacts of transportation meaning people buy local food produce instead

Question 6

🥒 Since the 1960s there has been growth in …?

Answer 6

Agribusiness

Question 7

🥒 What is agribusiness?

Answer 7

Large-scale, industrial farming where all processes are controlled by large firms

Question 8

🥒 How has agribusiness changed farms?

Answer 8

• farm sizes have increased (small farms taken over and field sizes increased)
• amount of chemicals used in food production has increased (artificial and pesticides)
• number of workers employed in agriculture fell to 1.1% of UK’s whole population (2017) due to more machinery being used

Question 9

💧 which parts of the UK have high rainfall?

Answer 9

North and west
Water SURPLUS

Question 10

💧 which parts of the UK have low rainfall?

Answer 10

South east and midlands
High population densities - high demand for water
WATER DEFICIT

Question 11

💧Define: water stress

Answer 11

Demand for water exceeds the available amount

Question 12

💧Define: water surplus

Answer 12

Greater supply than demand (for water)

Question 13

💧Define: water deficit

Answer 13

There’s a great demand than supply (for water)

Question 14

💧 Why does water pollution need to be managed?

Answer 14

Polluted / low quality water reduces the amount available for use
Pressure on available resources

Question 15

How does water get polluted?

Answer 15

• nitrates and phosphates from crop fertilisers are washed into rivers (algae grows, bad for fish)
• pollutants from vehicles are washed into water resources through runoff when it rains
• chemical and oil spills pollute local water sources and groundwater

Question 16

💧Why is it bad when groundwater is polluted?

Answer 16

• 80% of water in parts of S. England come from groundwater
• pollution affects quality of 50% of it used for supply in UK
• many sites have closed or need expensive treatment

Question 17

💧How is water pollution managed?

Answer 17

• legislation: strict laws ensure limited chemicals enter rivers
• education campaigns: inform public on damage caused
• waste water treatments: remove sediment to produce clean water
• pollution traps: filter ‘catches’ pollutants
• green roof and walls: filter pollutants out naturally, reduce flood risk

Question 18

💧What is a solution to the water supply and demand problem?

Answer 18

Transfer water from areas of surplus to areas of deficit e.g. Birmingham is supplied from Wales

Question 19

💧Issues with water transfer schemes?

Answer 19

• dams and aqueducts are expensive to build (Birmingham = £300mil!)
• affect wildlife that lives in rivers (fish migration disrupted)
• political issues (people not wanting to share water)

Question 20

⚡️Define: energy security

Answer 20

Ability of a nation to secure sufficient, affordable and consistent energy supplies for its requirements

Question 21

⚡️Define: energy conservation

Answer 21

Reducing energy consumption through using less energy and becoming more efficient

Question 22

⚡️Define: carbon footprint

Answer 22

Measures of the impact our activities have on the environment

Question 23

⚡️Define: energy mix

Answer 23

Range of energy sources of a region- renewable or non-renewable

Question 24

⚡️How has the UK’s energy mix changed?

Answer 24

• traditionally, the UK relied on fossil fuels (FF); In 1970, 91% of our energy came from coal and gas!
• discovery of gas reserves under the North Sea meant that in 1980, 22% of energy came from gas
• recently, there’s been a shift from using FFs to renewable sources (sun,wind,etc)
• all coal powered stations are due to close by 2025 and in 2014, 19% of all electricity came from renewable sources
• wind and bio energy (burning of biological matter) are biggest sources of renewable energy in UK (solar and hydroelectric also increased)

Question 25

⚡️How has the UK’s supply of oil, coal and gas changed?

Answer 25

• running out
• North Sea oil and gas reserves are being used up (declining since 2000)
• coal reserves are being used less (last deep coal mine shut in 2015)

Question 26

⚡️What economic issues does exploiting energy sources cause?

Answer 26

• expensive (reserves are also being used up in the process)
• North Sea oil is particularly expensive to produce
• cost to the consumer of electricity from nuclear and renewable is quite high
• money is needed for research into alternative energy sources (Hinkley Point station - £20.3bil!)
• domestic sources don’t meet demand, UK has to pay to import most energy

Question 27

⚡️What environmental issues does exploiting energy sources cause?

Answer 27

• burning of fossil fuels releases CO2 and other greenhouse gases
• fracking may pollute groundwater and cause mini-earthquakes (halted in the UK)
• accidents (oil spills, nuclear disasters) leak toxic chemicals into water sources
• natural ecosystems damaged by renewable energy generators (large wind farms)
• some are considered eyesores