4. Economic Activity and Energy Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 4 economic sectors?

A
  1. Primary (collection of raw materials)
  2. Secondary (turning raw materials into manufactured goods)
  3. Tertiary (selling of services and skills)
  4. Quaternary (providing information services)
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2
Q

What is economic activity like in LICs (eg Ethiopia)

A

Majority of people employed in primary industries, inc subsistence farming
Secondary industries make up very small proportion of employment as the country is not yet fully industrialised
Still some people employed in tertiary industries eg doctors and teachers

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3
Q

What is employment like in NEEs (eg China)

A

Mechanisation causes primary industries to shrink
More people employed in secondary industries as many new factories are built
As country becomes richer, education improves, more people can work in tertiary industries

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4
Q

What is employment like in HICs (eg the UK)

A

Majority work in tertiary industries due to highly skilled workforce
Primary industry very small due to mechanisation and exhaustion of resources
Secondary sector decreases due to outsourcing

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5
Q

What factors affect the location of economic activities?

A
Availability of raw materials
Land
Customers
Amenities
Standard of employees
Infrastructure
Transport links
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6
Q

What are sector shifts?

A

Changes in the relative importance of economic sectors that take place as a country develops

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7
Q

Why does a country’s percentage employment in each sector not necessarily match the percentage GDP generated?

A

Primary industry doesn’t generate high incomes because the raw materials are low value items
Primary industry includes subsistence farming which does not generate income
Tertiary industry generates high incomes

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8
Q

What are reasons for sector shifts?

A
Availability of raw materials
Globalisation and outsourcing
Mechanisation
Demographic changes
Government policies
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9
Q

Facts about economic sector shift in China

A

Pop 1.4bil, GDP per capita $10,217
In the 1970s, China began to focus on secondary industry and export-led growth
Economy grew rapidly, bringing people out of poverty
On average, economy has grown by 9.2% a year for 30 years
Produces half of world’s microwaves, 2/3 of shoes and 1/2 of clothes
Value of international trade rose from $1.13bil in 1950 to $2,561bil in 2008, over 2,000 fold increase
In 2009, total value of exports was $1,435bil

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10
Q

Impacts of economic sector shift in China

A

POSITIVE:
Economic: Increasing GDP, high level of foreign investment, more employment opportunities in manufacturing and services, rising average wages
Social: better education, health, housing and social services

NEGATIVE:
Economic: increasing cost of living, companies look for cheaper countries
Social: ageing population in rural areas
Environmental: emissions from factories cause heavy air pollution, esp in major cities eg Beijing

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11
Q

Facts about sector shift in the UK (Sheffield)

A

UK pop 67 million, GDP per capita $40,284
Sheffield was famous for steel making and high quality cutlery made by master craftsmen
During the industrial revolution, Sheffield’s economy grew massively
Competition from more cheaply produced cutlery from China meant the industry went into decline
City died out in the 60s and 70s due to deindustrialisation
Area now being regenerated

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12
Q

Impacts of economic sector shift in the UK (Sheffield)

A

POSITIVE:
Economic: outsourcing is cheaper, new job opportunities, higher salaries
Social: Social development, people are better educated
Environmental: less pollution

NEGATIVE:
Economic: rising unemployment, inexperienced workforce
Social: many lost jobs, difficult to find jobs when applicants were inexperienced

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13
Q

What is informal employment?

A

Work that is not officially recognised, monitored or regulated by the government.
In LICs, often done on the streets in cities
In HICs, common through cash-in-hand jobs eg babysitting, tutoring etc
Sometimes called the ‘shadow economy’

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14
Q

What are causes of informal employment?

A

Too much rural-urban migration
Surplus labour
Underemployment
Not enough wages to support family

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15
Q

Facts about informal employment in Dhaka, Bangladesh

A

Pop 16 million
GDP $7,000
25% living in slums
Over 50% employed in the informal sector

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16
Q

Characteristics of informal employment in Dhaka, Bangladesh

A

No healthcare benefits
High exposure to risk
Child labour (half a million children in Dhaka)
Long hours and low pay
Poor/dangerous conditions
Bad health
Very difficult to break out of poverty cycle

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17
Q

Causes of informal employment in Dhaka, Bangladesh

A

Most densely populated megacity in the world
Job deficit
Limited education so people lack qualifications for formal jobs
Attracts immigrants from all over Bangladesh
Parents can’t afford living costs so children are forced to work

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18
Q

Advantages and disadvantages of informal economy in Dhaka, Bangladesh

A

ADVANTAGES:
Jobs for people who lack qualifications/skills
No tax (positive for workers)
Provides wide range of services and cheap goods

DISADVANTAGES:
Child labour
No government protection/work benefits
No tax (negative for government), hindering development
Dangerous
Low wages so it is hard to break out of the cycle of poverty
Fear and uncertainty for workers

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19
Q

What are the 3 theories on the relationship between population and resources?

A

Malthus 1798
Boserup 1965
Club of Rome 1972

20
Q

What did Boserup (1965) argue?

A

Developments in technology would solve problems
‘Necessity is the mother of invention’

Food demand increases -> more innovation and invention -> agriculture produces more or can import more food

Evidence:
Higher yielding varieties of crops
Artificial fertilisers
GM crops
Fossil fuel transition (coal -> oil -> gas -> renewables)

Criticisms:
Growing pressure on finite resources globally
Resources consumed at a faster rate than population growing
Climate change restricting resource availability

21
Q

What is overpopulation?

A

When population exceeds resources available, which is unsustainable,

22
Q

What did Malthus (1798) argue?

A

Population will grow until it exceeds resources, then death rate increases.

Food demand increases -> less food for everyone -> increased mortality -> decrease fertility -> population growth declines

Evidence:
Famine in arid areas (Ethiopia, Syria)
Fears over peak oil

Criticisms:
There hasn’t been a Malthusian catastrophe
Population increase isn’t exponential
Governments tend towards diplomacy rather than war

23
Q

What is underpopulation?

A

When resources exceed population, which rarely occurs.

24
Q

What is optimum population?

A

When population and resources are in a sustainable balance.

25
Q

What does the Club of Rome (1972) argue?

A

Published ‘Limits to Growth’ in 1972, stating that if population and development continued at the same rate of growth, the world would reach its limits to growth in the next 100 years.

Increased demand for resources -> less food per capita -> resources run out -> mortality rises -> population decline

Suggests implementing government polices to regulate growth, to create a sustainable balance between population, resources and growth

26
Q

What is primary energy?

A

Fuels that provide energy without undergoing any conversion process
eg coal, natural gas, fuelwood

27
Q

What is secondary energy?

A

Fuels made from the processing of primary fuels

eg electricity, petrol

28
Q

What are renewable energy sources (with examples)?

A

Energy sources which do not run out and can be used again and again, they are sustainable
eg solar power, wind power, tidal power, hydro-electric, geothermal, biofuels

29
Q

What are non-renewable energy sources (with examples)?

A

Fuels that cannot be replaced once they are used up, they are unsustainable
eg fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas), nuclear

30
Q

What are factors affecting energy demand and production?

A

Population growth
Economic development
Technological advances

31
Q

Where does the world’s energy come from?

A

3/4 of the world’s energy comes from coal, oil, natural gas

Major producers of energy are USA, Canada, Russia and Australia

32
Q

What is energy security?

A

A country’s ability to meet all of its energy needs reliably, preferably from within its own borders.

33
Q

What is an energy gap?

A

When a county’s demand for energy cannot be entirely met by supply from within the country.

34
Q

What are problems associated with an energy gap?

A
Conflict between supplier and customer could lead to no supply
Supply could run out
Potential price increases
Potential powercuts
Potential geopolitical issues
35
Q

Coal: advantages and disadvantages

A

ADVANTAGES:
Cheapest, number one energy source, reduces reliance on foreign oil imports

DISADVANTAGES:
Contains most CO2 per BTU, unsustainable as non-renewable, mining can be unsafe, high cost of transporting coal to power plants

36
Q

Oil: advantages and disadvantages

A

ADVANTAGES:
Easily available, reliable, high density energy, easily transported through pipes, provides jobs

DISADVANTAGES:
Unsustainable as non-renewable, pollutes air with CO2, most of our oil has to be imported, can be expensive

37
Q

Natural gas: advantages and disadvantages

A

ADVANTAGES:
Less pollution than other fossil fuels, easy to transport as infrastructure is already in place, inexpensive

DISADVANTAGES:
Non-renewable so unsustainable, expensive

38
Q

Fuel wood: advantages and disadvantages

A

ADVANTAGES:
Easily available, free, can be collected by anyone, replanting possible

DISADVANTAGES:
Trees are used up quickly, time-consuming, deforestation leads to other problems, replanting cannot keep up with rate of consumption

39
Q

Nuclear: advantages and disadvantages

A

ADVANTAGES:
Very low-carbon, small carbon footprint, reliable, cost-effective

DISADVANTAGES:
Water intensive, risk of nuclear accidents, produces radioactive waste

40
Q

Hydro-electric: advantages and disadvantages

A

ADVANTAGES:
Very clean, reservoirs/dams can control flooding and provide water in times of shortage

DISADVANTAGES:
Visual pollution from dams, large areas of land flooded,

41
Q

Wind: advantages and disadvantages

A

ADVANTAGES:
Clean, no air pollution, varying scale schemes, cheap to run

DISADVANTAGES:
Unpredictable, visual and noise pollution, many turbines needed

42
Q

Tidal: advantages and disadvantages

A

ADVANTAGES:
Large schemes can produce a lot of energy, barrage can also protect coasts from erosion

DISADVANTAGES:
Very expensive to build, few sites are suitable, disrupts coastal shipping and ecosystems

43
Q

Solar: advantages and disadvantages

A

ADVANTAGES:
Can be used in most of the world, unlimited supply, can be built into new buildings, efficient, can be used in off-grid areas, low maintenance costs

DISADVANTAGES:
Initial cost of panels is high, expensive to store energy, needs sunlight, uses a lot of space

44
Q

Biofuels: advantages and disadvantages

A

ADVANTAGES:
Widely available especially in LICs, uses waste products, can be used at a local level

DISADVANTAGES:
Can be expensive to set up, waste cannot be recycled some pollution

45
Q

How do we manage energy sustainably?

A

Conserve energy and use more renewable energy

46
Q

Case study: how are energy resources managed in the UK?

A

Demand for energy has increased by 1/3 over the last 20 years

Electricity produced 1990 to 2008:
Coal: 64.2% to 36.9%
Gas: 1% to 34.5%
Renewables (wind and HEP): 3.3% to 5.9%
Nuclear virtually the same (21.5 to 21.4)

Until 2000, UK relied entirely on its own gas fields, but now increasing amounts must be imported from Russia, Middle East and Norway

UK facing an energy gap, closing the gap will require more dependance on nuclear power and possibly HEP.

Renewable Energy Directive set target for the UK to achieve 15% renewable by 2020
Kent Biomass Power Station opened in Sep 2018, expected to meet energy demand for 50,000 homes

47
Q

Case study: how are energy resources managed in India?

A

Home to 18% of world’s population but uses only 6% of primary energy
Annual energy consumption has doubled since 2000
Energy demand increased from 300 million tonnes in 1990 to 750 million tonnes in 2013

3/4 of demand is met by fossil fuels, figure has been increasing
HEP generates 20% of the country’s electricity
Nuclear generates 5%
Solar power has great potential (in south, average annual solar power is over 2000 kWh/m2) yet is largely untapped

Future management unlikely to include any reduction in its dependance on fossil fuels, country is focused on economic development rather than emissions