resource management Flashcards
(11 cards)
Significance of FOOD for our social well-being
The need for food is obvious. ‘Calories in’ (fuel for our bodies) are needed
to work and enjoy ourselves, which equals ‘calories out’. The calories
needed per day depend on the type of job you perform, your age & gender.
Significance of WATER for our social well-being:
Water has wide-ranging uses in our current society. We need it to drink to
survive, but we also need it to wash, to dispose of waste, to both grow and
process our food, and in industrial manufacturing processes.
* The average person in the UK today uses 150 litres of water daily at home,
of which only 4% is used for drinking. Nearly 75% of the water used in the
UK is used in industry.
Significance of ENERGY for our social well-being:
Energy is used to make the bricks for our houses, to heat our homes,
transport us, power machinery and process food.
* Traditionally, energy has come from burning naturally occurring fuels such
as wood and coal. However, more and more natural resources are being
harnessed to produce energy. Today, there is renewable energy from the
wind and waves, as well as nuclear energy and solar power.
WATER - global inequality in supply & consumption
The global average water footprint is 1,250 litres
per person. The water footprint of the USA is
2,500 litres per person, compared to just 900 litres
per person in Bangladesh.
* ‘Scarcity’ means if there is a lack of something, but
this lack (measured by the ‘water footprint’ of a
country) might be economic or physical scarcity.
* Economic scarcity – there is enough water in a
country, but a lack of money to provide access to it.
* Physical scarcity – other geographical/climatic
reasons means there is not enough water.
FOOD - global inequality in supply & consumption
There is a clear correlation between areas of
fastest population growth and undernourishment.
* Poverty and lifestyle have significant impacts on
calorie consumption. The average daily calorie
intake in the UK is 3200 per person (where 29% of
adults are obese), but only 1600 in Somalia.
* Physical factors such as drought/climate change
influence the amount of food available in some
regions of the world. Socio-economic factors such
as civil war and deforestation can have a similar
impact over a short time-scale.
uk and kenya beans
OPPORTUNITIES for Kenya growing green beans:
☺ Vegetables and fruit growing employs 4.5 million
Kenyans and makes Kenya $1.3 billion a year.
☺ Kenyan green beans are cheaper than UK green
beans in UK supermarkets.
CHALLENGES for Kenya growing green beans:
Population is on the increase in Kenya. Fields in
Kenya are used to grow green beans for export
but not food for Kenyans to eat.
Kenyan farmers borrow money + get into deb
How has the demand for water in the UK changed?
The average person in the UK uses 140 litres of water per day,
compared to the average person in Africa, who uses just 47 litres.
* The amount of water used by the average household in the UK
has risen by 70% since 1985, partly because people have more
appliances that use lots of water e.g. dishwashers & hose pipes.
* This had led to areas of water deficit, especially in the south-east
of England where there is the lack of sufficient available water
resources to meet water needs within a region.
What are water transfer schemes and why are they needed?
The British government has considered setting up a
national water grid, similar to the national grid for
electricity, where the water would flow through pipes from
areas of surplus such as Wales to areas of deficit such as
London.
* Although a national water grid has yet to be agreed, some
parts of the country do transfer water on a smaller scale
e.g. water from the River Trent (area of surplus) is
transferred to East Anglia (area of deficit). Similar proposal
involves pumping water from Oxfordshire to London
impacts of water transfer scheme
POSITIVE impacts of water transfer scheme
☺ Areas affected by water scarcity will no longer face
restrictions in water use during dry periods.
☺ Jobs will be created as part of the construction of
dams, aqueducts and pipelines.
☺ The multiplier effect will lead to local businesses
benefitting from goods and services being
purchased.
☺ Reservoirs offer new habitats for plants and
animals recreational opportunities for people.
NEGATIVE impacts of water transfer scheme
Disruption of habitats.
Creation of dams and reservoirs will cause large
areas of land to be flooded.
Displacement of some rural communities
(‘drowned villages’).
Increased carbon emissions linked to pumping
water over long distances.
Potential droughts in river source basins caused by
the removal of water to other areas.
porject Oratsimba
Background to sustainable lobster farming in Madagascar
* Madagascar is one of only 8 countries whose real income
per head is lower now than it was in 1960, making it one of
the poorest in the world (the GDP per capita in 2017 was
$401).
* As an island nation with a rapidly growing population of 24
million people, the fisheries it relies on are under
increasing pressure. In 2011 experts warned of a recipe for
a food security crisis: they found that despite increasing
numbers of fishers, catches have peaked and were likely
exceeding sustainable yields across the country
impacts of sustainable farming
POSITIVE impacts of sustainable farming
☺ Economic - the brief bumper catches led to an 33%
increase in the price that fishermen received.
☺ Social - since 80% of the 2,000 people rely on
fishing for their income, the success of the Project
Oratsimba has stemmed the flow of outmigration.
☺ Environmental - introducing a 13 km2 ‘No Take
Zone’ for lobster - closed for 9 months of the year -
has replenished stocks, making it more sustainable.
NEGATIVE impacts of sustainable farming
Economic - the intense activity during the 3
months when fishing is allowed means farmers
must maximise their catches or risk losing out.
Social - some fishermen have been caught fishing
in the NTZ during the 9 month closure.
Environmental - the ‘No Take Zone’ only covers 13
km2, so lobster stocks outside this enclosure are
not covered by the agreement, so are diminishing.
