RESOURCE RELIANCE

Question 1

How has increasing demand for natural resources affected our planet? (What have humans had to do?)

causes

Answer 1

factors leading to outstripping food,energy and water:
land use changes: loss of agricultural land because of urbanisation, land left is overcultivated leading to soil exhaustion
Global water crisis, water levels i.e in China, Egypt US and India, been in decline for decades due to poor river management and over extraction, impacts irrigation for crops

Question 2

How has increasing demand for natural resources affected our planet? (What have humans had to do?)

impacts on food

Answer 2

Food shortages:
Mechanisation of farming: more tractors and machinery as well as pesticides can lead to eutrophication, also leads to more loss of habitat, trees and biodiversity.
Commercial fishing: 80% of world’s fish exploited, 1 pound of seafood = 10 pounds of bi-catch, 99 million tonnes can be caught in one go.

Question 3

How has increasing demand for natural resources affected our planet

energy and water impacts

Answer 3

Stockton Mine, USA: acid mine waters from mining into surface water in rivers/ ponds, strips away Earth’s surface,
Water Transfer from Severn to Thames: water surplus -> water shortage, 5% of all water through transfer scheme, but Severn is home to species like the Peregrine that can have knock on effect on ecosystem
Three Gorges Dam China: 50% loss in sediment and nutrients downstream, -> river erosion -> landslides

Question 4

One present national attempt at achieving food security

Answer 4

• SAGCOT
  7300 other rice growers in 11 villages connected to better facilities
• 75,000 small farms linked to markets
• nomadic tribes lost access to water for their animals
• most money benefitted the commercial farms

Question 5

One past national attempt at achieving food security

Answer 5

Hanang District, at time relied 90% on imports
impacted Barabaigs
couldn’t afford the bread made from wheat
had to buy parts from Canadian manufacturers, food sec only worsened

400 ppl worked on farms
121 received training
only country to not rely on food aid in 1992

Question 6

present small scale attempt at achieving food security

Answer 6

$400/ Toggenburg goat
on credit, valued them more
3l/day

25.2% earnings spent on school fees
incomes not in scheme = 444,000 compared to 998,000

goats needed lots of water,
damaged land
veterinary bills are expensive