Resource Security - Glossary

Question 1

acid rain

Answer 1

when pollutants from the burning of fossil fuels become deposited either as dry deposition (as a gas) or wet deposition (the pollutants are converted to acids and fall to the ground in precipitation)

Question 2

alluvial plains

Answer 2

sedimentary deposits ranging from coarse gravel to fine silt spread across floodplains

Question 3

aquifer

Answer 3

a porous and permeable rock that acts as a groundwater store

Question 4

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)

Answer 4

a refuge established in remote north-eastern Alaska to protect a virtually untouched wilderness of extraordinary wildlife and recreational qualities

Question 5

artesian basin

Answer 5

low-lying region where groundwater is confined under hydrostatic pressure from surrounding layers of rock; often found where an aquifer lies trapped in syncline

Question 6

carbon capture and storage (CCS)

Answer 6

technology currently being developed to replace the pumping of industrial and power-station fossil fuel CO2 into the atmosphere

Question 7

comparative line graph

Answer 7

a line graph is used to show continuous data, usually showing changes that take place over time. A comparative line graph shows more than one set of this data on this same graph

Question 8

cratons

Answer 8

large, ancient sections of the Earth’s crust that have remained relatively stable for considerable period of geological time. They are associated, therefore, with the ‘drifted’ fragments of Alfred Wegener’s ‘supercontinent’ Pangaea

Question 9

desalination

Answer 9

the removal of salt from sea water or brackish groundwater to create fresh water supplies

Question 10

diffuse pollution

Answer 10

pollution from many different sources which are then washed into a water catchment across a wide area

Question 11

emissions (carbon) trading

Answer 11

effectively trading a permit or allowance to pollute. These allowances - or carbon credits - are distributed or auctioned to polluting organisations and measured in tonnes of CO2 or equivalent heat-trapping gases. An organisation may only emit as much carbon as it has allowances for - hence having to buy the right to pollute from more efficient businesses if it cannot become more environmentally friendly

Question 12

energy dependent

Answer 12

the higher the proportion of energy imported, the more energy dependent the country is on others. In such cases, a diversification of both energy sources and supplies is crucial.

Question 13

energy poverty

Answer 13

having less energy than is required to meet demand

Question 14

energy security

Answer 14

uninterrupted available of energy sources at an affordable price. For example, Russia is very energy secure because of its huge energy surplus. The UK is energy insecure because of its energy deficit and has to import much of its supplies

Question 15

enhanced greenhouse effect

Answer 15

the situation caused by humans releasing increased amounts of greenhouse gases leading to the warming of the Earth and resultant climate change

Question 16

environmental impact assessment (EIA)

Answer 16

a quantitative means of estimating the environmental changes arising from a proposal

Question 17

food security

Answer 17

the level to which people ‘have availability and adequate access at all times to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life’ (World Food Programme)

Question 18

fracking

Answer 18

more correctly known as hydraulic fracturing. Oil- and gas- bearing shale is drilled and fractured by high-pressure injections of water, sand and (toxic) chemicals. Cracks are created in the shale through which the oil or gas will flow more freely

Question 19

geopolitics

Answer 19

the study of the ways in which political decisions and processes affect the use of space and resources; it is the relationship between geography, economics and politics

Question 20

greywater

Answer 20

domestic wastewater, excluding sewage. For example, water from dishwashers, washing machines and showers

Question 21

greywater recycling systems

Answer 21

systems which clean the greywater and then plumb it back into the toilet, washing machine or outside tap

Question 22

half-life

Answer 22

the time required for exactly half of the radioactivity to decay

Question 23

Kyoto Protocol

Answer 23

the first agreement between nations committing them to reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Question 24

market economy

Answer 24

an economy in which economic decisions, such as those regarding investment and production, are based solely on supply and demand with little government involvement

Question 25

megaprojects

Answer 25

very large investment projects, such as the Three Gorges Dam, that typically cost more than (US)$1 billion

Question 26

NATO

Answer 26

the North Atlantic Treaty Organization - an alliance which uses political consultation and military means to protect its 28 member states

Question 27

neo-malthusianism

Answer 27

views or attitudes that are common with Thomas Malthus who believed that there are environmental limits to population growth

Question 28

NIMBYism

Answer 28

'Not in My Back Yard'. An attitude shared by those who do not want a development, such as a wind farm, in their near locality

Question 29

ores

Answer 29

rocks where the mineral content (usually metal) is of sufficient economic value to justify exploitation

Question 30

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

Answer 30

a global 'think tank' for 35 of the world's wealthiest nations which aims to promote policies to improve economic and social prosperity

Question 31

over-abstraction

Answer 31

unsustainable use of a water source whereby water removal (or abstraction) exceeds water replenishment or natural recharge

Question 32

point source pollution

Answer 32

pollution which comes from a specific, identifiable source such as a factory effluent pipe

Question 33

privatisation

Answer 33

transfer of ownership from the government to private companies and business

Question 34

proportional pie chart

Answer 34

used when comparing two or more sets of data when the divided categories are similar but there is a change to another variable, such as time or absolute total. The different-sized totals are shown by drawing the pie chart proportional to the totals they each represent

Question 35

rainwater harvesting systems (RHS)

Answer 35

systems which collect water from the roofs and divert it into existing pipework to flush toilets and wash clotes

Question 36

remote sensing

Answer 36

the scientific collection of (mass) data from objects or areas without being in physical contact with them; the data is gathered by electronic scanning devices carried in high-flying aircraft or satellites

Question 37

reverse osmosis

Answer 37

involves pushing salt or brackish water through a porous membrane that filters out salts and other impurities to produce freshwater

Question 38

royalties

Answer 38

proportion of profits paid to whoever grants a mining lease

Question 39

single-product economy

Answer 39

a country which relies on one, or a very small number, of products (usually raw materials) from its export earnings

Question 40

spatial imbalance

Answer 40

an unevenness in an geographical distribution - for example precipitation

Question 41

stewardship

Answer 41

the responsible use and protection of the natural environment through conservation and sustainable practices

Question 42

syncline

Answer 42

where rocks have been folded downwards into a basin shape

Question 43

thermal distillation

Answer 43

uses heat to create vapour from salt or brackish water which is then converted into freshwater

Question 44

tog

Answer 44

a measure of thermal resistance commonly used in the textile industry to rate how warm, for example, duvets or carpet underlay will be. Thermal resistance in togs is equal to ten times the temperature difference between the two surfaces of a material. A lightweight summer duvet might be rated at 4.5 tog, and a winter at 12 tog

Question 45

trans-boundary pollution

Answer 45

pollution which crosses national boundaries

Question 46

UNFCCC

Answer 46

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change - a convention adopted in 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit and put into effect in 1994. It aims to prevent human from disrupting the climate in a dangerous way

Question 47

virtual water

Answer 47

the volume of freshwater used to produce a product, measured at the place where the product was actually made

Question 48

water catchment

Answer 48

an area of land through which water from any form of precipitation drains into a body of water (including groundwater supplies)

Question 49

water footprint

Answer 49

measures of the amount of virtual water used to produce each of the goods and services that we use

Question 50

water scarcity

Answer 50

severe water stress; it is largely accepted that this occurs when annual water supplies fall below 1000m3 per person

Question 51

water security

Answer 51

the ability of a country to protect access to safe water resources for all the population

Question 52

water stress

Answer 52

when the demand for water exceeds available water resources, or when poor quality restricts its use