Resource Challenges: The Fundamentals of Human Needs
This page introduces the concept of resources and their significance in human development, focusing on food, water, and energy as essential components for basic human needs. It also explores the challenges posed by population growth and economic development in resource management.
The document begins by defining resources as elements necessary for life or those that make human existence easier. It emphasizes the increasing human dependence on these resources, leading to high demand.
Definition: Resources are things that humans require for life or to make our lives easier.
The significance of three key resources is outlined:
- Food: Essential for nutrition and preventing malnutrition, which can impact health, work, and education.
- Water: Crucial for drinking, cooking, washing, and various industries.
- Energy: Necessary for basic living standards, providing light, heat, and powering industry.
Highlight: Resources such as food, energy and water are what is needed for basic human development.
The page then delves into three major factors affecting resource demand:
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Population Growth:
- Current global population is 7.3 billion, expected to reach 9 billion by 2050.
- This growth increases demand for food, water, energy, jobs, and space.
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Economic Development:
- As LICs (Low Income Countries) and NEEs (Newly Emerging Economies) develop, they require more resources.
- Improved lifestyles in these countries lead to increased resource consumption.
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Changing Technology and Employment:
- New technologies are developed to access more resources.
- Shift towards secondary and tertiary industries increases demand for resources in electronics and robotics.
Vocabulary: Consumption - The act of using up resources or purchasing goods and produce.
Vocabulary: Carry Capacity - A maximum number of species that can be supported.
The page includes a Resource Reliance Graph, illustrating how resource consumption is exceeding Earth's ability to provide.
The document then focuses on specific resource challenges in the UK:
Food in the UK:
- The UK imports about 40% of its food, increasing carbon footprint.
- Growing demand for exotic foods year-round.
- Introduction of agribusiness, treating farming as a large industrial business.
Example: Agribusiness uses intensive farming and machinery to maximize food production efficiency, but employs fewer workers and can damage habitats and wildlife.
Energy in the UK:
- UK energy consumption has decreased since the 1970s due to industrial decline.
- 75% of UK's oil and gas reserves have been used up.
- The country has become dependent on imported energy.
Water in the UK:
- Average household water use has risen by 70%, expected to increase by 5% by 2020.
- Causes include population growth, water-intensive appliances, and industrial use.
- Water pollution from various sources poses challenges to water quality.
The page concludes by highlighting the significance of renewable energy sources in the UK's future energy mix, with the government aiming for 15% of energy to come from renewable sources by 2020.
Quote: "By 2020, the UK aims for 15% of its energy to come from renewable sources. These renewable sources do not contribute to climate change."
This comprehensive overview provides valuable insights into the challenges in resource management for geography GCSE, covering key aspects of food, water, and energy resources, their management, and future sustainability concerns.
