GCSE Geography (AQA 8035) — The Challenge of Resource Management

Global resource overview

Food, water, and energy are fundamental to human well-being. Their supply and demand are globally unequal.

Understanding the uneven distribution of resources explains why trade, aid, and conflict over resources occur.

Global resource overview — Key Knowledge

HICs consume far more resources per person than LICs, Resources are unevenly distributed some countries have water but little energy, others have fossil fuels but limited farmland
Growing populations in LICs are increasing demand

UK food challenges

The UK imports an increasing amount and variety of food, with growing demand for year-round availability.

The UK can grow much of its own food, but consumer demand for variety and low cost drives reliance on imports.

UK food challenges — Key Knowledge

Food miles distance food travels from producer to consumer — increasing due to imports
Agribusiness large-scale, mechanised farming with chemical inputs dominates UK agriculture
Organic food and seasonal eating growing consumer interest in reducing environmental impact
Carbon footprint considers whole life cycle, not just transport distance

UK water supply and demand

The UK has a water deficit in the South East and a surplus in the North and West.

The South East of England has less water available per person than some Mediterranean countries.

UK water supply and demand — Key Knowledge

Water deficit in South East high population density, lower rainfall
Water surplus in North and West higher rainfall, lower population
Transfer schemes move water from surplus to deficit areas, e.g. Kielder Water supplies the North East
Rising demand population growth and higher per-capita usage

UK energy mix

The UK's energy mix is shifting away from fossil fuels towards renewables.

The changing energy mix reflects both economic pressures and government commitments to reduce carbon emissions.

UK energy mix — Key Knowledge

Declining coal use, Growth of natural gas, Increasing renewables wind, solar, biomass
Fracking debate domestic shale gas potential vs environmental concerns — water contamination, minor earthquakes, landscape impact
Carbon footprint reduction strategies home insulation, electric vehicles, renewable investment

Food supply factors and insecurity

Several factors affect global food supply, and insecurity has wide-ranging impacts beyond famine.

Food insecurity includes undernutrition, dietary dependence on aid, and vulnerability to price spikes — not just famine.

Food supply factors and insecurity — Key Knowledge

Climate temperature and rainfall determine crop viability
Technology mechanisation, irrigation, GM crops increase yields
Pests and disease locust swarms, crop blight
Water stress agriculture uses ~70% of global freshwater
Conflict disrupts farming, displaces people, destroys infrastructure
Famine acute shortage causing mass starvation
Undernutrition chronic inadequate food affecting health and child development
Soil erosion overfarming strips topsoil, reducing future productivity

Increasing food supply

A range of strategies can increase food production, from high-tech to appropriate technology solutions.

The best approach depends on context — high-tech solutions suit HICs, while appropriate technology is more practical in LICs.

Increasing food supply — Key Knowledge

Irrigation drip irrigation more efficient than flood
Aeroponics and hydroponics growing without soil using nutrient mist or water — high yields in small spaces
New green revolution higher-yield crop varieties for tropical regions
GM crops engineered for pest resistance, drought tolerance, higher nutrition — controversial
Appropriate technology low-cost, locally maintainable — e.g. treadle pumps, clay pot irrigation

Sustainable food production

Sustainable approaches aim to maintain food production without degrading the environment.

Almeria is the standard AQA case study for large-scale agricultural development in a semi-arid environment.

Sustainable food production — Key Knowledge

Organic farming no synthetic pesticides or fertilisers, better for biodiversity but lower yields
Urban farming allotments, rooftop gardens, vertical farms — reduces food miles
Sustainable fish sourcing MSC certification, quotas to prevent overfishing
Almeria, Spain massive greenhouse complex producing year-round fruit and vegetables using drip irrigation — concerns about migrant worker exploitation, aquifer depletion, and plastic waste

Water supply factors and insecurity

Water availability depends on physical and human factors, and insecurity causes health, economic, and political problems.

Economic water scarcity (lack of infrastructure) affects many LICs even where physical water supply is adequate.

Water supply factors and insecurity — Key Knowledge

Climate rainfall patterns determine availability
Geology permeable rocks store groundwater in aquifers, impermeable rocks cause surface runoff
Over-abstraction taking water faster than replenishment — aquifers shrink
Waterborne disease cholera, typhoid, dysentery from contaminated water
Reduced food production irrigation depends on reliable water
Conflict disputes over shared river basins, e.g. Nile, Jordan

Increasing and managing water supply

Large-scale engineering and sustainable management both play a role in addressing water shortages.

The Lesotho Highland Water Project is the standard AQA case study for large-scale water transfer.

Increasing and managing water supply — Key Knowledge

Dams and reservoirs store water and can generate HEP, but displace communities and disrupt ecosystems
Desalination removes salt from seawater — reliable but energy-intensive and expensive
Water transfers pipelines or canals from surplus to deficit areas
Water conservation metering, fixing leaks, low-flow appliances, rainwater harvesting
Grey water recycling treating waste water for non-drinking uses
Lesotho Highland Water Project dams and tunnels transferring water to South Africa's Gauteng province — generates HEP revenue for Lesotho, but displaced communities and flooded farmland

Energy supply factors and insecurity

Global energy supply depends on physical, economic, and political factors, with demand rising rapidly in NEEs.

Many sub-Saharan African countries have significant renewable potential but lack the infrastructure and investment to exploit it.

Energy supply factors and insecurity — Key Knowledge

Geology determines fossil fuel deposits
Climate and terrain affect renewable potential — e.g. Iceland's geothermal, Sahara's solar
Cost of exploitation deep-sea oil is expensive, onshore wind increasingly cheap
Political factors conflict disrupts supply, governments subsidise or tax energy sources
Rising global demand driven by population growth and industrialisation in NEEs like China and India
Energy insecurity impacts exploration of sensitive areas, reduced industrial output, fuel poverty

Renewable and non-renewable energy

The global energy supply relies on a mix of finite fossil fuels and increasingly viable renewables.

Renewable does not mean problem-free — wind is intermittent, HEP dams flood valleys, and biomass can involve deforestation.

Renewable and non-renewable energy — Key Knowledge

Wind onshore and offshore turbines — UK is a world leader in offshore wind
Solar photovoltaic panels — most effective in sunnier climates
Tidal barrages harness tidal range — predictable but high initial cost
Geothermal heat from Earth's interior — significant in Iceland
HEP hydroelectric power from dams — reliable, low-carbon, but displaces communities
Biomass burning organic material — carbon neutral in theory but land-use concerns
Fossil fuels coal, oil, gas — finite, polluting, major contributor to climate change
Nuclear large amounts of low-carbon electricity — concerns about radioactive waste and safety

Sustainable energy use

Strategies to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions range from individual actions to experimental technology.

The Chambamontera scheme is the standard AQA case study for sustainable energy supply in an LIC.

Sustainable energy use — Key Knowledge

Energy conservation switching off appliances, better insulation, smart meters
Demand reduction energy-efficient buildings, public transport
Efficient technology LED lighting, A-rated appliances, combined heat and power
Carbon capture and storage CCS — capturing CO2 from power stations and storing underground, still largely experimental
Chambamontera micro-hydro, Peru small-scale HEP for a remote community — appropriate technology, low environmental impact, powers homes and a workshop

The Challenge of Resource Management

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The Challenge of Resource Management