Transcript Population Dynamics - Heathcote School & Science College

Consuming Resources
Resource consumption is a major concern globally. There are
different views as to how sustainable our consumption is as
supplies of many resources, such as oil are finite. There is also
concern over the ‘two speed’ world, with developed countries
consuming over 80% of the resources but only containing 20%
of the population.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/energy_resources/what_resources
_video.shtml
You need to know:
2.1 How and why does resource consumption
vary in different parts of the world?
2.2 How sustainable is the current pattern of
resource supply and consumption?
Key terms:
Key term
Definition
Alternative energy
Energy sources that provide an alternative to fossil fuels
Boserupian Theory
Ester Boserup (a Danish economist) argued that in times of
pressure, people will find ways to increase the production of food
by increasing workforce, machinery, fertilizers. ‘Necessity is the
mother of invention’.
Carbon Footprint
A measurement of all greenhouse gases we individually produce
Consumption
The using up of something
Ecological Footprint
The area needed to supply resources to an individual or a group
of people to maintain their lifestyle.
Food insecurity
When it is difficult to obtain sufficent food. This can range from
hunger to full blown famine
Food Security
The ability to obtain sufficent food on a day to day basis.
Fossil Fuel
Oil, coal and gas – Non renewable energy
Key term
Definition
Finite resource
A resource that is restricted or limited
Human resource
The skills and abilities of the population
Malthusian Theory
Thomas Malthus argued that eventually population would
outstrip food supply and at this point population would decrease
through starvation and other natural checks like war, disease
and morality.
Natural Resource
A resource that is naturally occuring like water, minerals that can
be turned into something in its own right or made into
something else.
Non renewable
resource
Resources that are being used up and cannot be replaced
Peak oil
The point at which oil production reaches a maximum level and
then declines
Key term
Definition
Recyclable resource
Resources, such as wood, that can be renewed if we act to
replace them as we use them.
Sustainable
development
Development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising (limiting) the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs.
Sustainable resource
A resource that is used up at the same speed that it is renewed.
Key Idea 1: Energy resources – what are their advantages & disadvantages?
Coal
(South
West
Australia)
Coal currently
provides a large
amount of the
world energy.
Oil &
natural
gas –
North Sea
(UK)
Nuclear
Energy
(France)
Oil & gas are
cheaper than
coal.
Very few
materials
needed
Cheap &
readily
available
Most transport
runs off oil
Nuclear power
is very efficient
and produces a
lot of electricity
Easy source
of fuel to use
for people in
developing
countries
It does not
produce any
CO2
The less coal
there is the
more expensive
it becomes to
mine
Deep mining
can be very
dangerous
Trees are
renewable if
managed
properly
Reserves
might only last
another 50
years
Nuclear
accidents can
be extremely
dangerous
Cutting
down trees
causes soil
erosion
New oil & gas
fields are
difficult to find
Nuclear plants
can look ugly
and are very
expensive to
build
In
developing
countries
trees are
rarely replanted
Open cast
mines look very
ugly
Oil & gas are
easy to
transport by
pipeline
Burning coal
produces large
amounts of CO2
Oil spills harm
the
environment
Dust from coal
Fuelwood Mozamb
ique
Nuclear waste is
very difficult to
dispose of
Breaking down
old nuclear
power stations
is very
Can cause
heavy
deforestation
Hydroelectric
Katse
Dam Lesotho
Geo thermal
energy
(Iceland)
Produces very
little pollution
Once it is built
it produces
energy cheaply
Does not
produce any
air pollution
It produces
very little
pollution or
CO2
Does not
produce any
CO2
Once built, it is
renewable and
cheap to
produce.
Reservoirs
created can
reduce water
shortages.
Does not
produce CO2
Dams are very
expensive to
build
Large areas of
land often
have to be
flooded
renewable and
will provide a
constant
source of
energy
Wind
(Californn
ia -USA)
Once built they
produce
electricity very
cheaply
Wind farms
could generate
20% of UK’s
energy needs.
Building geothermal energy
plants is very
expensive
Wind turbines
can look ugly
and can be
noisy
Very limited
choice of
places where
the plants can
be built
Wind does not
always blow –
so does not
always
produce
electricity
Solarpower
(Greece)
Wave /
tidal
energy (St
Malo
France)
Biogas
(India)
It is renewable
/ there is an
unlimited
supply
Does not
produce any air
pollution
Bio-gas plants
are very cheap
to build &
maintain
Does not
produce any
air pollution
Or CO2
Does not
produce any
CO2
Very good for
small scale
energy needs
such as
houses and
villages in
developing
countries
Needs lots of
sunshine, so
would not work
all year round
and in all
countries.
Solar panels
are very
expensive to
build
Very good at
providing
energy for
small scale
needs such as
a village or
house
It uses
renewable
materials such
as food waste
and animal
dung
Tidal stations
are very
expensive to
build
Can interfere
with wildlife
e.g. stop
breeding fish
from swimming
up-stream in
rivers
It produces
methane
which is a
greenhouse
gas.
Key Idea 2: Why are there global inequalities in
the supply and consumption of resources.
Oil consumption per person by country
Richer countries tend to be found in the
northern hemisphere for example in North
America and Western Europe.
Oil production
These countries tend to consume more
energy because their citizens have more
goods such cars and large houses which use
lots of electricity.
If a country has lots of resources it does not
always mean it will be rich. Saudi Arabia has
lots of oil and is very wealthy. This is
because it sells lots of its oil to the rest of
the world for a high price.
On the other hand several African countries
have lots of oil but are still extremely poor.
This is because the wealth from this oil goes
into the hands of very few of people and
often to corrupt governments that don’t
look after their people properly.
There are also examples of countries that
have no resources but are very wealthy. For
example Japan. This is because it generates
its wealth in other ways such as through
developing new technologies and providing
financial services. They can therefore afford
to import all of the energy they need.
GDP by country
Named study 1 : Renewable V’s Non Renwable Energy
Benefits:
There are about 300billion barrels of oil in the tar sands
(equivalent to Saudi Arabian oil reserves)
Tar oil extraction would make profits for the major oil companies
There would be tax benefits for countries with tar sands
Dependence on the unstable middle eastern countries would be
reduced.
Continued production of oil would avoid the costs of switching to
other fuels, such as hydrogen.
Tar Sands Oil
http://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=84zIj_Ed
QdM&safe=active
Benefits:
Wind is a renewable energy resource and there are no fuel costs.
No harmful polluting gases are produced.
Wind is unlimited
New Wind turbines are being developed which are much more
efficent
Wind Power
These
are
enormous
reserves
of Tar
Sands in
Canada
Disadvantages:
Heavy Oils like this produce up to three times more CO2 than
Consumption benefits
light oils
Tar oil extraction uses vast quantities of water – up to six barrels
for each barrel of oil
Ancient spruce forests will need to be removed to scape away
the oil sands and the pollution of ground water and rivers is
inevitable
300 billion barrels is only about 5 years supply so only delays the
inevitable search for alternatives.
The
London
Array is an
off-shore
wind farm in
the Thames
Estuary
http://www.yout
ube.com/watch?
v=YNHYwPdg0F
w
Disadvantages:
It is relatively expensive and huge amounts of wind turbines are
needed to generate significant amounts of energy
Wind farms are noisy and may spoil the view for people living near
them.
The amount of electricity generated depends on the strength of the
wind - if there is no wind, there is no electricity.
Key idea 3: How does using energy impact on
the environment?.
http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/ - work out your ecological footprint. How many planets will
we need to support your lifestyle?
MEDC’s produce the most pollution and CO2 but it is LEDC ‘s that suffer the most
from pollution - watch this clip to help you understand why.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghfirMLNfNA&safe=active
Key Idea 4: How much Oil is there?
Current production is focused in the Middle East,
especially Saudi Arabia. However many of these
countries have reached ‘peak oil’ (production of
relatively cheaply obtained oil has reached its
maximum so there is now a fall in production).
Uneven patterns of oil supply and demand
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt3dGOTyGa
E&safe=active
Oil is used in a great many ways in modern society. It fuels cars, heats buildings and
provides electricity and makes the plastic we use in everyday life. Oil is a finite resource
and one day it will run out.
Peak oil is the point at which oil reaches a maximum level and will start to decline as this
means oil will be harder to access.
This means oil will become more expensive and will lead to a global recession as goods
become more expensive to produce and transport. This in turn could lead to more global
conflicts and war.
Key ideas 5: Future pressures on both supply and consumption
of this resource in view of recent global economic growth
Consumption is largely related to the wealth of a
country and its reliance on cars. 70% of the
world’s oil is used transporting goods and people
within and between countries.
The USA has less than 5% of the population but
uses 25% of the oil mainly due to:
- Lack of public transport systems
- Low density urban settlements so need long
journeys to work, school etc
- History of low petrol prices
China and India are continuing to grow rapidly with a combined population of 1,400 million
using 71 million cars.
In most cases as the population grows the demand for cars will increase as the hope to get
‘the American Dream’. To achieve this Tata Motors based in India has begun production a car
priced at £1500, this increasing the demand for oil and adding to C02 emissions.
Energy Security – The Facts
Energy supply, demand and security
•There are many energy sources that can be classified in different ways (flows of renewable sources, stocks of non-renewable and
recyclable sources) and that have different environmental costs.
•Access to and consumption of energy resources, both renewable and non-renewable, is not evenly distributed, and depends on physical
factors, cost, technology and public perception. Some areas suffer from energy poverty, while others have a surplus.
•Demand for energy is growing globally, and at regional and local scales, especially in developed and emergent economies such as China
and India.
•Energy security depends on resource availability (domestic and foreign) and security of supply, which can be affected by geopolitics, and is
a key issue for many economies.
The impacts of energy insecurity
•Energy pathways, between producers and consumers, are complex and show increasing levels of risk e.g. the trans-Siberian gas pipeline
into Western Europe, or Middle Eastern supplies.
•There are real risks, in economic and political terms, if energy supplies are disrupted.
•Increasing energy insecurity has stimulated exploration of technically difficult and environmentally sensitive areas, such as the Arctic
circle, the West Shetland field and Canadian oil shales, which may incur environmental costs.
•Energy TNCs, OPEC countries and other large producers are increasingly powerful players in the global supply of energy.
Energy security and the future
•There is uncertainty over both global energy supply in terms of reserves (eg peak oil and gas) and demand (economic growth rates,
conservation of resources, a switch to renewable sources).
•There are different responses to increasing energy demands – such as ‘business as usual’ reliance on fossil fuels or the adoption of
alternative sources such as nuclear, or wind power. Each has costs and benefits, such as future climate change, and local opposition.
•Energy insecurity may lead to increased geopolitical tension and the potential for conflict, eg in the Middle East, or between gas
consumers in Europe and producers in Russia, as consumers attempt to secure supplies.
•Meeting future energy needs in developing, emergent and developed economies while avoiding serious environmental degradation
requires up-scaling of radical new approaches (conservation, recyling, reliance on renewables, carbon credits and ‘green’ taxation)
involving difficult choices.
Named Example 2: OPEC – Controlling Oil prices
The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries
It stands for the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
They try to preserve oil preserves for longer than those that are not within OPEC.
It is an intergovernmental organistation of developing countries which have oil.
It works in determining production and prices of oil.
It is not as influential in controling the price of oil as it used to be due to large
supplies in Russia and the Gulf of Mexico.
It has been in effect since 1961
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMxTZQgespU&safe=active
Why might countries like the UK, USA and Germany be critical of OPEC and their
policies?
Key Idea 6: Investigate the differences between Malthusian and Boserupian
theories about the relationship between population and resources.
Malthus Theory (1766-1834)
- Population increases faster than food supply so there would come a
time when the world could not cope.
- Population increases geometrically (1, 2, 4, 8, and 16)
- Food supply increases arithmetically (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
- Population would outgrow the amount of food available leading to
famine, war and disease
Malthus argued that there were ways to prevent population from
extending beyond the food supplies necessary to support it (optimum
population). This includes a combination of
1. ‘Negative’: Methods people choose to reduce human fertility e.g.
China’s one child policy, sterilisation
2. Positives’: Anything which increases mortality: e.g. low living
standards, disease
Malthus argued that this would kept the carrying capacity in check
(the number of plants, animals or human which can be adequately
supported (carried) by the land)
Boserup Theory 1965
- Population growth has a positive impact on people as it forces them to
invent a way out of a problem when resources start to run out e.g. GM
crops
- Overpopulation leads to innovation and higher productivity in use of
land (irrigation, weeding, crop intensification, better seeds) and labour
(tools, better techniques) e.g. GM Crops and the Green Revolution
Key idea 8: How well do these theories stand up to current
global resource supply and demand?
Malthus predictions turned out to be wrong as food production has increased
rapidly. In the 19th and 20th Century the population increased but alongside the
quality of life and living standards rose across the globe.
Neo-Malthusians suggest that the theory has some truth due to the high levels of
famine in the world today.
Scan in Map page 168 Green Text Book
Named Example 3: UK Government Energy Policy
https://www.gov.uk/government/policies?departments%5B%5D=department-of-energyclimate-change
• Supporting international action on climate change
• Increasing the use of low carbon technologies
• Helping households to cut their energy bills
• Reducing the demand for energy in business,
industry and the public sector
• Maintaining UK energy security
• Regulating and licensing UK energy industries and
infrastructure
• Managing the use and disposal of radioactive
materials and waste
TARGETS:
• Reduce UK’s greenhouse
gas emissions by 80% by
2050
• 20% of energy to come
from renewable sources
by 2020
Named Example 4: Local Government policies to reduce resource consumption
Recycling helps as materials are reused and resources saved.
Cycle lanes help with the reduction of C02 emissions.
Installing electric car charging points help to reduce
CO2 emissions as people use less cars.
Congestion charging helps with reducing C02 emissions
Parking charges help with reducing car use.
Car share schemes help with reducing car use.
Bus lanes help with reducing car use.
Promoting farmers markets help with supporting
local farmers and reduces cost of transporting food.
http://www.merton.gov.uk/
Key idea 9: Technological fix
Technology
Hybrid cars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
XewIWTwkVhE&safe=active
Advantages
Disadvantages
Low emissions of Co2
Use a lot less fuel
Expensive to build and run
Not very fast
Can only be used for short journeys.
Expensive to buy
Last longer and use less electricity.
They contain mercury and can take a
few minutes to brighten up.
Solar power
http://www.britishgas.co.uk/produ
cts-and-services/solar-panels/solarpv.html
Solar energy is a renewable energy
resource and there are no fuel costs.
No harmful polluting gases are
produced.
Solar cells provide electricity in
remote locations, such as roadside
signs
Solar cells are expensive and
inefficient, so the cost of their
electricity is high.
Solar cells do not work at night.
Recycling
Huge savings as materials are reused
and resources saved
Impact on global warming is quite
small and does not improve the
lives of the poorest especially if our
trips to the recycling centres are in a
4x4
CFL light-bulbs
Consuming Resources – past questions
In the future it may be difficult for countries to provide enough energy. Explain the problems that countries may face. (4)
Define the term renewable energy resources. (2)
Name one example of a renewable energy source. (1)
Define the term non-renewable energy. (2)
Identify a developing country with a rapidly rising demand for resources. (1)
Suggest two reasons why resource consumption is low in some countries. (2)
Give two reasons why resource consumption is high in developed countries. (2)
Suggest two reasons for changes in global oil production. (2)
Outline why the demand for one named resource is increasing. (2)
Explain the pressure on energy supplies that could result from future economic growth and changing international relations (4) New
Suggest two reasons why the consumption of a named resource might fall in the future. (2)
Explain one reason why global oil production may fall after 2015. (2)
Identify two reasons for changes in global production of non-renewable energy (2) New
For a named resource, describe the inequalities in its consumption. (4)
Outline one way in which a non-renewable resource can be replaced by renewable resources. (2)
Other than recycling, describe two ways in which resource consumption can be made more sustainable (4) New
Suggest two reasons why some people do not recycle their household waste (2) New
Explain how national and local government policies can help reduce resource consumption (6) New
Explain why countries using electricity may need to switch to renewable energy resources in the future. (2)
Explain the problems of switching from non-renewable resources, such as oil, to renewable resources. (4)
Explain one reason why oil may become less important as an energy source in the future. (2)
Describe Malthus’s theory about population growth and resources. (2)
Explain the relationship between population and food supply outlined by Malthus (4) New
Describe how technology might solve the problem of resource shortages. (4)
Explain why Boserup suggests that population growth might be a good thing. (4)
Explain the differences in the theories of Malthus and Boserup about the relationship between population and resources (6) New
Explain one reason why population growth might be a good thing for a country. (2)
Explain one reason why population growth might be good for a country. (2)
Consuming Resources
Good Luck