GCSE Geography | Global Access to Resources (Resource Management 1)

The Challenge of Resource Management focuses on the key resources need for economic and social well-being - food, water and energy. When people struggle to access these resources it has a big impact on their quality of life.

Food - provides our bodies with the fuel it needs to perform essential functions, such as respiration, digestion and reproduction, as well as movement. On average men need 2,500 calories per day and women 2,000, but this also varies depending on your occupation - for example, those who do physical work will need more calories.

Water - has a huge range of uses from drinking water, to washing, growing and processing food, processing manufactured goods and cooling in energy production. Three-quarters of water in the UK is used in industry, and one-fifth for domestic use (e.g. showering and bathing, flushing toilets, running dishwashers and washing machines, etc) - the average person in the UK uses around 150 litres of water per day.

Energy - is used for all sorts, including transportation, heating and powering our homes and workplaces, powering machinery in agriculture and industry, and processing food. In the past we have relied on fossil fuels for this but are now moving away from these and using more renewable resources.

Resource inequality

Population growth across the globe presents challenges in ensuring that everyone can access the resources that they need for a good quality of life - there is significant inequality in resource distribution and consumption globally. HICs consume more food, water and energy than LICs and NEEs - but the demand for these resources is growing most quickly in LICs and NEEs due to population growth and economic development.

Food

In the UK on average we consume over 3,000 calories a day (per person) - despite men only needing 2,500 and women 2,000, whereas Sierra Leone has the world's lowest calorie intake of 1,500. Calorie intake is affected by access to water - many areas around the world have climates that make growing food challenging. Countries with low calorie intake have the highest levels of undernourishment.

Water

The global water footprint is around 1,200 litres per day - this is the water that we use directly, along with the water that goes into producing all the food, goods and energy that we use on a daily basis (e.g. it takes 40 litres of water to make one slice of bread, and 70 litres of water to produce one apple). But this figure is much higher in HICs - for example, the USA's water footprint is double this at almost 2,500 litres!

But we also need to consider water scarcity - when there isn't enough water to meet the demand, either because supplies are insufficient (physical water scarcity, e.g. not enough rainfall) or infrastructure is inadequate (economic water scarcity, e.g. can't afford a decent pipe network).

Energy

HICs use much more energy than LICs and NEEs - this is because the most developed countries have high levels of technology and intensive agriculture and industry which require power, along with domestic use and transportation. However, the demand for energy is increasing most rapidly in NEEs as they develop their economies. China consumes the greatest amount of energy in the world - over 8,000 terawatt-hours, with the USA in second place with around 4,000 terawatt-hours. But if we consider this per capita (per person), Iceland, Qatar and Singapore have the highest consumption!