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2 - Consuming Resources
2 - Consuming Resources
Consuming Resources
1. How and why does resource consumption vary in different parts of the world?
Renewable Will never run out and can be used over and over again Positive Wave Power Clean and relatively cheap to produce. Can produce large amount of energy. Negative Expensive to build and install. Can affect coastal ecosystem. Few sties available to build them. Coal Non-renewable Are being used up and cannot be replaced (finite) Positive Available in many countries. Large reserves mainly untouched. Negative Burning creates pollution - Acid Rain. Releases CO2 Global Warming. Mining is dangerous and damages environment. Air pollution created. Releases CO2 Global Warming. Danger of spills.
Solar Power
Oil
Efficient Diverse can be used cars + power stations. Transported easily tankers, pipelines, Lorries.
Wind Power
Sustainable Meeting the needs of people now without preventing future generations from meeting their needs. Positive Bio Gas Converts organic matter such as wood chips and manure into methane gas to be burnt as fuel. Materials are easy to find (especially in rural India where it is widely used. Materials can be replanted to be used again Very little pollution as small scale projects Cheap Negative Often small scale so would not offer enough energy to power a large city.
Bio-gas is a sustainable form of producing energy because It beneficial to the local people, (it is cheap, small scale and uses available resources). It is also not harmful to the environment, (it does not cause visual pollution, the carbon monoxide produced is very little and the fertiliser produced as a by-product can be used to grow more crops and plants).
World Energy Use: The amount of energy people use globally is increasing. Most of this use is from MEDCs who demand high standards of living and lots of goods and industries which consume large amounts of energy. OIL: Is a finite, non-renewable resource. Consumption of oil for energy and transport has risen greatly over the last 100 years and is set to continue to rise in the future. People are worried there will not be enough to go around, especially as countries develop and economic growth continues. Peak Oil: The point at which oil production reaches its maximum level and then declines. However it is difficult to tell how long reserves of oil will last. There is uncertainty over:
Pessimistic View Scale of global population growth Future demand particularly developing countries energy demands
Optimistic View Size of undiscovered oil and gas reserves Improving efficiency in machines which use oil
Discovery of new energy technologies The scale of the possible switch to renewable energy
Much of the worlds oil reserves are found (supplied) in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Iran). Most of the oil is consumed in the rich countries of W. Europe and N. America. This could lead to future problems. There could be wars and recessions caused by a lack of oil. It may also become difficult to import it as countries will want to keep what they have to help their own economies grow.
We will run out of resources soon, as our large population has used up too much. Coal will run out in 40 years. Famines and death will happen when there are no resources left. Malthus saw this as a natural check on population growth.
Combine-harvesters have improved farming techniques so we can grow more food in the same sized field now.
Limits to growth theories: Devised by a group of scientists the club of Rome. They agreed with Malthus saying that population growth and resource use was unsustainable. They also said that pollution levels would reach dangerous levels unless people started to live in more sustainable ways.