PATTERNS IN RESOURCE CONSUMPTION

definitions

Ecological footprint The theoretical measurement of land and water a population requires to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb its waste under prevailing technology.

Sustainable resource management Conserving the quantity and quality of resources to maintain their supply for future generations.

Evaluate the ecological footprint as a measure of the relationship between population size and resource consumption.

Identify international variations in its size.

You should be able to define the ecological footprint and assess its value as a measure of the relationship between population and resources. International variations in size are best identified through reference to contrasting examples. It is important to remember that the ecological footprint is not the same as the carbon footprint, a term that is commonly used in the media.

A person’s footprint ranges vastly across the globe, from 8 or more “global hectares” for the biggest consumers in the United Arab Emirates, the USA, Kuwait and Denmark, to ½ a hectare in The Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Malawi.

Discuss the two opposing views (neo-Malthusian and anti- Malthusian) of the relationship between population size and resource consumption.

Geography All the Way You should know when Malthus wrote, and the basis of his theory. An annotated graph showing the relationship between population and food would illustrate this effectively. You should be able to explain the theories of the pessimistic neo-Malthusians, such as the Club of Rome and Paul Ehrlich, and the ever optimistic anti-Malthusians, such as Julian Simon (and Esther Boserup). Relevant concepts include those of carrying capacity and sustainable resource management.

Examine the global patterns and trends in the production and consumption of oil.

Chart of oil trading nations (2007) Be prepared to identify, on a map, countries with high levels of oil production and be able to explain the physical circumstances leading to its availability. You should be able to relate the patterns of global production to consumption.

Oil and natural gas are found in the pore spaces surrounding grains comprising sedimentary rocks.

Examine the geopolitical and environmental impacts of these changes in patterns and trends.

In addition to the spatial pattern, you should be able to explain the trends in oil production and consumption over time and changes in the energy mix for many countries.

Sun-powered planes

Discuss the reduction of resources consumption by conservation, waste reduction, recycling and substitution.

You should know the general principles of sustainable resource management. (Conserving the quantity and quality of resources to maintain their supply for future generations).

Evaluate a strategy at a local or national scale aimed at reducing the consumption of one resource.

You should focus upon either a national or a local case study of resource conservation and discuss the successes and failures of strategies designed to manage one resource. China’s hydroelectric power (HEP) scheme is a good example of a way in which it is trying to reduce its dependence on coal.

Case study: Waste imports in China (recycling metals from old computers, saving oil on plastic recycling, saving forests on paper and cardboard recycling).