TJNOTES
AQA GCSE Geography Paper 2 notes
Section C: The challenge of the Resource
Management
PAPER, II
SECTION C
Global Distribution of Resources
• A lack of food = affect our social well-being as not enough safe, nutritious food,
there is an imbalance of nutrients and calories causing malnourishment
• Malnourishment includes undernourishment where people do not get enough
food of any kind
• Malnourishment can limit child development and decreases one’s immunity,
leading to all sorts of diseases which can be deadly
• Also, malnourishment itself can cause starvation which can lead to an inability to
work, affecting economic well-being
• People also need safe, clean water for drinking, cooking, washing and hygiene
• Without proper sanitation, water sources get polluted by raw sewage
• Water-borne diseases like cholera and typhoid kill many people each year (social
well-being)
• Water is needed in industry to produce food, clothes and many other products so
it has a big impact on people’s lifestyles
• Water insecurity may also lead to a decline in industry which could affect
workers’ economic and social well-being as they might face redundancy
• Countries need energy for industrial and domestic purposes as well as in
transport – so, a lack of energy, leads to problems in the economic well-being
since people will not be able to attend school or work
• Electricity can also allow countries to develop industry creating jobs and wealth -
economic well-being
• Lifestyles in HICs depend on a large, stable supply of energy – energy allows for
heating food and entertainment and recreation in homes. Without energy, there
could be a lack of recreation and reduced quality of life, leading to mental health
issues
• Electricity is also used to power pumps and provide safe water for communities
– lack of electricity could affect the water supply
• The global supply and consumption of these resources is very uneven – some
countries do not have their own energy reserves, others have dry climates and
,TJNOTES
environments not suitable for food production; some countries are land-locked
and too hot to have reservoirs or lakes so need water supplies from elsewhere
• To access more resources, some countries must import food or find technological
solutions to produce more – e.g., desalination plants to produce freshwater from
saltwater
Food
• The demand for food in the UK has changed
• Before the 60s, most fruit and vegetables were locally-produced and seasonal,
but now there is a greater demand for a wider range of products
• For example, because people’s incomes have increased, exotic fruits, vegetables,
spices and coffee have become much more popular
• Due to climate reasons, these things simply cannot be produced in the UK, so are
often imported from LICs that grow them – so the demand for high-value food
imports is increasing
• Also, there is a higher demand in season produce all year round; seasonal food is
only available during the months that it grows in so, because the UK population
now expects to have all foods available all year round, fruit and veg are imported
to meet the demand for seasonal produce all year round
• As people are becoming more concerned over the environmental impacts of food
production, and how the use of chemicals like pesticides and fertilisers can affect
health, there is a trend towards organic food
• Organic food contains no pesticides or fertilisers and the production is strictly
regulated for minimal environmental and health damage, so the demand for
organic food is growing – while some of this is produced in the UK, lots are
imported
• So, to sum up, the main increase in demand are for: high-value foods, seasonal
produce all year round, and organic produce
• The carbon footprint of our food is increasing and this is due to many reasons
• The growing, processing and packaging of food produces CO and other
2
greenhouse gases like methane, so that is one reason why the carbon footprint is
increasing
• Transporting food from where it is grown to where it is sold also produces CO as2
fossil fuels are burned – the distance that food travels from the site of production
to the site of consumption is called its food miles
• More food miles = more CO produced as it has travelled a long distance,
2
probably in a van, lorry or even a plane
• The amount of greenhouse gas produced whilst growing, packing and
transporting a food is called its carbon footprint; so a larger carbon footprint
means more greenhouse gases and more global warming
• Imported foods like seasonal produce, organic produce and high-value exotic
foods are becoming more popular – since they have a high food miles, they have
a much larger carbon footprint
, TJNOTES
• However, people are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impacts
caused by transporting food over long distances, leading people to look for local
sources of food like farmers’ markets, farm shops and locally produced vegetable
boxes
• In the UK, we are seeing that farming is becoming more and more industrialised
and commercial
• This is called the trend towards agribusiness
• Since the 60s, there has been a growth in agribusiness in the UK – agribusiness is
a large-scale, industrial farming where all process, form production of seeds and
fertilisers to processing and packaging of food is controlled by large farms and
companies
This means that farms have changed in many ways:
• (1) Farm sizes have increased with smaller farms joining together and field sizes
increased so that food can be produced more cheaply
• (2) Amount of chemicals used in food production is increasing with large
quantities of artificial fertilisers and pesticides being applied to crops and
animals given special feed to encourage growth
• (3) Number of workers employed in agriculture fell due to greater use of
machinery in planting, ploughing and harvesting, this is in order to make the
processes involved in agriculture more large-scale and efficient – to meet the
demands of the growing population
Water
• In the UK, the places with a good supply of water are not the same as places with
highest demand
• The north and west have high rainfall but a relatively low demand due to lower
population densities
• These areas are areas of water surplus because there is a greater supply than
demand
• The south east and midlands have high population densities so there is a higher
demand for water – but, since there is little rainfall, these are areas of water
deficit where the demand is greater than the supply
• Overall, the demand for water is increasing in the UK, for many reasons
• The main reason being that the population of the country is increasing, so more
people need more water for hygiene, drinking and cooking
• Also, more people need more food so more water needed in agriculture
• Also, as technology and standard of economic living develops, people have more
appliances that use a lot of water like dishwashers and washing machines, again
contributing to the increased demand in water
AQA GCSE Geography Paper 2 notes
Section C: The challenge of the Resource
Management
PAPER, II
SECTION C
Global Distribution of Resources
• A lack of food = affect our social well-being as not enough safe, nutritious food,
there is an imbalance of nutrients and calories causing malnourishment
• Malnourishment includes undernourishment where people do not get enough
food of any kind
• Malnourishment can limit child development and decreases one’s immunity,
leading to all sorts of diseases which can be deadly
• Also, malnourishment itself can cause starvation which can lead to an inability to
work, affecting economic well-being
• People also need safe, clean water for drinking, cooking, washing and hygiene
• Without proper sanitation, water sources get polluted by raw sewage
• Water-borne diseases like cholera and typhoid kill many people each year (social
well-being)
• Water is needed in industry to produce food, clothes and many other products so
it has a big impact on people’s lifestyles
• Water insecurity may also lead to a decline in industry which could affect
workers’ economic and social well-being as they might face redundancy
• Countries need energy for industrial and domestic purposes as well as in
transport – so, a lack of energy, leads to problems in the economic well-being
since people will not be able to attend school or work
• Electricity can also allow countries to develop industry creating jobs and wealth -
economic well-being
• Lifestyles in HICs depend on a large, stable supply of energy – energy allows for
heating food and entertainment and recreation in homes. Without energy, there
could be a lack of recreation and reduced quality of life, leading to mental health
issues
• Electricity is also used to power pumps and provide safe water for communities
– lack of electricity could affect the water supply
• The global supply and consumption of these resources is very uneven – some
countries do not have their own energy reserves, others have dry climates and
,TJNOTES
environments not suitable for food production; some countries are land-locked
and too hot to have reservoirs or lakes so need water supplies from elsewhere
• To access more resources, some countries must import food or find technological
solutions to produce more – e.g., desalination plants to produce freshwater from
saltwater
Food
• The demand for food in the UK has changed
• Before the 60s, most fruit and vegetables were locally-produced and seasonal,
but now there is a greater demand for a wider range of products
• For example, because people’s incomes have increased, exotic fruits, vegetables,
spices and coffee have become much more popular
• Due to climate reasons, these things simply cannot be produced in the UK, so are
often imported from LICs that grow them – so the demand for high-value food
imports is increasing
• Also, there is a higher demand in season produce all year round; seasonal food is
only available during the months that it grows in so, because the UK population
now expects to have all foods available all year round, fruit and veg are imported
to meet the demand for seasonal produce all year round
• As people are becoming more concerned over the environmental impacts of food
production, and how the use of chemicals like pesticides and fertilisers can affect
health, there is a trend towards organic food
• Organic food contains no pesticides or fertilisers and the production is strictly
regulated for minimal environmental and health damage, so the demand for
organic food is growing – while some of this is produced in the UK, lots are
imported
• So, to sum up, the main increase in demand are for: high-value foods, seasonal
produce all year round, and organic produce
• The carbon footprint of our food is increasing and this is due to many reasons
• The growing, processing and packaging of food produces CO and other
2
greenhouse gases like methane, so that is one reason why the carbon footprint is
increasing
• Transporting food from where it is grown to where it is sold also produces CO as2
fossil fuels are burned – the distance that food travels from the site of production
to the site of consumption is called its food miles
• More food miles = more CO produced as it has travelled a long distance,
2
probably in a van, lorry or even a plane
• The amount of greenhouse gas produced whilst growing, packing and
transporting a food is called its carbon footprint; so a larger carbon footprint
means more greenhouse gases and more global warming
• Imported foods like seasonal produce, organic produce and high-value exotic
foods are becoming more popular – since they have a high food miles, they have
a much larger carbon footprint
, TJNOTES
• However, people are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impacts
caused by transporting food over long distances, leading people to look for local
sources of food like farmers’ markets, farm shops and locally produced vegetable
boxes
• In the UK, we are seeing that farming is becoming more and more industrialised
and commercial
• This is called the trend towards agribusiness
• Since the 60s, there has been a growth in agribusiness in the UK – agribusiness is
a large-scale, industrial farming where all process, form production of seeds and
fertilisers to processing and packaging of food is controlled by large farms and
companies
This means that farms have changed in many ways:
• (1) Farm sizes have increased with smaller farms joining together and field sizes
increased so that food can be produced more cheaply
• (2) Amount of chemicals used in food production is increasing with large
quantities of artificial fertilisers and pesticides being applied to crops and
animals given special feed to encourage growth
• (3) Number of workers employed in agriculture fell due to greater use of
machinery in planting, ploughing and harvesting, this is in order to make the
processes involved in agriculture more large-scale and efficient – to meet the
demands of the growing population
Water
• In the UK, the places with a good supply of water are not the same as places with
highest demand
• The north and west have high rainfall but a relatively low demand due to lower
population densities
• These areas are areas of water surplus because there is a greater supply than
demand
• The south east and midlands have high population densities so there is a higher
demand for water – but, since there is little rainfall, these are areas of water
deficit where the demand is greater than the supply
• Overall, the demand for water is increasing in the UK, for many reasons
• The main reason being that the population of the country is increasing, so more
people need more water for hygiene, drinking and cooking
• Also, more people need more food so more water needed in agriculture
• Also, as technology and standard of economic living develops, people have more
appliances that use a lot of water like dishwashers and washing machines, again
contributing to the increased demand in water
