Essential Resources
o Food, water & energy are fundamental to human life and development.
o Food –
• Without food, people will die of starvation/famine, or will become malnourished if they don’t eat enough food.
• Crops are produced by farming & animals are reared/raised eating crops.
• When the human body doesn’t have enough food, it has low energy, has a less effective immune system, can do less
manual labour & less thinking.
• These are bad for people’s quality of life, the productivity of their work & the development of a country.
o Water –
• Humans can survive 3-4 weeks without food but only 3-4 days without water – humans, animals & livestock need to drink
water to grow and survive.
• The water has to be clean & not contain waterborne diseases like cholera which can kill humans.
• Water can be polluted by industrial pollution / contaminated by bacteria, affecting developed & developing nations.
o Energy –
• Useful energy is generated by burning wood / fossil fuels or by solar/hydroelectric power.
• Vehicles need energy to transport food, clothing, water etc. and manufacturing & secondary industries need energy
to transform raw materials into useful products.
• Humans need energy to produce heat, allowing them to survive in cold winter conditions.
• Secure sources of energy are vital to a developed economy, where countries that are able to sustainably produce more
energy usually have a higher standard of living.
Global Distribution of Resources
o Different climates, geographies & countries have access to different resources.
o In terms of distribution, some countries have lots of energy resources, access to water, access to food etc. whilst some
countries have good access to all of them.
o Some economists believe that the UK developed rapidly because it had access to coal (energy), a good climate & fertile
farmland (food) and natural water sources (lakes, reservoirs, underground aquifers).
o If a country doesn’t have a resource, it usually uses technology to access it/imports it from another country.
o Historically, this issue may have led to war/colonialism due to a desire to secure resources.
o In terms of consumption, HICs have more money & usually consume more resources because they can afford to, being able
to import resources cheaply from other countries.
o Eg. Many HICs import raw materials from the DRC [+ DRC has 52% of Africa’s surface water]
o Consumption is increasing very quickly in NEEs (China, India, Indonesia, Brazil etc).
o The increasing consumption of energy resources is a global issue as burning fossil fuels leads to CO2 emissions,
contributing to the greenhouse effect.
o To solve uneven distribution:
• Countries must import resources that they’re lacking in.
• When freshwater is scarce, but saltwater is abundant, desalination plants can be used to produce freshwater from
saltwater.
Food in the UK
o UK consumers want the best food all year round, and trends like organic, free-range & artificial meat are growing in popularity.
o There’s a high demand for high-value foods →
• Meat is popular in developing & developed nations & it is sometimes seen as a sign of wealth.
• Exotic fruits & vegetables like avocados are now more popular & cheap fruits are often grown in and imported from
LICs.
o There’s a high demand for seasonal food all year round →
• Before the rise of supermarkets, people would shop at their local greengrocer who would buy fruit & vegetables from
local farms, meaning that people used to eat whatever was in season at the time.
• Now, supermarkets import food from around the world (when they’re not in season in the UK) & offer these fruits and
vegetables all year round.
o There’s a demand for organic produce →
• Organic foods are grown without using certain pesticides/chemicals to accelerate the food’s growth / kill insects.
• Free range means that animals are kept in natural living conditions with free movement.
• There’s a growing trend towards veganism & artificial meat.
The carbon footprint of food involves:
o Packaging the food – usually done in factories using machinery which require energy, often produced by burning fossil
fuels which release greenhouse gases.
• People dislike the harmful nature of plastic waste, but transporting food in reusable glass makes the cargo heavier,
meaning that transport will lead to more CO2 emissions.
o Growing the food – livestock (especially cows) produce greenhouse gases like methane, meaning that agriculture
contributes to the greenhouse effect & global warming.
o Transporting the food –
• Food miles refer to how far food is transported from where it’s grown to where it’s marketed & eaten.
• Many popular foods can’t be grown in the UK and have to be imported → most food is transported by container ship &
usually, the further it travels, the larger its carbon footprint.
• Businesses may try to connect consumers with local farmers to buy fresh, local produce & farmers’ markets allow
farmers to sell their own produce.
o Food, water & energy are fundamental to human life and development.
o Food –
• Without food, people will die of starvation/famine, or will become malnourished if they don’t eat enough food.
• Crops are produced by farming & animals are reared/raised eating crops.
• When the human body doesn’t have enough food, it has low energy, has a less effective immune system, can do less
manual labour & less thinking.
• These are bad for people’s quality of life, the productivity of their work & the development of a country.
o Water –
• Humans can survive 3-4 weeks without food but only 3-4 days without water – humans, animals & livestock need to drink
water to grow and survive.
• The water has to be clean & not contain waterborne diseases like cholera which can kill humans.
• Water can be polluted by industrial pollution / contaminated by bacteria, affecting developed & developing nations.
o Energy –
• Useful energy is generated by burning wood / fossil fuels or by solar/hydroelectric power.
• Vehicles need energy to transport food, clothing, water etc. and manufacturing & secondary industries need energy
to transform raw materials into useful products.
• Humans need energy to produce heat, allowing them to survive in cold winter conditions.
• Secure sources of energy are vital to a developed economy, where countries that are able to sustainably produce more
energy usually have a higher standard of living.
Global Distribution of Resources
o Different climates, geographies & countries have access to different resources.
o In terms of distribution, some countries have lots of energy resources, access to water, access to food etc. whilst some
countries have good access to all of them.
o Some economists believe that the UK developed rapidly because it had access to coal (energy), a good climate & fertile
farmland (food) and natural water sources (lakes, reservoirs, underground aquifers).
o If a country doesn’t have a resource, it usually uses technology to access it/imports it from another country.
o Historically, this issue may have led to war/colonialism due to a desire to secure resources.
o In terms of consumption, HICs have more money & usually consume more resources because they can afford to, being able
to import resources cheaply from other countries.
o Eg. Many HICs import raw materials from the DRC [+ DRC has 52% of Africa’s surface water]
o Consumption is increasing very quickly in NEEs (China, India, Indonesia, Brazil etc).
o The increasing consumption of energy resources is a global issue as burning fossil fuels leads to CO2 emissions,
contributing to the greenhouse effect.
o To solve uneven distribution:
• Countries must import resources that they’re lacking in.
• When freshwater is scarce, but saltwater is abundant, desalination plants can be used to produce freshwater from
saltwater.
Food in the UK
o UK consumers want the best food all year round, and trends like organic, free-range & artificial meat are growing in popularity.
o There’s a high demand for high-value foods →
• Meat is popular in developing & developed nations & it is sometimes seen as a sign of wealth.
• Exotic fruits & vegetables like avocados are now more popular & cheap fruits are often grown in and imported from
LICs.
o There’s a high demand for seasonal food all year round →
• Before the rise of supermarkets, people would shop at their local greengrocer who would buy fruit & vegetables from
local farms, meaning that people used to eat whatever was in season at the time.
• Now, supermarkets import food from around the world (when they’re not in season in the UK) & offer these fruits and
vegetables all year round.
o There’s a demand for organic produce →
• Organic foods are grown without using certain pesticides/chemicals to accelerate the food’s growth / kill insects.
• Free range means that animals are kept in natural living conditions with free movement.
• There’s a growing trend towards veganism & artificial meat.
The carbon footprint of food involves:
o Packaging the food – usually done in factories using machinery which require energy, often produced by burning fossil
fuels which release greenhouse gases.
• People dislike the harmful nature of plastic waste, but transporting food in reusable glass makes the cargo heavier,
meaning that transport will lead to more CO2 emissions.
o Growing the food – livestock (especially cows) produce greenhouse gases like methane, meaning that agriculture
contributes to the greenhouse effect & global warming.
o Transporting the food –
• Food miles refer to how far food is transported from where it’s grown to where it’s marketed & eaten.
• Many popular foods can’t be grown in the UK and have to be imported → most food is transported by container ship &
usually, the further it travels, the larger its carbon footprint.
• Businesses may try to connect consumers with local farmers to buy fresh, local produce & farmers’ markets allow
farmers to sell their own produce.
