Managing Resources
Unit 5
5.1 food security
Food security: when all people,
at all times, have physical,
social, and economic access to
sufficient, safe, and nutritious
food that meets their dietary needs and food
preferences for an active and healthy life
● LICs = low security
● HICs = high security
Food Security
Three main considerations (yes/no response):
1. Availability 2. Access 3. Use (balanced diet)
Causes of food insecurity
Population Growth Unsustainable Production
More people → more food shortages Global food supplies have become
homogeneous (thing of the same kind)
● Farmers producing 1 type of crop →
more risk of crop failure
Price Setting Land Degradation
How the market determines prices Misuse of land → degradation, soil
exhaustion, & low crop yields
● More demand or less supply → higher
● Over cropping - continuous use when
price soil is given no time to rest
● Monoculture crops - repeatedly
growing 1 crop
Causes continued
Agricultural Disease Diverting Crops for Biofuels
● Fungal diseases destroy both crops Biofuels derived from biomass e.g. plant
and stored food. material such as sugar cane
Climate Change Water Shortages
● Increased temps., floods, droughts, Cause death of crops & livestock →
& storm size affect crops & fungal famine.
outbreaks.
Causes continued
Poverty
No money for food → undernourished and/or ill.
Food aid is provided (when accessible)
Impacts of Food Insecurity
Regional Food Scarcity - Country doesn’t have enough nutritional
food for its population
Nutritional Deficiency/Malnutrition - Lack of nutrients causing
widespread illnesses
Poverty - Inability to afford nutritional food
Forced Migration - Forced to move due to lack of food available
Conflict - Countries refusing to import foods OR fights among
citizens for food
Famine - Widespread hunger
Death - RIP
Strategies for Managing Food Security
Subsistence Agriculture Increase Food Production
Farming for own family and not
Intensive Farming - small area of
selling at any markets
land & high financial investment
Hydroponic Aquaponic
Extensive Farming - large area of
land & low financial investment
Strategies for Managing Food Security cont.
Improved Ag. Technique & Efficiency Reduction in Livestock &
Selective breeding & genetically modified (GM) Increase in Growing Crops
crops:
● Pest-resistant crops & crops with a Livestock take up large amounts
higher yield
of land & require crop based
Controlling limiting factors: feedings.
● Use of fertilisers in nutrient needed
areas Less livestock = More crops
Increasing productivity by removing
competition:
● Weeds → Herbicides
● Fungal disease → fungicides
● Pest species → biological control
Strategies for Managing Food Security cont.
Reduce Food Waste Large Scale Food
Stockpiling
Low-cost storage methods used
before spoilage: Storing large amounts of goods or
materials in the came of an
● Jarring
emergency or supply interruption
● Drying
● Redistributing to those in
need
Strategies for Managing Food Security cont.
Improved Food Protect Pollinating Insects
Transportation ● Reduce herbicides & pesticides:
More freezing & refrigerated ○ Exchange for organic
farming methods
vehicles → better food
● Manually clear weeds
distribution
● Planting crops in different
times of the year
● Allow farm to recover
● Farm bees as pollinators with
crops
Strategies for Managing Food Security cont.
World Food Programme & Food Rationing
Aid
Limit amount of food each person
Humanitarian organisation that for family is allowed to purchase
provides hungry families with
nutritional food
Renewable Resources
A source of energy that can be naturally and
quickly replenished. Eg - wind and solar power
Hydroelectric Dams
Hydroelectric power (HEP)
is where a dam is built
across a river to block the
flow of water. The flowing
water is channeled through
a pipe so the turbines can
produce energy.
Solar energy
Solar power is used in remote
locations (ideally) that do not
require an electrical grid system.
● Limitation: colder/low
sunlight areas.
Wind Energy
Electricity that is
generated using the power
of wind.
Wave and Tidal Energy
Wave and tidal energy is
energy generated using the
power of waves.
You run the risk of corrosive
salt water and potential
damage from the waves
Biomass
Obtained from organic material
(plants, and animal waste)
● Bioethanol - an alcohol
produced from plant matter such
as sugar cane or maize that can
be used as an alternative to
petrol.
● Biogas - methane can be used as
fuel by fermenting organic
matter
● Wood - heat and light
Geothermal Energy
Uses heat within the Earth to heat
water or generate electricity.
1. Cold water is pumped down into
oreholes where the earth heats
it
2. Water returns to the surface as
steam
3. Steam is used in to turn
turbines and generate
electricity
Iceland, New Zealand, and
Yellowstone National Park
Nonrenewable Energy
Resources that will run out and not be
replenished for millions of years.
Eg - oil, gas, and coal
Oil and Gas
Formed from the remains of dead
marine organisms over millions
of years.
● Fall to the bottom of the
ocean and covered by
sediments causing change in
temperature and pressure.
Coal
Formed from dead trees and
other plant materials
lying on the surface of
the land. Overtime,
materials are buried and
change to coal in the
result of heat and
pressure.
Nuclear Power
Uses radioactive materials such as uranium or plutonium.
Undergo reactions and power is produced from energy
released.
Energy Security
Energy security is the reliable availability of energy
sources at an affordable price with a consideration of the
environmental impacts.
long-term energy security: Short-term energy security:
supply of energy that is systems that react
in line with economic promptly to sudden changes
developments and in the supply-demand
environmental needs balance
Causes of Energy
Insecurity
Fossil Fuel Depletion
Overharvesting fossil fuels in a country or selling the
resource faster than it can be harvested.
Global Energy Distribution
Geographical distribution of resources.
Ex. Middle East has an abundance of oil reserves. Other
parts of the world have limited known reserves and rely
on importing this energy source.
Population Growth
As population grows, pressure on the struggling source to
supply enough electricity.
Energy needs of countries in different income groups
Countries with different levels of development have
different energy demands:
HICs → higher energy demand
LICs → lower energy demand
25% of the world's population
live in HICs but HICs use 66%
of the world’s energy.
Climate Change
Climate change puts pressure on HIC’s to combat the levels
of CO2 in the atmosphere:
● HIC’s → fossil fuels
● The need to change from one energy source to another puts
energy security at risk.
Supply Disruption
● Natural disasters
○ Hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, earthquakes, etc.
● Piracy
○ Practice of attacking and robbing
● Terrorism
○ Unlawful use of violence and intimidation (civilians) for political
aims.
These cause a disruption of oil/gas/coal transfer from one
source to another.
Outline Impacts of Energy Insecurity
Disrupted electricity Increasing prices for Increasing costs for
supply to homes and
industry energy resources industry
No power in home: Fuels are
used and can cause illness. More energy used, Economic instability →
higher $$$ bill. companies shut down.
Education impacted
negatively.
Job losses, economic Increased levels of Reliance on imported
recession poverty and low sources of energy
standards of living
Companies shut down → Gov. increasing debt by
people are out of jobs No jobs to bring income, purchasing from foreign
→ no pay to government. families increase in countries.
poverty.
Civil disruption and conflict
Many groups compete to control energy-rich areas and war can break out.
Strategies on
Managing Energy
Security
Increasing Energy Efficiency
★ Improving housing
insulation
○ By improving housing
insulation, this would result
in less energy being used for
heating or cooling the
interior of a home.
Increasing Energy Production to Meet Demand (Individually)
★ FL Based: Installing solar panels on a home
○ Changes dependent on location in the country/planet
○ Long term planning from energy sources would need to provide support
Reduce reliance on Fossil Fuels
★ Technological developments
in cars, electrical
equipment and other
machinery
○ The use of electric items can
reduce the carbon footprint
of a person and cause a
decrease in greenhouse gasses
Greater Investment on
renewable resources
★ Reduce fossil fuel need by
promoting monetary relief
for renewable energy.
○ Being more reliant on
nonrenewable energy deems it
more difficult to make the
change.
Governments to support local energy projects
★ Governments will encourage individuals to install their
own venerable energy supply for their own home.
Rationing Energy Supply
★ When energy is limited, limit the amount of energy that
can be used per household or building.
○ Backouts allow the system to take a break and continue functioning
under pressure/manage the damage.
Waste Management
Waste Management is the
collection, transport,
treatment, and disposal
of waste.
Waste Management
Hazardous waste - waste that can harm the human health
Waste streams - flow of specific waste from their source to
recovery, recycling, or disposal
Recycling has been used as an effective waste management
through
Landfill
Landfills are places where waste is disposed of by burying
it.
Incineration
Waste incineration involves the burning of waste. It reduces
the mass of waste by up to 90%.
Storage
Non-hazardous solid waste can be stored at the point of
waste generation.
● Legal requirements for the type of waste
● Adequate measures need to be taken to prevent waste
● Stored in non-reactive containers
Disposal at Sea
Disposal at sea was once used for radioactive waste,
rubbish, septic waste, industrial waste, and contaminated
soil. Today, only waste allowed in the oceans are
uncontaminated sediments, human remains, and fish waste.
Recycling
Recycling is the separation of waste into different
categories that can then be reused or created into something
different.
Exporting Waste
Paying another country to take its waste. It rests on the
idea that LICs need money, so they export waste there. This
includes:
● Hazardous material
● Household waste
● Recyclable waste
● E-waste (electronic waste)
Impacts of Waste
Disposal
Soil Contamination
Liquid waste such as oils, toxic chemicals, and heavy metals
can infiltrate soil and be washed deeper into the soil
profile. This contamination can can kill:
● Aquatic organisms
● Land species
● Vegetation
● Habitats
Dangerous Gases
Greenhouse gasses such as methane (CH4) and CO2 are released
back into the atmosphere. These cause global warming.
Visual, noise, smell, and spread of disease
Waste creates visual, noise, and smell pollution. This can
end up attracting vermin, spread of parasitic, bacterial,
and other infectious diseases.
Release of Toxic Substances
Radioactive materials releasing into the environment.
● Leachate that has percolated through landfills that are
toxic to organisms and the environment
● Incineration of waste causes problems, materials burned
cause greenhouse gasses.
Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification
Bioaccumulation refers to the
buildup of toxins in the
body of an organism
Biomagnification is the
buildup of a toxin in an
ecosystem’s food-chain
Plastics and Microplastics in the Ocean
Marine animals mistake floating plastic grocery bags for
jellyfish and can chose or sustain internal injuries, die or
starve from consumption.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce - your waste choices (choose bio-plastic over
standard) or bring reusable bags to the store to reduce
plastic use.
Reuse - items such as water bottles.
Recycle - all items you can (they will be repurposed into
different things).
Biodegradable Plastics
Plastics that are made from materials that will break down
when exposed to microorganisms:
● Breaks down into CO2, water vapour, organic materials
Food Waste for Animal Feed
Use leftover food to feed livestock when possible
● If not possible, find uses for it for humans such as
broths
Composting
Decomposition of organic materials to feed soil and improve
farming.
Fermentation/Use of waste to generate electricity
Anaerobic (O2 free) process to convert biological waste into
ethanol and biogas.
● Used to generate electricity, heating, and refrigeration.
Education
Outreach and marketing to encourage population to change
their habits
Financial Incentives
Earn $ to recycle or dispose of waste properly.
Legislation
Marine Legislation Hazardous Waste Legislation
The Marine Protection, Research and The Basel Convention of 1989: prevent
Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) of 1972: HIC’s from dumping their hazardous
Regulates the dumping of materials waste in LIC’s (decreasing human
health in LIC’s)
that have negative effects on human
health into the ocean. This led to: The Stockholm Convention on Persistent
The London Convention of 1972: Organic Pollutants of 2001:
protects marine environment from eliminate/restrict pollutants that
pollution. don’t break down quickly in the
environment:
The London Protocol of 2006:
Specifically bans the incineration of Ex. DDT: used toward mosquitoes b/c of
waste at sea malaria.
