Resource Management: Food, Water & Energy — GCSE Geography Revision

Topic has curated content entry with explanation, mistakes, and worked example. [auto-gate:promote; score=75.25]

What is Resource Management: Food, Water & Energy?

Resource management involves controlling the use of natural resources like food, water, and energy to ensure they are used sustainably. In the UK, demand for these resources is high, and management strategies focus on ensuring a secure and stable supply. This includes increasing food production through agribusiness, managing water transfer schemes to deal with shortages, and shifting the energy mix from fossil fuels towards renewable sources.

Board notes: This is a major topic in the AQA specification and is also covered by Edexcel and OCR. The focus is on the UK context, requiring students to understand the supply and demand for food, water, and energy, and to evaluate the various strategies used to manage them.

Worked example

Common mistakes

• 1Thinking the UK is self-sufficient in food, water, or energy. The UK imports about 40% of its food, has significant regional water stress (especially in the South East), and is heavily reliant on imported fossil fuels for its energy.
• 2Confusing renewable and non-renewable energy sources. Non-renewable sources (coal, oil, gas) are finite and will run out. Renewable sources (wind, solar, tidal) are infinite and do not produce greenhouse gases.
• 3Assuming that large-scale agribusiness is the only way to produce food. There is a growing movement towards more local and sustainable food production, including organic farming, farmers' markets, and community gardens, which can reduce food miles and improve food security.

Resource Management: Food, Water & Energy exam questions

Exam-style questions for Resource Management: Food, Water & Energy with mark-scheme style solutions and timing practice. Aligned to AQA, Edexcel and OCR specifications.

Frequently asked questions

• What are food miles?

  Food miles are the distance that food is transported from the place where it is grown or made to the place where it is consumed. A high number of food miles contributes to carbon emissions and air pollution, so reducing them by eating locally sourced food is more sustainable.

• What is fracking?

  Fracking (hydraulic fracturing) is a controversial method of extracting natural gas trapped in shale rock deep underground. It has the potential to increase the UK's energy security, but there are significant environmental concerns about its potential to cause earth tremors, pollute groundwater, and its contribution to carbon emissions.