Global Resource Significance and Inequalities

Explaining Well-being (Causal Chains)

To achieve top marks in "Explain" questions, you must show the step-by-step mechanism of how resources impact both social and economic development.

• The Chain for Food (Social & Economic): Sufficient calorie intake $\rightarrow$ Reduced incidence of malnutrition $\rightarrow$ Healthier children who can attend school (social well-being) $\rightarrow$ A stronger adult workforce $\rightarrow$ Increased national productivity (economic well-being).
• The Chain for Water (Economic Development): Clean water access $\rightarrow$ Reduced incidence of waterborne diseases $\rightarrow$ Fewer days lost to illness $\rightarrow$ Increased workforce productivity $\rightarrow$ Higher GNI.
• The Chain for Energy (The Cycle of Poverty): Lack of energy access $\rightarrow$ Inability to refrigerate medicines (poor social health) AND inability to power machinery $\rightarrow$ Low industrial output $\rightarrow$ Low national income $\rightarrow$ Inability to invest in future infrastructure.

Global Food Inequalities

Global agriculture produces enough food to provide roughly $2,700$ kcal per person daily, yet over $800$ million people go hungry. This creates a sharp divide between countries experiencing food security and those facing food insecurity.

• High-Income Countries (HICs): Experience a resource surplus. Average intake exceeds $3,000$ kcal/day (e.g., the UK consumes ~$3,450$ kcal/day). Their diets are typically about one-third protein.
• Low-Income Countries (LICs): Face a resource deficit. Average intake is often below $2,000$ kcal/day (e.g., Sierra Leone at $1,500$ kcal/day). Diets are often $75\%$ low-nutrient cereals, increasing the risk of undernourishment and famine.

LICs frequently dedicate agricultural land to growing cash crops for export to HICs, which can harm local food supplies. Even wealthy nations rely heavily on imports; the UK imports $46\%$ of its food supply.

Global Water Inequalities

Only $2.5\%$ of Earth's water is freshwater, and $80\%$ of that is locked away in glaciers. The remaining accessible water is distributed highly unevenly across the globe.

• Sector Use: Agriculture consumes $70\%$ of the global water supply, industry uses $20\%$, and domestic use accounts for $10\%$.
• Consumption Footprints: An individual in the USA uses around $2,000$ litres daily (including embedded water), whereas someone in Sub-Saharan Africa often uses less than $20$ litres.

Countries where supply exceeds demand have a water surplus and enjoy water security. Areas where demand exceeds supply experience a water deficit. Globally, $1.2$ billion people face physical water scarcity due to dry climates, while $1.5$ billion face economic scarcity due to a lack of infrastructure.

Calculating Water Stress

Geographers use the Water Exploitation Index (WEI) to calculate if a region is experiencing water stress.

• A WEI value greater than $20\%$ indicates the country is officially experiencing water stress (supply below $1,700\text{ m}^3$ per person).
• If supply drops below $1,000\text{ m}^3$ per person, it becomes severe water scarcity.

Global Energy Inequalities

You can easily spot the global energy divide from space at night; the wealthiest $1$ billion people consume $50\%$ of world energy, while the poorest $20\%$ consume just $4\%$.

• Consumption Patterns: HICs dominate energy use. Qatar uses roughly $194,222$ kWh/person/year. In contrast, countries like Burundi use less than $500$ kWh/person/year.
• Oil Consumption Calculation: North America accounts for $24\%$ of world oil, whereas Africa uses only $4\%$.

This shows North America consumes $6$ times more oil than Africa.

Nations like Russia have an energy surplus, whereas Western Europe faces a deficit. When a country cannot meet its demand from its own resources, it experiences an energy gap. A nation's energy security depends on maintaining an uninterrupted supply, usually achieved by diversifying its energy mix. Without this, countries suffer from energy insecurity.