1
Q
Concept of a resource
A
- A resource is any aspect of the natural environment that can be used to meet human needs.
- They have economic value + can be used to improve country’s wealth and further development
2
Q
Resource security
A
- Resources can be transported and traded
- An important concept is resource security
- the ability of a country to ensure a safe, reliable and sustainable flow of resources to maintain existing levels of development and allow future generations to advance
3
Q
Resource classifications : Stock resources
A
Finite and will run out eventually e.g. fossil fuels.
4
Q
Resource classifications : Flow Resources
A
Infinite and can be replenished and renewed e.g. biofuel.
5
Q
Reserves
A
- Part of a resource that is economically, legally and technically viable to extract
. - Resources can be converted into reserves if there is technological advancement
6
Q
Stock resource evaluation : Measured reserve
A
- Estimated with confidence as quantity, grade and quality are well established
- Results in a ‘proven reserve’ which is economically viable to extract
7
Q
Stock resource evaluation : Indicated reserves
A
- quantity, grade and quality can be estimated with less confidence than measured reserves and require further evaluation of the economic viability
- Degree of confidence is less than with measured reserves but enough to allow a reliable estimate, which leads to a ‘probable reserve’
8
Q
Stock resource evaluation : Inferred resource
A
- quantity, grade and quality can be estimated on the basis of only limited sampling
- they remain ‘possible reserves’ as there is insufficient information on tonnage or grade
9
Q
Stock resource evaluation : Possible resources
A
- knowledge of these resources based on the existence of other, mostly undiscovered deposits
- They may become economically viable in the long term but there is less confidence about this than with inferred resources
- Hypothetical and speculative resources
10
Q
Resource exploration
A
- Exploration = process of searching for available resources and then upgrading the resource from inferred to measured if appropriate
- Resources are difficult to find due to their uneven global distribution, but new technologies such as remote sensing, allow more efficient exploration.
11
Q
Resource exploitation
A
Exploitation is the process of extracting the material from the ground and its use is dependent on the economic viability of a resource.
12
Q
Resource exploitation : Grade of deposit
A
- High grade deposit is more viable
- Quantity of high grade ore resources, as more resources are exploited
- Remaining high grade deposits are difficult to access/exploit
13
Q
Resource exploitation : Geological structure of the ground
A
- Resources close to the surface are easier and cheaper to exploit in the open pit mining
- Resistant rock will take longer and be more expensive to exploit
14
Q
Resource exploitation : Proximity to markets
A
- Stock resources are often bulky, so large travel distances have a cost
- For more expensive materials such as diamond, this is less important
15
Q
Factors affecting resource economically viability
A
- Available technology
- Price of the resource
- Quantity of the resource
- Quality of the resource
- Location and accessibility
16
Q
Resource frontier
A
- An area where resources are brought into production for the first time
- A resource frontier is the boundary between exploited areas and areas considered too difficult to exploit under current political and technological conditions .
- Resource frontiers are changing as technology advances to allow new areas to be exploited.
17
Q
Resource peak
A
- Time of maximum production of a reserve or of a resource as whole
- The amount of the resource being extracted will vary over time but usually follows a long-term trend known as ‘Hubbert’s Curve’.
- Production increases exponentially until it peaks around halfway through available resources and is followed by decreasing production.
- Not all production follows this curve precisely , as demonstrated by the graph showing US crude oil production. However, on a global scale, the production will follow the bell-shaped curve. There will be fluctuations from the expected curve
18
Q
Time at which peak production occurs is dependent on :
A
- The availability and discovery of reserves
- Development of new technologies
- Demand for the resource
- Grade of available resources
19
Q
Sustainable resource development
A
- Sustainable= ability to keep something going in the long-term. It can refer to the production of a stock resource and involve environmental, social, economic and political factors.
- A sustainable resource development involves long-term planning that ensures extraction doesn’t increase too quickly or rise to unsustainable levels. It will ensure that workers are protected in future and there is a plan for when the resource can no longer be exploited and the facility will close, though the aim is to prolong this point
- Sustainable Resource Development will include a long-term environmental plan, (EIA).
20
Q
Sustainability of resource development is a concern because :
A
- As LICs develop, their resource use will increase
- The environmental impact of current levels of resource use is an issue
- There needs to be careful management of current resources use so that future generation can have access to the resources they require
21
Q
EIA (Environmental impact assessments)
A
- Can be used to evaluate the costs and benefits of resource development projects
- They inform decisions by balancing economic gain with potential environmental impact and offer alternative approaches
22
Q
EIA stages :
A
- outline of the proposed development
- Description of existing environment
- Assesssment of the likely impact
- Outlining of mitigation
- Official publication of an environmental statement
- Decision for or against the proposal
- there is a right to appeal from both sides
G : Resource security
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