Resource Management

What you'll learn

Resource management looks at how the world's natural resources — especially energy and water — are distributed, used and managed, and how they can be used more sustainably. This guide covers what you need for Edexcel GCSE Geography: the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources, the global distribution of resources, how demand and supply are changing, the UK's energy mix and how it has changed, the advantages and disadvantages of different energy sources, the reasons for water insecurity, and strategies to manage energy and water sustainably at different scales.

Questions often ask you to describe resource distribution from maps or graphs, explain changes in demand and supply, evaluate the use of a particular energy source, and assess strategies for sustainable management. Balanced, evidence-based answers score most highly.

Key terms and definitions

Natural resource — A material or substance from the natural environment that people use, such as water, minerals, fossil fuels, timber or soil.

Renewable resource — A resource that can be replenished naturally or is effectively unlimited, such as solar, wind and water power.

Non-renewable resource — A finite resource that will run out, such as coal, oil, natural gas and uranium.

Energy mix — The combination of different energy sources used by a country.

Energy security — Having reliable, affordable and sufficient supplies of energy.

Water security — Having enough clean, safe water for people, agriculture and industry.

Water stress — When demand for water exceeds the available supply.

Fossil fuels — Fuels formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals: coal, oil and gas.

Fracking — Extracting natural gas from shale rock by pumping water, sand and chemicals into it at high pressure.

Sustainable resource use — Using resources in a way that meets present needs without reducing the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

Core concepts

Types of resources

Resources can be renewable (wind, solar, hydroelectric, tidal, wave, geothermal and, if managed carefully, biomass and timber) or non-renewable (coal, oil, gas, nuclear fuel and minerals). Some resources, such as water and soil, are renewable but can be overused or polluted, making them unavailable.

Global distribution of resources

Resources are unevenly distributed:

• Oil and gas reserves are concentrated in certain regions, notably the Middle East, Russia and parts of the Americas.
• Coal is found widely, with large reserves in China, the USA, India, Australia and Russia.
• Water is plentiful in tropical and temperate regions with high rainfall but scarce in hot deserts and semi-arid regions, such as parts of North Africa, the Middle East and Australia.
• Renewable potential also varies: solar is greatest in sunny, low-latitude regions; wind in exposed coastal and upland areas; hydroelectric in mountainous regions with high rainfall.

Uneven distribution means some countries are energy secure while others depend on imports.

Changing demand

Global demand for energy and water is rising because of:

• population growth;
• economic development, as industrialisation and rising incomes increase energy and water use;
• urbanisation, as city dwellers use more electricity and piped water;
• changing lifestyles and technology, such as more cars, air conditioning and electronic devices;
• agriculture, which uses most of the world's fresh water through irrigation.

Developed countries use far more energy per person than developing countries, but demand is growing fastest in emerging economies such as China and India.

The UK's energy mix

The UK's energy mix has changed dramatically:

• In the mid-twentieth century, coal dominated electricity generation.
• From the 1970s, North Sea oil and gas became important, and gas largely replaced coal for electricity from the 1990s.
• Nuclear power has provided a steady share of electricity for decades.
• In recent years, renewables — especially wind, including large offshore wind farms — have grown rapidly, while coal-fired power stations have closed. The UK's last coal power station closed in 2024.
• North Sea production has declined, so the UK now imports a significant share of its gas.

Reasons for change include the decline of the coal industry, the discovery of North Sea resources, concerns about climate change and air pollution, government targets to reduce carbon emissions, and falling costs of renewable technologies.

Advantages and disadvantages of energy sources

Water insecurity

Water insecurity occurs where there is not enough clean, safe water. Causes include:

• Physical scarcity — low or unreliable rainfall, high evaporation and drought.
• Economic scarcity — enough water exists, but people lack the money or infrastructure to access it, as in parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
• Over-abstraction — taking water from rivers and aquifers faster than it is replaced.
• Pollution — from industry, farming and sewage, making water unsafe.
• Population growth and rising demand, especially for irrigation.

Consequences include disease from unsafe water, reduced crop yields and food shortages, limits on industry, and the potential for conflict where rivers cross borders.

In the UK, water is plentiful in the north and west, where rainfall is highest, but demand is greatest in the south-east, where rainfall is lower and population density is high. This creates water stress in the south-east and leads to ideas for water transfer schemes.

Managing resources sustainably

Energy:

• Increasing renewable energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
• Energy efficiency — insulating homes, efficient appliances, LED lighting.
• Reducing demand — using public transport, cycling, smart meters.
• Carbon capture and storage at power stations and industrial sites.
• International agreements to reduce emissions.

Water:

• Water conservation — dual-flush toilets, water meters, collecting rainwater, fixing leaks.
• Efficient irrigation such as drip irrigation, which delivers water directly to plant roots.
• Reusing grey water for flushing toilets or watering gardens.
• Large-scale schemes — dams, reservoirs, water transfers and desalination; effective but expensive and with environmental impacts.
• Small-scale schemes — wells, hand pumps, sand dams and rainwater harvesting in developing countries, often bottom-up projects led by communities and NGOs.

Choosing strategies involves balancing cost, effectiveness, environmental impact and fairness between different groups and countries.

Large-scale water schemes in the UK

Because rainfall is highest in the north and west but demand is highest in the south-east, the UK moves water from areas of surplus to areas of deficit. Reservoirs in upland areas such as Wales and the Lake District already supply cities, and longer water transfer schemes, such as moving water from the north towards the south-east, have been proposed.

Advantages: large volumes of water can be supplied reliably to areas of high demand. Disadvantages: reservoirs flood valleys, sometimes displacing communities and destroying habitats; transfer schemes are very expensive; moving water between river catchments can affect wildlife; and some argue that fixing leaks and reducing demand would be cheaper.

Small-scale energy and water in developing countries

In many rural areas of developing countries, people are not connected to national electricity grids or piped water. Bottom-up solutions can make a big difference:

• Solar home systems and micro-grids provide electricity for lighting, phone charging and small businesses without expensive power lines.
• Biogas digesters turn animal and food waste into cooking gas, reducing the need to collect firewood.
• Hand pumps, wells and rainwater harvesting give communities safer water close to home, saving time — often spent by women and children — collecting water.

These projects use appropriate technology that local people can afford, operate and repair, making them more sustainable than large schemes in remote areas.

Worked examples

Example 1: UK energy mix

Describe and explain how the UK's energy mix has changed since 1970. (4 marks)

Answer: The share of coal has fallen sharply (1) because coal mines closed and coal is a major source of carbon emissions (1). Renewables such as wind have increased greatly (1), encouraged by government targets to reduce emissions and falling costs (1).

Example 2: Evaluating an energy source

Assess the advantages and disadvantages of wind energy for the UK.

Answer: Wind is renewable and produces no emissions when generating electricity, and the UK has strong winds, especially offshore, giving it high potential. However, wind is intermittent, so backup or storage is needed when it is calm, and onshore turbines can be opposed for their visual impact. Overall, wind is a major part of a low-carbon energy mix but must be combined with other sources.

Example 3: Water insecurity

Explain two causes of water insecurity. (4 marks)

Answer: Low and unreliable rainfall (1) means there is physically not enough water to meet demand (1). Pollution from industry and farming (1) makes available water unsafe to drink without treatment (1).

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• Calling nuclear power renewable. Uranium is finite, although nuclear is low-carbon.
• Saying renewables have "no disadvantages". Intermittency and costs matter.
• Describing distribution without places. Name regions and countries.
• Confusing physical and economic water scarcity.
• Listing strategies without explaining how they make resource use sustainable.

Exam technique for "Resource Management"

• When describing graphs of the energy mix, quote trends and figures.
• Use tables of advantages and disadvantages to plan evaluations, then write in paragraphs.
• Consider economic, social and environmental factors and different scales (local, national, global).
• Finish evaluations with a justified judgement.

Quick revision summary

• Renewable vs non-renewable resources; water and soil can be overused.
• Resources are unevenly distributed; energy and water security vary.
• Demand rises with population, development, urbanisation and lifestyle change.
• UK energy mix: from coal to gas, nuclear and renewables; last coal power station closed in 2024; gas imports rising.
• Each energy source has advantages and disadvantages.
• Water insecurity: physical and economic scarcity, over-abstraction, pollution; UK south-east water stress.
• Sustainable management: renewables, efficiency, conservation, efficient irrigation, large and small-scale schemes.