Influence of Superpowers on Global Concerns (Edexcel A Level Geography)

Superpower Resource Demands

• As the world population increases so does the demand on resources

• Superpowers and emerging superpowers place the greatest demands on resources and have the largest environmental footprint

Water

• Over 2.7 billion people suffer water scarcity for at least one month each year

• Both India and China are suffering increasing water scarcity due to:

  • Increasing industry and agricultural demand

  • Increasing population

  • Pollution of fresh water sources by industry, agricultural and domestic waste water

  • Uneven water supply, the highest demand in China is in the north-east whereas the highest supply is in the south

  • Increasing drought

Food

• The demand for food increases as a result of:

  • Population increase

  • Increased calorie intake

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Annual worldwide demand for plant and animal based food

Fossil fuels

• As countries develop, their energy requirements increase as:

  • More energy is used in factories and industry

  • Domestic demand increases as people have more technology - washing machines, TVs, fridges etc...

• Many emerging countries rely on fossil fuels as they are cheaper and they may have their own reserves of fossil fuels

  • In Indonesia 81% of electricity is generated by fossil fuels

  • Since 2011 China has used more coal than the rest of the world combined - 57% of China's energy is produced using coal

Minerals

• Minerals are used in many different ways:

  • Energy - fossil fuels used to produce energy, components for renewable energy (solar panels, turbines)

  • Industry - all products from mobile phones to cars use minerals in their manufacture from oil to copper

  • Construction - materials to make concrete, bricks

  • Metals

• The use of minerals is projected to continue to increase, with particularly demand for minerals such as graphite and lithium which are used in batteries and renewable energy

Environmental degradation

• The increased demand for resources is leading to significant environmental degradation including:

  • Water pollution from industry, agriculture and domestic waste

    • An estimated 80% of groundwater in China is unfit for human consumption

  • Severe air pollution

    • About 90% of the global population experienced unhealthy air quality

    • In 2019 7 of the 10 most polluted cities were in India

  • Soil degradation is an increasing issue around the world 

    • The UN estimates 40% of the world's land is degraded

    • Growing food becomes more difficult as soils become infertile, leading to food shortages and reducing food production by up to 12% by 2050

    • The regeneration of 2.5cm of topsoil can take hundreds of years

• The Environmental Performance Index ranks countries based on a wide range of environmental factors including water and air pollution, and soil degradation

Carbon emissions

• Superpowers or emerging superpowers are the largest emitters of CO₂

• China emits over 30% of all global greenhouse emissions, followed by the USA (13%) and the EU (8%)and India (8%)

• The UN reported in 2019 that the group of 20 major economies (G20) are responsible for 78% of greenhouse gas emissions

Variation in Willingness to Act on Environmental Issues

• There are significant differences between nations in their willingness to act to reduce carbon emissions and reach global agreements

• As the largest emitter in the world it is essential that China participates in any international agreement

  • In 2016 China's NDC pledged to reach a peak of CO₂ emissions in 2030 and to be carbon neutral in 2060

• Russia and the EU also signed the Paris Agreement of 2015

  • Russia agreed to reduce emissions to 70% relative to the 1990 level by 2030

  • The EU has pledged to achieve Net Zero by 2050 and reduce emissions by 55% by 2030 from 1990 levels

• The USA initially signed up to the Paris Agreement under President Obama

  • President Trump took the decision to withdraw the US from the agreement in 2017 and this took effect in 2020

  • President Biden took office in 2021 and his first act was to rejoin the agreement

  • The target for the US is now a 50-52% reduction from 2005 emission levels by 2030

Future Growth in Emerging Superpowers

• Global consumption has increased due to growing wealth particularly in emerging countries which leads to increased disposable income

• It is estimated that by 2050 global demand for:

  • Water will be 1.6 times greater

  • Energy will be 1.8 times greater

  • Mineral resources will be more than 2 times greater

• The global middle class is increasing and is predicted to reach 5.3 billion by 2030

  • The population in Asia will account for almost 90% of this increase

  • Over 43% of the global middle class will live in either India or China

• Middle class spending is predicted to almost double by in the 13 years between 2017-2030 

  • In 2017 it was $37 trillion by 2030 it may reach $64 trillion

• The increased wealth will be spent on products such as washing machines, phones, cars, wider variety of food. In turn this will increase the demand for:

  • Energy for industry and domestic use

  • Water for agriculture

  • Rare minerals for making the products

• Increased demand will cause: 

  • Rising prices 

  • Reduced availability as supplies of non-renewable supplies are used up

• Impacts of increased consumption and resource include:

  • Water pollution

  • Air pollution

  • Soil contamination

  • Visual pollution

  • Deforestation