Case Studies: Resource Security (DP IB Geography)

Revision Note

Case Study: Resource Security in Bangladesh

WFE resource insecurity in Bangladesh

  • Bangladesh already faces the impact of climate change

    • Rising sea levels

    • Changing monsoon rainfall patterns

    • Coastal flooding

    • Increased frequency and severity of tropical cyclones

  • The population of Bangladesh is almost 170 million people

    • Although the rate of natural increase has fallen it is still 12 per 1 000

    • Population density is 1 329 people per Km2

  • This increases the pressure on water, food and energy

Water insecurity in Bangladesh

  • Bangladesh has 238 major rivers and should have a plentiful water supply

  • However, water security is poor

    • An estimated 40% of the population lacks access to safe water

    • Almost 70% have no access to improved sanitation

    • Over 40% of northwestern Bangladesh experiences groundwater scarcity, particularly in summer

  • River and groundwater pollution levels are high

    • It is estimated that 50% of the population drinks water which is polluted with arsenic

  • Over-abstraction of groundwater in the area surrounding Dhaka has led to:

    • Increased risk of [popover id="Uqny5Im4N4F4azVj" label="salt intrusion"]

    • A decrease in groundwater levels by 2-3 m a year

  • Agriculture accounts for 80% of water withdrawal

  • Water demand exceeds water supply, a situation which is likely to worsen as the population increases and development continues

  • The reduction in the size of the ice stores in the Himalayas will decrease the supply further

Food insecurity in Bangladesh

  • An estimated 25% of the population suffers from food insecurity

  • Over 11 million people suffer acute hunger

  • Approximately 36% of children under five suffer from stunting, which indicates chronic malnutrition

  • Increased coastal flooding has led to salinisation which affects crop yields

    • Over the past 35 years, soil salinity has increased by approximately 26%

  • Increasing areas of land are lost to:

    • Erosion on the banks of rivers or at the coast

    • Building of settlements and industries

      • Each year, an estimated 69 000 hectares of farmland is lost (a rate of 1% per year)

  • An increase in the frequency and severity of tropical cyclones will impact crops and livestock

    • Cyclone Sidr damaged over 1.5 million hectares and killed almost 500 000 livestock 

Energy insecurity in Bangladesh

  • The availability of electricity to the population of Bangladesh has increased from 20% (2000) to 85% (2023)

  • Bangladesh relies heavily on imports of energy resources to generate electricity

  • The energy mix for Bangladesh is

    • Gas - 54%

    • Oil - 22%

    • Coal - 7% 

    • Biofuels and waste - 16%

    • Renewables -1.2%

  • Bangladesh aims to reach 15% renewable energy by 2030

  • Increasing use of solar power is contributing to the use of renewables

    • To avoid the use of agricultural land, the focus has shifted to rooftop systems

Case Study: Resource Security in Denmark

WFE resource security in Denmark

  • Denmark is not as vulnerable to climate change as Bangladesh but there are still challenges which may impact its WFE security

    • Rising sea levels

    • Increased precipitation

  • Denmark has a population of almost 6 million people

    • The rate of natural increase is 1 per 1 000

    • Population density is 139 people per Km2

Water security in Denmark

  • Denmark has a water surplus

    • The available water resource is an estimated 1,800 million m3 per year

    • Water demand is 1,000 million m3 per year

  • The whole population (100%) have access to safe drinking water

  • Almost 90% are connected to the main sewage network

  • Most of the water supply is obtained from groundwater sources

  • Use of water is split equally between agriculture, domestic and industrial use (approximately 33% each)

Threats to water security

  • Salt intrusion may begin to affect the quality of groundwater due to rising sea levels and coastal flooding

  • salinisation due to increased demand on the groundwater 

Food security in Denmark

  • Food security is high in Denmark, with only 1.8% of the population experiencing severe food insecurity

  • Denmark only imports just over 13% of the population's food

Threats to food security

  • Rising temperatures have led to a longer growing season in Denmark

  • However, they have also increased the need for:

    • Greater pest and disease protection

    • More fertiliser use, which leads to increased water pollution

    • Increased Irrigation, which places more pressure on the water supply

  • Increased precipitation in winter and rising sea levels are increasing the risk of flooding and crop loss 

  • Water temperature increase has impacted the populations of traditional species such as salmon and trout

    • New species are increasingly found in the waters around Denmark, such as hake

    • There has also been an increase in toxic algae, which threatens fish populations

Energy security in Denmark

  • Denmark imports about 12% of its energy

  • It has a high energy security

  • The energy mix for Denmark is

    • Oil - 38%

    • Biofuels - 33.6%

    • Other renewables - 12.4%

    • Gas - 9.4%

    • Coal - 7.0%

  • Denmark has closed all its oil-fired power stations and is in the process of closing its coal-fired power stations

    • This has significantly reduced its reliance on fossil fuels

  • The entire population (100%) has access to electricity

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Bridgette Barrett

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