AQA A-level Geography · 3.2.5

Resource development and natural resource issues

50 exam-style questions with answers for 3.2.5 Resource development and natural resource issues in AQA A-level Geography (spec 7037). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below. Not official AQA material.

All 50 questions and answers

Question 1 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Concept of a resource
Define the term resource. [2 marks]
Answer:
Something found in or made from the natural environment that people can use to meet their needs and wants (1); it only becomes a resource when it is known about, technology exists to use it and there is a demand for it (1).
Question 2 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Concept of a resource
Distinguish between stock resources and flow resources. [3 marks]
Answer:
Stock resources are finite quantities that are formed over a very long time, so are used up as they are exploited, such as oil, coal and metal ores (1); flow resources are continuously renewed by natural processes, such as solar energy, wind and tides (1); stock resources can be depleted, whereas flow resources can only be limited by the rate at which they flow, but both can be damaged by poor management, for example by overfishing (1).
Question 3 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Concept of a resource
Distinguish between renewable, non-renewable and recyclable resources, using an example of each. [3 marks]
Answer:
Renewable resources are replaced naturally within a human lifetime, such as timber, fish and wind power (1); non-renewable resources are finite and will run out, such as oil and coal (1); recyclable resources can be reprocessed and used again, such as steel, aluminium and glass (1).
Question 4 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Concept of a resource
Explain how a resource can change in value over time. [3 marks]
Answer:
New technology can make a material usable, such as uranium after the development of nuclear power, and lithium after the rise of electric vehicles (1); demand changes with population, income and fashion, for example coal was vital in the Industrial Revolution but is now declining (1); a rise in price can make costly sources economic, and environmental concerns or a policy change can reduce demand (1).
Question 5 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Concept of a resource
Explain the idea of maximum sustainable yield. [3 marks]
Answer:
It is the largest amount of a renewable resource, such as a fish stock or forest, that can be harvested each year without reducing the stock over time (1); if the harvest is greater than the natural rate of renewal, the resource declines, as when the Grand Banks cod fishery collapsed in 1992 (1); managing resources at or below this level, for example with quotas, allows sustainable use (1).
Question 6 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Stock resource evaluation
Outline the terms measured reserves, indicated reserves, inferred resources and possible resources. [4 marks]
Answer:
Measured reserves are quantities for which detailed sampling gives a high degree of confidence in the amount and quality and which can be extracted economically (1); indicated reserves are estimated with reasonable confidence from fewer samples (1); inferred resources are estimated with a lower level of confidence by extending known geology (1); possible resources are speculative, based on indirect evidence, and there may be no proof that they exist (1).
Question 7 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Stock resource evaluation
Explain the difference between a reserve and a resource. [3 marks]
Answer:
A reserve is the part of a stock resource that is known and can be extracted at current prices using current technology (1); a resource is the total amount of the material, including that which is not yet found or not economic to extract (1); reserves can therefore increase when prices rise or technology improves, even though the resource is finite (1).
Question 8 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Stock resource evaluation
Explain how economic and technological change can increase a country's reserves. [3 marks]
Answer:
A rise in the price of a resource makes it worthwhile to extract poorer-quality or more difficult sources (1); new methods, such as hydraulic fracturing, horizontal drilling and deepwater drilling, make previously inaccessible resources extractable (1); when Alberta's oil sands were counted as reserves, Canada's total rose to about 165 billion barrels, among the largest in the world (1).
Question 9 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Stock resource evaluation
Explain what is meant by the reserves-to-production ratio. [2 marks]
Answer:
The number of years that known reserves would last if production continued at the current rate (1); it changes over time as new reserves are found and production rates alter, so it does not give an exact date for when a resource will run out (1).
Question 10 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Resource development
Describe the stages of the development of a natural resource over time. [4 marks]
Answer:
Exploration is when geologists use surveys, satellite data and test drilling to find and measure the resource (1); development is when roads, pipelines, ports, power supply and workers' housing are built to prepare for extraction (1); exploitation is when large scale production takes place, and output rises to a peak (1); later output declines as reserves are used up or become uneconomic, and the site must be restored or closed (1).
Question 11 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Resource development
Explain the concept of a resource frontier. [3 marks]
Answer:
A resource frontier is a remote or previously inaccessible region that is newly opened up for resource exploitation (1); such areas are often harsh or sensitive environments, such as the Arctic, the Amazon basin, deep oceans and the Canadian boreal forest (1); exploitation depends on high prices, new technology and large investment, and brings economic development as well as environmental and social impacts (1).
Question 12 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Resource development
Describe the features of the Alberta oil sands as a resource frontier. [3 marks]
Answer:
Deposits of bitumen in northern Alberta are mined or extracted using steam in a remote boreal forest region (1); development required new technology and high oil prices, and large investment from transnational corporations (1); it has created thousands of jobs and large government revenue, but also tailings ponds, large greenhouse gas emissions and damage to the habitat of indigenous communities (1).
Question 13 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Resource development
Explain the concept of resource peak. [4 marks]
Answer:
Resource peak is the point at which the rate of production of a resource reaches its maximum and then begins to decline (1); the geologist M. King Hubbert predicted in 1956 that production in the lower 48 US states would peak around 1970 (1); production followed a bell-shaped curve and did peak in 1970 (1); peak water, peak phosphorus and peak minerals have also been suggested (1).
Question 14 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Resource development
Explain why the resource peak is difficult to predict. [3 marks]
Answer:
Estimates of reserves are uncertain and change with prices and technology (1); US oil production passed its 1970 peak in 2018 because of shale oil extracted by fracking (1); demand can also peak before supply runs out, if consumers switch to renewable energy and improve efficiency (1).
Question 15 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Resource development
Explain what is meant by sustainable resource development. [3 marks]
Answer:
Meeting the needs of the present generation without reducing the ability of future generations to meet their needs (1); using renewable resources no faster than they are replaced and limiting damage to the environment (1); sharing benefits fairly with local communities, and using recycling, efficiency and substitution to reduce demand for scarce stocks (1).
Question 16 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Resource development
Describe the purpose and stages of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). [4 marks]
Answer:
An EIA identifies and predicts the environmental, social and economic effects of a proposed project before a decision is made (1); a baseline survey records the existing conditions, such as wildlife, water and air quality (1); the likely impacts are assessed and ways to reduce them, called mitigation, are proposed (1); public consultation takes place, a report is published and the decision-makers use it to approve, change or refuse the project (1).
Question 17 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Resource development
Evaluate the usefulness of Environmental Impact Assessments. [4 marks]
Answer:
They make developers consider environmental effects early and can lead to changes in design or refusal (1); they involve the public and provide information to decision-makers (1); however, they may be paid for by the developer, may underestimate long term impacts and cannot predict everything (1); the findings may not be binding, and economic benefits may be given priority over environmental protection (1).
Question 18 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Resource development
Outline the issues that an EIA of a proposed large dam would consider. [3 marks]
Answer:
Flooding of land, homes and habitats, and the relocation of people (1); changes in river flow, sediment and water quality downstream and effects on fish (1); greenhouse gas emissions from the reservoir, the risk of earthquakes and dam failure, and benefits such as electricity and flood control (1).
Question 19 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Resource development
Explain what is meant by the resource curse. [3 marks]
Answer:
Countries rich in natural resources, such as Nigeria, Venezuela and the DR Congo, often have slower growth and poorer human development than expected (1); exports of the resource push up the exchange rate, making other exports uncompetitive, known as Dutch disease, and economies depend on one commodity whose price fluctuates (1); revenue can lead to corruption and conflict, although Norway avoided this by putting oil income into a sovereign wealth fund worth over a trillion dollars (1).
Question 20 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Resource development
Explain how technology has opened up unconventional oil and gas resources. [4 marks]
Answer:
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, injects water, sand and chemicals to crack shale rock and release oil and gas (1); horizontal drilling allows many wells to reach a large area from one site (1); deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil and West Africa extracts oil from far offshore (1); the US shale boom made the USA the world's largest oil and gas producer, but with risks of groundwater pollution, earthquakes and methane leaks (1).
Question 21 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Resource development
Explain why local communities may oppose resource development. [3 marks]
Answer:
Loss of land, pollution of air and water, noise and traffic affect quality of life (1); jobs may go to outside workers, and benefits may not be shared (1); the damage to cultural sites and indigenous lands, and fears about health, make some communities resist, as with the Standing Rock protests about the Dakota Access Pipeline (1).
Question 22 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Energy patterns
Describe the global pattern of oil production. [3 marks]
Answer:
The USA, Saudi Arabia and Russia are the largest producers, each producing over 10 million barrels a day (1); other major producers include Canada, Iraq, China, the United Arab Emirates and Iran (1); the Middle East holds the largest share of reserves, while the USA has increased output since 2010 with shale oil (1).
Question 23 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Energy patterns
Describe the global pattern of oil consumption. [3 marks]
Answer:
The USA is the largest consumer, followed by China and India (1); consumption per person is highest in the USA, Canada and the Gulf states, and lowest in sub-Saharan Africa (1); consumption in Europe and Japan has been static or has fallen, while it has risen rapidly in Asia (1).
Question 24 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Energy patterns
Describe the main flows of oil in global trade. [3 marks]
Answer:
Large flows go from the Middle East to China, India, Japan and South Korea (1); Russia supplies Europe by pipeline and other buyers, including India and China, by sea and rail, while the USA, Canada and West Africa also export (1); about a fifth of the world's oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, and the Suez Canal, Bab-el-Mandeb and Malacca Strait are other chokepoints (1).
Question 25 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Energy patterns
Describe the global pattern of production, consumption and trade in natural gas. [3 marks]
Answer:
The USA, Russia, Iran, Qatar and Australia are among the leading producers (1); gas moves by pipeline, such as from Russia to Europe, and as liquefied natural gas by ship, from Qatar, Australia and the USA (1); Asia and Europe are the largest importers, and demand for LNG grew after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 cut pipeline supplies to Europe (1).
Question 26 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Energy patterns
Describe the global pattern of production and consumption of coal. [3 marks]
Answer:
China produces and consumes about half the world's coal, and India is the second largest user (1); Indonesia and Australia are the largest exporters, supplying Asian markets (1); coal use has declined in Europe and North America because of cheap gas, renewable energy and climate policy (1).
Question 27 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Mineral patterns
Describe the global pattern of production of ore minerals. [4 marks]
Answer:
Australia and Brazil produce most iron ore, and China produces more than any other country but also imports large amounts (1); Chile, Peru and the DR Congo are among the largest producers of copper (1); Australia, Chile and China lead in lithium, and the DR Congo produces about 70% of cobalt (1); production is concentrated in a few countries because ore occurs only where geological conditions are suitable (1).
Question 28 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Mineral patterns
Describe the pattern of trade in iron ore. [3 marks]
Answer:
Australia's Pilbara region and Brazil's Carajas mines export most of the world's traded iron ore (1); China buys more than two thirds of seaborne iron ore for its steel industry (1); large bulk carriers carry the ore from ports such as Port Hedland and Tubarao, and a few mining companies, such as BHP, Rio Tinto and Vale, dominate supply (1).
Question 29 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Water patterns
Describe the global pattern of water availability. [3 marks]
Answer:
Water is abundant in humid regions such as the Amazon basin, Canada, Russia and Scandinavia (1); it is scarce in the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia and parts of Australia and the south-west USA (1); availability per person also depends on population, so densely populated countries such as India have less water per head (1).
Question 30 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Water patterns
Explain the difference between physical and economic water scarcity. [3 marks]
Answer:
Physical water scarcity is where there is not enough water to meet demand, even after the needs of the environment are met, as in the Middle East and North Africa (1); economic water scarcity is where water exists but a lack of investment, infrastructure or management means that people cannot access it, as in much of sub-Saharan Africa (1); the two can occur together, and climate change is making both worse (1).
Question 31 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Water patterns
Describe the global pattern of water demand. [3 marks]
Answer:
Agriculture uses about 70% of the water withdrawn worldwide, mainly for irrigation, industry about 20% and domestic use about 10% (1); India, China and the USA are the largest users in total (1); the share used for farming is highest in arid countries with irrigation, such as Pakistan and Egypt, while industrial use is higher in richer countries (1).
Question 32 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Water patterns
Explain why demand for water is increasing. [3 marks]
Answer:
Population growth and urbanisation increase domestic demand (1); rising incomes lead to diets with more meat and dairy, which need more water, and to more appliances and industrial goods (1); expansion of irrigation and industry, especially in Asia, and climate change effects on supply, increase pressure (1).
Question 33 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Geopolitics
Explain what is meant by geopolitics and why it is linked to natural resources. [2 marks]
Answer:
Geopolitics is the way in which geography, such as location and resources, influences the power and relations of states (1); countries with resources have influence, and those that depend on imports are vulnerable to disruption of supply (1).
Question 34 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Geopolitics
Explain the importance of OPEC in the geopolitics of energy. [3 marks]
Answer:
OPEC is a group of about a dozen oil-producing countries, which together produce over a third of the world's oil and hold most of the proven reserves (1); it sets production quotas to influence the price, and with Russia and others in OPEC+ it has more influence (1); decisions to cut or raise output can affect economies worldwide, but members' interests differ and shale producers can reduce its power (1).
Question 35 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Geopolitics
Describe the causes and effects of the 1973 oil crisis. [4 marks]
Answer:
Arab members of OAPEC placed an embargo on countries supporting Israel in the Yom Kippur War (1); the price of oil quadrupled in a few months (1); industrial countries suffered recession and inflation (1); governments began to promote energy conservation, nuclear power and new supplies such as the North Sea, and the crisis showed the power of oil producers (1).
Question 36 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Geopolitics
Explain how Russia uses gas supplies as a geopolitical tool. [4 marks]
Answer:
Many European countries depended on Russian pipelines for gas, with over 40% of EU gas coming from Russia before 2022 (1); disputes with Ukraine in 2006 and 2009 led to supplies being cut off in winter (1); after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia reduced flows and the EU imposed sanctions, so prices rose sharply (1); the EU responded by cutting Russian imports to below 20%, and buying LNG from the USA and Qatar (1).
Question 37 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Geopolitics
Describe the competing claims for resources in the South China Sea. [3 marks]
Answer:
China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan claim islands and waters that may contain oil and gas and rich fishing grounds (1); China claims most of the sea within a nine-dash line, and has built artificial islands with military bases (1); an international tribunal ruled against China's claims in 2016, but China rejected the ruling and the sea remains a major shipping route and a source of tension (1).
Question 38 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Geopolitics
Explain why the Arctic is a focus of competing national interests. [3 marks]
Answer:
Melting sea ice is making resources more accessible, including a large share of the world's undiscovered oil and gas (1); Russia, Canada, Denmark (for Greenland), Norway and the USA make competing claims to the seabed, such as the Lomonosov Ridge (1); new shipping routes, such as the Northern Sea Route, and fishing grounds add to the interest (1).
Question 39 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Geopolitics
Explain the geopolitics of critical minerals. [4 marks]
Answer:
China controls about 60% of rare earth mining and most of the processing, which gives it influence over the supply of minerals used in electronics and wind turbines (1); the DR Congo supplies most cobalt for batteries, and much is mined under poor working conditions (1); lithium comes mainly from Australia and the so-called lithium triangle of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia (1); countries such as the USA and EU are trying to diversify supplies and secure recycling, and some producers use export controls (1).
Question 40 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Geopolitics
Explain how conflict minerals are linked to violence in the DR Congo. [3 marks]
Answer:
Tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold are mined in the east of the country, and armed groups control mines and trade routes (1); the profits fund fighting, and miners, including children, work in dangerous conditions (1); the USA and EU have introduced laws, such as Dodd-Frank in 2010, which require companies to check their supply chains, but such rules have also reduced legitimate trade (1).
Question 41 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Geopolitics
Describe water conflicts in the Nile basin. [4 marks]
Answer:
Egypt depends on the Nile for over 90% of its fresh water, and 11 countries share the basin (1); Ethiopia built the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, which started to fill in 2020 (1); Egypt and Sudan fear reduced flows and demand a legal agreement on filling and operating the dam (1); Ethiopia says it needs the dam to produce electricity and for development, and talks have so far not led to a binding agreement (1).
Question 42 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Geopolitics
Outline other examples of international water disputes. [4 marks]
Answer:
The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 shares the Indus rivers between India and Pakistan and has survived wars between them (1); Turkey's dams on the Tigris and Euphrates, part of the GAP project, reduce flows to Syria and Iraq (1); China's dams on the upper Mekong affect the downstream countries of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam (1); the Colorado River in the USA is shared among seven states and Mexico and is over-allocated (1).
Question 43 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Geopolitics
Explain the role of transnational corporations and state-owned companies in controlling resources. [3 marks]
Answer:
Companies such as ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, BHP, Rio Tinto and Glencore explore, produce, process and trade resources across many countries (1); state-owned companies such as Saudi Aramco, Gazprom and China National Petroleum control much of the world's oil and gas reserves and production (1); they have great influence over prices and development, and may be in conflict with local communities and governments (1).
Question 44 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Geopolitics
Explain how oil has caused conflict in the Niger Delta. [3 marks]
Answer:
Oil spills and gas flaring have polluted land and water and damaged fishing and farming (1); local people have received little of the wealth, and oil revenue goes to the government and oil companies (1); protests, such as that by the Ogoni people in the 1990s, and later militant attacks on pipelines and theft of oil, have led to violence (1).
Question 45 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Geopolitics
Explain how the shale revolution has changed the geopolitics of energy. [3 marks]
Answer:
The USA changed from a major importer to a net exporter of oil and gas in the 2010s, becoming the largest producer (1); fewer imports from the Gulf and more exports of LNG to Europe and Asia have changed trade flows (1); US production has reduced the market power of OPEC and the dependence of allies on Russia (1).
Question 46 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Geopolitics
Compare the energy security of a resource-rich country and a resource-poor country. [3 marks]
Answer:
Resource-rich countries such as Norway and the USA can supply most of their needs and gain export income (1); resource-poor countries such as Japan and many in the EU depend on imports and are exposed to price changes and supply interruptions (1); importers try to diversify suppliers, build stores and invest in nuclear and renewable energy (1).
Question 47 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Evaluation
Assess the view that geopolitical rivalry is the greatest threat to global resource security. [6 marks]
Answer:
Control of oil, gas and critical minerals by a few countries gives them power to restrict supply, as Russia and OPEC have shown (1); competing claims in the Arctic and South China Sea and tension over rivers such as the Nile could lead to conflict (1); however, price changes, climate change and extreme weather can also cut supply, as in droughts that reduce hydropower (1); technology such as fracking and renewable energy has reduced the leverage of some producers (1); trade, treaties and organisations such as the WTO and UN encourage cooperation instead of conflict (1); geopolitical rivalry is a major threat, but its seriousness depends on how dependent countries are and on how well they diversify (1).
Question 48 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Evaluation
Assess the extent to which the possession of natural resources benefits a country. [6 marks]
Answer:
Resources provide export income, jobs and government revenue, and have helped Norway, Canada and the Gulf states (1); they can attract investment and technology and support industrialisation, as with iron ore in Australia (1); however, dependence on a single commodity exposes countries to price falls, and Dutch disease harms other industries (1); wealth may be concentrated among elites, leading to corruption and conflict, as in the Niger Delta and the DR Congo (1); extraction can damage the environment and communities (1); the benefits depend on governance and on how revenue is managed, so resources are neither a blessing nor a curse in themselves (1).
Question 49 · Spec 3.2.5.2 · Mineral patterns
Describe the global pattern of consumption of copper. [3 marks]
Answer:
China uses around half of the world's refined copper, as its industry, construction and power networks have grown (1); the EU, USA, Japan and India are other major users (1); copper is used for electrical wiring, plumbing, electronics and renewable energy systems, so demand is rising with electrification (1).
Question 50 · Spec 3.2.5.1 · Resource development
Explain why exploration and development of a resource is costly and risky. [3 marks]
Answer:
Exploration needs expensive surveys and test drilling, and many sites do not contain an economic resource (1); remote locations require roads, pipelines, ports and power supplies, which can cost billions (1); prices may fall before the investment is repaid, and political change, protests or accidents can stop a project (1).

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