Why are food, water and energy so important, and how is supply changing in the UK?
The significance of food, water and energy to economic and social wellbeing, and an overview of how the demand for and provision of these resources is changing in the UK.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Geography 3.2.3, covering the global significance of food, water and energy and an overview of changing demand and supply of these resources in the UK.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
This is AQA GCSE Geography (8035) Paper 2, Section C (3.2.3 The challenge of resource management). AQA expects you to explain why food, water and energy are essential to economic and social wellbeing, describe the global inequalities in their supply, and give an overview of how the demand for and provision of food, water and energy are changing in the UK. This is the compulsory overview studied before the chosen optional resource (food, water or energy).
Why resources matter
Their supply is highly unequal: richer countries (HICs) consume far more per person, while shortages of food, water and energy are concentrated in poorer countries (LICs), where they cause hunger, disease and limited development. This inequality is partly physical (climate, rainfall, fossil-fuel and soil resources are unevenly spread) and partly economic (richer countries can afford to import, store and distribute resources, while poorer ones cannot). The result is a clear global pattern: areas of surplus exist alongside areas of severe deficit.
Changing food, water and energy in the UK
Water in the UK is unevenly distributed: there is a surplus in the wetter north and west and a deficit in the drier, densely populated south-east. This is managed with water transfers, reservoirs and efforts to reduce leaks and demand, while pollution must be controlled to maintain water quality.
Energy in the UK is shifting: coal use has fallen sharply (most coal-fired power stations have closed), North Sea oil and gas reserves are declining so the UK now imports more energy, and the country is moving towards gas, renewables (offshore and onshore wind, solar, biomass) and nuclear power to keep supply secure and cut carbon emissions in line with climate targets. This raises debates over the cost, reliability and environmental impact of each source (for example wind is clean but intermittent; nuclear is low-carbon but produces radioactive waste).
Try this
Q1. Explain why energy is important for economic wellbeing. [2 marks]
- Cue. Energy powers industry, transport and homes, so businesses can produce goods and the economy can grow.
Q2. Describe how water supply varies across the UK. [3 marks]
- Cue. A surplus in the wetter north and west, a deficit in the drier, crowded south-east, managed by water transfers.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 20196 marksExplain how the demand for and supply of water are changing in the UK. (Paper 2, Section C)Show worked answer →
A 6-mark question from Paper 2 Section C (The challenge of resource management), assessing AO1 and AO2. Markers reward both demand and supply and the idea of an uneven match between them.
Award credit for demand: UK water demand has risen with population growth, more household appliances (dishwashers, power showers) and demand from agriculture and industry, with highest demand in the dry, densely populated south-east. For supply: rainfall is highest in the wet north and west (areas of surplus) but lowest in the south-east (a deficit), so supply and demand are mismatched. This is managed by water transfers (moving water from surplus to deficit areas, for example via reservoirs and pipelines), reducing leaks and managing demand through metering. The strongest answers explicitly link the surplus-deficit mismatch to the need for transfers.
AQA 20224 marksExplain why food, water and energy are important for economic and social wellbeing. (Paper 2, Section C)Show worked answer →
A 4-mark "Explain" question testing AO1 and AO2. Markers reward reasons that link each resource to wellbeing, not just a list.
Award credit for: food keeps people healthy, well nourished and able to work and learn, so a secure food supply supports a productive workforce (economic) and reduces disease (social). Clean water prevents waterborne disease such as cholera, supports hygiene and is needed for farming and industry. Energy powers homes, transport, hospitals, schools and factories, so without it the economy cannot function and quality of life falls. The strongest answers give a clear economic and social link for at least two of the three resources rather than describing them in isolation.
Related dot points
- The optional resource (food, water or energy): the global pattern of supply and demand, the impacts of insecurity, and strategies to increase supply sustainably, with case studies.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Geography 3.2.3 optional resource, using food as the example: the global pattern of food supply and demand, the impacts of food insecurity, and large-scale and sustainable strategies including the Indus Basin and local schemes.
- Measures of development, the Demographic Transition Model, the causes of uneven development, and the strategies used to reduce the global development gap.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Geography 3.2.2, covering economic and social measures of development, the Demographic Transition Model, the physical, economic and historical causes of uneven development, and strategies to reduce the development gap.
- Economic change in the UK, the move to a post-industrial economy, the impacts of industry on the environment, changes in the rural landscape, transport improvements, the north-south divide and the UK's global links.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Geography 3.2.2, covering deindustrialisation and the post-industrial UK economy, science and business parks, sustainable industry, rural change, transport improvements, the north-south divide and the UK's global links.
- Global patterns of urbanisation, the causes and consequences of urban growth, and the social, economic and environmental challenges and opportunities that rapid urban growth creates.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Geography 3.2.1, covering global patterns of urbanisation, the causes of urban growth through rural-urban migration and natural increase, and the challenges and opportunities urban growth brings.
- The consequences of uneven development, and how investment, industrial development, aid, intermediate technology, fair trade, debt relief, microfinance and tourism can reduce the development gap.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Geography 3.2.2, covering the consequences of uneven development and the strategies that reduce the development gap, including a case study of how tourism has helped Jamaica develop.
Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE Geography (8035) specification — AQA (2016)