The ecological footprint and embedded water
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Question
Define the ecological footprint.
Answer
The **area of land and sea** needed to supply one person's resources and absorb their waste (in global hectares).
Question
Define embedded (virtual) water.
Answer
The **hidden water** used along the whole supply chain to **produce** a good or service.
Question
Embedded water vs the water you drink?
Answer
Drinking water is **direct/visible**; embedded water is the **hidden** water used to make products.
Question
Roughly how much water is embedded in one cotton T-shirt?
Answer
About **2,700 litres** to grow and process the cotton.
Question
How does the footprint capture consumption?
Answer
It converts resource use into a **land area** — more consumption means a **bigger** footprint.
Question
Name two things that change a country's embedded water over time.
Answer
**Diet** (more meat = more water) and **technology** (efficient irrigation lowers it); also trade and wealth.
Question
Why does rising meat demand raise embedded water?
Answer
Meat and dairy are **water-intensive**, so eating more of them locks more hidden water into the diet.
Question
How do you work out the range of a data set?
Answer
**Highest value minus lowest value** — show the subtraction.
Question
Define biocapacity.
Answer
How much **productive land and sea is available** to supply resources and absorb waste.
Question
What does a footprint map's spatial pattern usually show?
Answer
**Largest** footprints in high-income regions (North America, the Gulf); **smallest** in low-income regions.
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Topic 3.1 hub
Global trends in consumption
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Geography exam skills
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