The big idea: Resource security means having a reliable, affordable supply of a resource that meets a country's needs.
This micro is about two of them:
- Water security — enough safe, affordable water for health, farming and industry. - Energy security — a reliable, affordable energy supply that is not easily cut off.
The two are linked: producing energy uses water, and supplying clean water uses energy.
Key terms
- Water security — reliable access to enough safe and affordable water for a population's needs.
- Energy security — a reliable, affordable and uninterrupted supply of energy.
- Energy mix — the combination of sources (gas, coal, hydro, solar, nuclear) a country uses.
- Geopolitical issue — a problem caused by relations between countries (a conflict, a pipeline dispute, sanctions).
What can reduce water security
- Drought and climate change — less rainfall and shrinking glaciers cut river and reservoir supplies.
- Pollution — farm and factory waste contaminate water, so less of it is safe.
- Over-abstraction — pumping groundwater faster than it refills lowers the water table.
- Shared rivers — an upstream country's dam can reduce the flow reaching a downstream one.
What can reduce energy security
- Import dependence — relying on imported gas or oil leaves a country exposed to price spikes and cut-offs.
- Environmental events — droughts dry up reservoirs behind dams, cutting hydropower output.
- Geopolitical conflict — war, sanctions or a pipeline dispute can interrupt supply.
- Ageing infrastructure — old grids and power stations fail and waste energy.
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Case studies for this topic: Use a named place and figures for top marks — generic answers cap low.
Cape Town, South Africa — water security
Three dry years pushed dams below 20%; the city neared a planned shut-off (Day Zero, 2018). Rationing and demand cuts avoided it, showing how drought plus a growing city threatens water security.
A gas-import-dependent country — energy security
A country buying much of its gas through one pipeline saw bills spike when supply was cut during a regional dispute, a geopolitical shock to energy security.
Nuclear after Fukushima, 2011
After the Japanese reactor accident, several countries slowed or cancelled nuclear plans over safety, cost and waste worries.
Why a country might NOT use nuclear energy
- Safety fears — a rare accident (e.g. Fukushima) can release radiation and is hard to reverse.
- High cost and long build time — plants are expensive and take a decade to build.
- Radioactive waste — spent fuel stays dangerous for thousands of years and is hard to store.
- Public opposition — communities often resist a plant near their homes.
How this is tested: Paper 2 Q3 on resources often opens with a photo and a graph (e.g. daily sunshine hours) and asks you to State physical conditions that suit a power source.
Read the figure, quote the value and units, and link it to why the site suits that energy source.
| Month | Mean daily sunshine (hours) | Mean rainfall (mm) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 8.5 | 5 |
| April | 10.2 | 2 |
| July | 11.8 | 0 |
| October | 9.4 | 3 |
| Annual mean | 10.0 | 30 |
IB-style question — read the figure
Using the table above: (a) state two physical conditions that make the site well suited to solar power [2]; (b) estimate the annual mean daily sunshine [1].
How to answer each part
- (a) State two conditions. Read the figures: very high sunshine (about 8.5 to 11.8 hours a day) and very low rainfall (0 to 5 mm a month) mean many clear, sunny days — ideal for solar panels.
- (b) Estimate annual mean. Read the 'Annual mean' row → about 10 hours of sunshine a day.
Final answer
(a) High daily sunshine (about 10 hours) and low rainfall/cloud — many clear sunny days; (b) about 10 hours.