Sustainable Resources (AQA A Level Geography)

Sustainable resource development

• Global resource use has been increasing steadily along with population growth and rising affluence
• Resource sustainability is about ensuring future generations have access to key resources
• It also includes managing the impact on the areas and environments from which resources are being extracted
• Sustainable resource development should take into account:
• Social impacts - for e.g. making sure communities local to the development benefit from improved schooling, healthcare and infrastructure
• Economic impacts - for e.g.ensuring some of the profits are fed back into the local economy
• Environmental impacts - for e.g. limiting damage to local ecosystems and habitats
• Rio Tinto’s Rossing uranium mine in Namibia is an example of a large TNC attempting to extract a resource in a sustainable way
• One of the largest uranium mines in the world
• Open pit mine 400 metres deep and covering an area of 4.5km²
• Located in the ecologically sensitive Namib desert
• Vast amounts of water required for processing
• The danger of radioactive dust and contamination

Sustainable Features of Rossing Uranium Mine

Social	Economic	Environmental
Worker safety prioritised Regular medical checks for staff Parent company, Rio Tinto, has built a new town, Arandis, for employees and families, including modern housing, hospital, school, shops and other leisure facilities	97% of employees are local Namibians Contributes strongly to Namibian economy and supporting local businesses through the Rossing Foundation Supports black economic empowerment initiatives	Monthly checks of the area for radioactive contamination Constant readings were taken to monitor and treat leachates, radiation, gas, dust and fume levels of the surrounding area and groundwater 70% of all water used in processing is recycled

• An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a survey of the potential impacts of a project on the environment
• EIAs aim to put environmental considerations on the same level as economic ones
• All major resource extraction projects have EIAs carried out by independent contractors before the start of the project

Key stages of an EIA