Case Studies: Resource Security (DP IB Geography): Revision Note

Case Study: Resource Security in Bangladesh

WFE resource insecurity in Bangladesh

• Bangladesh already faces the impact of climate change

  • Rising sea levels

  • Changing monsoon rainfall patterns

  • Coastal flooding

  • Increased frequency and severity of tropical cyclones

• The population of Bangladesh is almost 170 million people

  • Although the rate of natural increase has fallen it is still 12 per 1 000

  • Population density is 1 329 people per Km²

• This increases the pressure on water, food and energy

Water insecurity in Bangladesh

• Bangladesh has 238 major rivers and should have a plentiful water supply

• However, water security is poor

  • An estimated 40% of the population lacks access to safe water

  • Almost 70% have no access to improved sanitation

  • Over 40% of northwestern Bangladesh experiences groundwater scarcity, particularly in summer

• River and groundwater pollution levels are high

  • It is estimated that 50% of the population drinks water which is polluted with arsenic

• Over-abstraction of groundwater in the area surrounding Dhaka has led to:

  • Increased risk of [popover id="Uqny5Im4N4F4azVj" label="salt intrusion"]

  • A decrease in groundwater levels by 2-3 m a year

• Agriculture accounts for 80% of water withdrawal

• Water demand exceeds water supply, a situation which is likely to worsen as the population increases and development continues

• The reduction in the size of the ice stores in the Himalayas will decrease the supply further

Food insecurity in Bangladesh

• An estimated 25% of the population suffers from food insecurity

• Over 11 million people suffer acute hunger

• Approximately 36% of children under five suffer from stunting, which indicates chronic malnutrition

• Increased coastal flooding has led to salinisation which affects crop yields

  • Over the past 35 years, soil salinity has increased by approximately 26%

• Increasing areas of land are lost to:

  • Erosion on the banks of rivers or at the coast

  • Building of settlements and industries

    • Each year, an estimated 69 000 hectares of farmland is lost (a rate of 1% per year)

• An increase in the frequency and severity of tropical cyclones will impact crops and livestock

  • Cyclone Sidr damaged over 1.5 million hectares and killed almost 500 000 livestock 

Energy insecurity in Bangladesh

• The availability of electricity to the population of Bangladesh has increased from 20% (2000) to 85% (2023)

• Bangladesh relies heavily on imports of energy resources to generate electricity

• The energy mix for Bangladesh is

  • Gas - 54%

  • Oil - 22%

  • Coal - 7% 

  • Biofuels and waste - 16%

  • Renewables -1.2%

• Bangladesh aims to reach 15% renewable energy by 2030

• Increasing use of solar power is contributing to the use of renewables

  • To avoid the use of agricultural land, the focus has shifted to rooftop systems

Case Study: Resource Security in Denmark

WFE resource security in Denmark

• Denmark is not as vulnerable to climate change as Bangladesh but there are still challenges which may impact its WFE security

  • Rising sea levels

  • Increased precipitation

• Denmark has a population of almost 6 million people

  • The rate of natural increase is 1 per 1 000

  • Population density is 139 people per Km²

Water security in Denmark

• Denmark has a water surplus

  • The available water resource is an estimated 1,800 million m³ per year

  • Water demand is 1,000 million m³ per year

• The whole population (100%) have access to safe drinking water

• Almost 90% are connected to the main sewage network

• Most of the water supply is obtained from groundwater sources

• Use of water is split equally between agriculture, domestic and industrial use (approximately 33% each)

Threats to water security

• Salt intrusion may begin to affect the quality of groundwater due to rising sea levels and coastal flooding

• salinisation due to increased demand on the groundwater 

Food security in Denmark

• Food security is high in Denmark, with only 1.8% of the population experiencing severe food insecurity

• Denmark only imports just over 13% of the population's food

Threats to food security

• Rising temperatures have led to a longer growing season in Denmark

• However, they have also increased the need for:

  • Greater pest and disease protection

  • More fertiliser use, which leads to increased water pollution

  • Increased Irrigation, which places more pressure on the water supply

• Increased precipitation in winter and rising sea levels are increasing the risk of flooding and crop loss 

• Water temperature increase has impacted the populations of traditional species such as salmon and trout

  • New species are increasingly found in the waters around Denmark, such as hake

  • There has also been an increase in toxic algae, which threatens fish populations

Energy security in Denmark

• Denmark imports about 12% of its energy

• It has a high energy security

• The energy mix for Denmark is

  • Oil - 38%

  • Biofuels - 33.6%

  • Other renewables - 12.4%

  • Gas - 9.4%

  • Coal - 7.0%

• Denmark has closed all its oil-fired power stations and is in the process of closing its coal-fired power stations

  • This has significantly reduced its reliance on fossil fuels

• The entire population (100%) has access to electricity