Water, Food and Energy Futures · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Sharing water, food and energy

Geography · People & Environments · ages 15-16
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. A region in North Africa has low rainfall, heavy farm water use and growing cities. Which combination explains the supply-and-demand pressure?

    • Low rainfall limits supply, while city growth mainly improves water quality
    • Limited replenishment meets high demand from farms and cities
    • Farm demand is high, while low rainfall mainly changes the water's salt content

  2. Why can rising household incomes increase meat and energy demand?

    • More income can fund meat purchases, appliances and extra travel
    • More income raises demand mainly by increasing household size
    • More income raises demand mainly by raising each appliance's energy use

  3. Discarding edible food also wastes resources used to produce that food.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. A town installs water meters and prices extra use to encourage conservation. What kind of response is it attempting?

    • Supply-side: it makes more existing water available
    • Demand-side: it aims to reduce use of available water
    • Access-side: it spreads the same supply among users

  5. A dry region has a poor harvest. Food is available elsewhere, but transport is costly and households have little money. Why can hunger persist?

    • The local harvest measures how much food is available worldwide
    • Food availability elsewhere measures what local households can buy
    • Food exists, but transport costs and low incomes limit access

  6. A canteen uses safe edible surplus instead of buying new food for the same meals. What can this change about water demand from food production?

    • It recovers past growing water by passing that water to the next buyer
    • It reduces the canteen's bill but leaves demand for new food unchanged
    • It can reduce future production needs without recovering past water use

  7. A city proposes desalination as its only shortage response. Which review best considers the limits of that plan?

    • Compare only the plant's output with the city's current water demand
    • Compare added water with costs, energy use, waste and reduced-use options
    • Compare only construction costs with the price of repairing existing pipes

  8. Three countries share a river during drought. The upstream country stores water and reduces releases. Why do the countries need to negotiate?

    • Reduced upstream releases change downstream supply, so users need agreed shares
    • Storage decisions concern only the country where the reservoir is built
    • Countries should divide the river using national rainfall totals alone
LightMySky · lightmysky.comW1-mt_nEcLm4RkSK-s1

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Sharing water, food and energy W1-mt_nEcLm4RkSK-s1

  1. Limited replenishment meets high demand from farms and cities · Low rainfall limits replenishment. Farms and growing cities can still require large amounts of water.
  2. More income can fund meat purchases, appliances and extra travel · Extra income can fund meat purchases and activities that use energy. Household size and appliance efficiency do not follow directly from income.
  3. True · Water, land and energy have already been used in producing the food. Discarding it loses the food benefit from those inputs.
  4. Demand-side: it aims to reduce use of available water · The stated aim is to reduce water use. Meters and pricing do not themselves add a new water source or guarantee fair access.
  5. Food exists, but transport costs and low incomes limit access · Global availability and local access differ. Transport costs and low incomes can keep available food out of reach.
  6. It can reduce future production needs without recovering past water use · The surplus replaces newly supplied food, which can reduce future production needs. Water already used to grow the surplus is not recovered.
  7. Compare added water with costs, energy use, waste and reduced-use options · Desalination adds fresh water but uses energy and produces salty waste. A review should compare these effects with ways to reduce use and improve access.
  8. Reduced upstream releases change downstream supply, so users need agreed shares · In this scenario, reduced upstream releases leave less river water downstream. Uses and releases affect people across borders.
Worksheet · LightMySky