Global Variations in Water Consumption (Edexcel GCSE Geography A)

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Geography Lead

Global water use by sector is:
- 70% agriculture - irrigation of crops and water for livestock
- 20% industry - producing goods and generating energy
- 10% domestic - toilets, cooking, cleaning, washing
The use by sector varies across countries depending on whether they are developed, emerging or developing

Water consumption

In developing and emerging countries, most water is used for agriculture
The use of water in leisure and tourism is increasing, particularly in developed countries
In developed countries, most water is used for industry

In developed countries, water use is higher due to:
- Improving living standards, people have more appliances/sanitation which use water
- Increased use of water in leisure and tourism, water parks, and golf courses
- Increased urbanisation
- With increasing industry, water is needed for the production of goods and energy production
- With increasing agriculture, more water is needed for livestock and crop irrigation
In developing and emerging countries
- Unlike developed countries, water use in developing and emerging countries is mostly for agriculture
  - Many people are still dependent on agriculture
- There is far less industry in many developing countries so the demand for water for industrial processes is low
- Many people in rural areas of emerging and developing countries do not have access to piped water and as a result, they are more cautious with water use

Factors Affecting Differences in Water Consumption

	Developed countries	Developing and Emerging Countries
Industry	Large-scale industry uses water for cooling and in production	Industry is increasing in emerging countries, leading to greater water use Developing countries have low levels of industry, leading to lower water use
Agriculture	Irrigation systems use water - these are increasingly efficient in reducing the amount of water used. For example, drip irrigation and automated systems	Irrigation systems are often inefficient and waste lots of water Increasing commercial agriculture is leading to greater use of water
Domestic	Water is readily available due to the infrastructure, which increases the use of water for appliances, baths, showers, and toilets Increased use of water for leisure - swimming pools, hot tubs, and watering gardens	In rural areas, water availability may be low Lack of infrastructure and appliances reduces the use of water for washing, toilets and other domestic uses

State one reason why some countries use a high proportion of their water resources for agriculture

(1)

There are a range of possible answers to this question
The answers will either relate to the type of farming, the amount of agriculture or the climate conditions

Answer:

One possible answer is:
- Some countries have a larger number of farms / farmers / people working in the farming industry (1)

to absolutely everything:

the (exam) results speak for themselves:

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