Lesson video

Hi, geographers.

My name's Ms. Hoggett, and I'm really excited you're here to learn some geography with me today.

I'm sure if you try your best, you're going to be absolutely brilliant.

Don't worry too much if you haven't studied this topic before.

I'm here to help you every step of the way.

The title for today's lesson is The impacts of using geological resources, and this sits within the unit Rocks, weathering, and soil: why is geology important? Our learning outcome for today's lesson is that I can evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using geological resources and explain how they affect people and the environment.

To help us through today's lesson, we have a number of key terms that are going to be really useful to us, extraction, fossil fuels, pollution, and sustainability.

Extraction is the process of removing natural resources from the ground.

Fossil fuels are natural substances that were formed over millions of years from the buried remained of ancient organisms. They include coal, oil, and gas.

Pollution is harmful substances released into the environment, and sustainability is when something is able to continue over a long time.

So extraction, fossil fuels, pollution, and sustainability are going to be really useful terms in helping us to understand today's lesson.

Today's lesson is split into three learning cycles.

The first one, The benefits of using geological resources, the second, The costs of using geological resources, and the third, Do the benefits outweigh the costs? We're going to start with our first learning cycle now, The benefits of using geological resources, So geological resources, such as oil, coal, and minerals, are all essential to modern life.

Aisha says, "They're used to generate electricity." Jun says, "They're used for transport." Sam says, "They're used for building," and Sofia says, "We need them for technology, like phones." All of them are absolutely spot on.

We know that modern life relies on our geological resources.

Minerals, such as limestone, gypsum, and aggregates, are vital for building homes, schools, and roads.

But rare earth elements, such as copper, lithium, and cobalt, are also essential components in lots of different technologies.

So we can see that these different elements, rare Earth minerals, and metals, are all really useful to our day-to-day lives.

Fossil fuels likewise, such as oil, coal, and gas, are used for energy.

Fossil fuels are natural substances that were formed over millions of years from the buried remains of ancient organisms. And you can see those outlined on the screen, oil, coal, and gas.

Let's check your understanding so far.

True or false? Geological resources are important to modern life.

Pause the video, and have a go at answering this question.

Well done if you said true.

We know that geological resources are important because they provide materials and energy that we use in everyday life.

Good work, geographers.

Now the extraction of these geological resources significantly boosts economies all over the world.

Extraction is the process of removing natural resources from the ground, and this typically happens through mining or quarrying.

Countries that are rich in geological resources often rely on these resources for income.

An example is the Democratic Republic of Congo, who are the leading producer of cobalt around the world.

The DRC supply 70% of the world's demand, and cobalt, therefore, plays a crucial role in the DRC's economy.

The money made from exporting geological resources can be used for infrastructure, development, healthcare, and education.

So what percentage of the world demand for cobalt does the Democratic Republic of Congo provide? Is it a, 50%, b, 70%, or c, 90%? Pause the video, and have a go at answering this question.

Well done if you said 70%.

We know that the Democratic Republic of Congo provides 70% of the world's demand for cobalt.

Good work.

Now, the geological resource sector is also a significant employer worldwide.

Direct employment includes mining, drilling, and refining.

So these roles are the roles that involve physically taking those products out of the Earth and turning them into something useful.

But there's also indirect employment, so that's what comes as a result of us needing those geological resources.

And that could include equipment manufacturing, transportation, and also retail.

So we need to manufacture it into something else, then move it around the world, and then sell it.

Hence, you can see an image there of a tech store, where we might go and buy those goods from.

Now the total number of people employed in one particular sector is what we can see on the screen, and this is the energy sector from 2019 to 2023.

According to the International Energy Agency, the global energy sector alone employed 68.

3 million people in 2022.

Now, that's huge, considering that that's nearly the size of the UK's whole population.

So we can see that that's gotten from just over 30 million to over 36 million people in 2023, whereas, overall, our fossil fuel employment has declined.

But it started off around 33 million people, and it's now just over 32.

So whilst there has been a recent increase, we know that, overall, it's decreasing the amount of people employed.

So what did the International Energy Agency estimate to be the total number of people employed in the energy sector in 2023? Was it a, 32.

1 million people, b, 68.

3 million people, or c, 6.

83 million people? Pause the video and have a go at answering this question.

Well done for giving that a good go, geographers.

The correct answer is b, 68.

3 million people.

We know it is nearly the size of the whole of the UK's population.

So we're gonna practise what you've learned so far about the benefits of using geological resources.

So for Part 1 of Task A, I would like you to sort the statements into the three categories below, showing the benefits of using geological resources.

So your three categories are that they provide materials for daily life, it boosts the economy, or it creates jobs and your statements are as follows.

Oil is refined to make fuel for cars, planes, and ships.

Mining companies pay taxes that help fund schools and hospitals.

Cobalt is used in batteries for electric vehicles and mobile phones.

Millions of people work in fossil fuel extraction and sales.

Minerals, like limestone and gypsum, are used in construction.

Countries earn billions from exporting coal, gas, and metals, and drilling rigs, transport companies, and factories employ many workers.

So you need to sort those into the three categories.

For Part 2 of this practise task, I would like you to pick one of the statements below and explain why it's a benefit.

To help you explain, I'd like you to use terms such as consequently, as a result, this means that, therefore, and so.

Good luck with this practise task, geographers.

I'd like you to pause the video now and have a go at completing those tasks.

Well done for giving that a really good go.

Let's check your answers.

So for our first category, Providing materials for daily life, we should have had these four statements.

Oil is refined to make fuel for cars, planes, and ships.

Cobalt is used in batteries for electric vehicles and mobile phones.

Minerals like limestone and gypsum are used in construction, and countries earn billions from exporting coal, gas, and metals.

And for our next two categories, we should have had mining companies pay taxes that help fund schools and hospitals, and countries earn billions from exporting coal, gas, and metals for boosting the economy, and for creating jobs, we should have millions of people work in fossil fuel extraction and sales, and drilling rigs, transport companies, and factories employ many workers.

Well done if you've got those all correct.

For Part 2, we needed to pick one of the statements and explain why this is a benefit.

I've done two examples so you can check your answer against mine.

Oil is refined to make fuel for cars, planes, and ships.

As a result, transportation systems around the world can operate efficiently.

This means that people and goods can travel long distances quickly and reliably, and global trade benefits as a result.

My other example was drilling rigs, transport companies, and factories employ many workers.

This means that these industries create widespread opportunities, which consequently improves the quality of life of people all around the world.

Well done if you got an answer that's similar to that.

You didn't need to include all of those terms, but including them helps us to explain why they're a benefit.

So well done, geographers.

We're now ready to move on to learning cycle number 2, The costs of geological resources.

Now, when we're referring to the costs, we're not just talking about how expensive something is.

We're talking about all of the negative impacts or the unpleasant consequences of an activity taking place because despite the benefits, extracting geological resources can damage the environment and bring some quite significant costs.

Mining activities, such as excavation, road building, infrastructure development, waste disposal, can lead to extensive deforestation in tropical forests.

So that's where we remove the vegetation cover.

It's predicted that up to 1/3 of the world's forests may already have been affected by mining.

What percentage of forests around the world is estimated to be affected by mining? Is it a, 88%, b, 55%, or c, 33%? Pause the video and have a go at answering that question.

Well done if you said 33%.

We know that 1/3 of the world's forests around the world are estimated to be affected by mining.

Good work, geographers.

Now, geological resources, such as oil, gas, and coal, can also be bad for the atmosphere, as when they're burned, they can release greenhouse gases.

These contribute to continued global warming.

Now, mining processes can pollute air and water, and therefore, those living around mines may suffer health problems. In some cases, they may need to be relocated.

For example, gold mining in Peru has greatly impacted over 200 Indigenous communities for hundreds of years.

Indigenous communities are people who are local and native to the area.

Many communities continue to live in poverty with a low level of education and poor health.

The USA and China are consuming the highest amount of fossil fuels per person.

Around the world, usage is really uneven with the largest consumers using 10 times more the amount of fossil energy.

Around the world usage is uneven with the largest consumers using 10 times the amount of fossil fuel energy than some of the smaller consumers.

And we can see that in the path map on the screen.

So which countries consume the highest amount of fossil fuels per person? Is it a, the USA and India, b, the USA and China, c, China and India, or d, India and the UK? Pause the video and have a go at answering that question.

Well done if you said b, the USA and China.

That's absolutely spot on.

So we're gonna practise what you've learned about the costs of geological resources, and I'd like you to complete the table by outlining the negative impacts of using geological resources using what you've learned in this learning cycle.

So on your table, you've got the impact, which is deforestation, global warming, and health.

I need you to provide a key fact or an example, and then I need you to explain.

Again try using those terms, such as therefore.

this means that.

as a result, consequently.

and so, to help with your explanations.

Pause the video, and have a go at completing this practise task.

Well done for giving that are really good go, geographers.

Let's check your answers.

So for deforestation, our key fact was that 1/3 of the world's forests may already be impacted by mining, and our explanation could include mining often involves clearing large areas of forest to access mineral deposits.

Consequently, habitats are destroyed, and the biodiversity is reduced.

Our next impact was global warming, and our key factor example was that fossil fuels are contributing to the global warming.

The USA and China are consuming the highest amount of fossil fuels per person.

And our explanation is that mining and burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases, such as CO2.

As a result, Earth's temperature is rising, therefore, contributing to climate change.

And lastly, we have health as another impact, and our key fact was that over 200 Indigenous communities in Peru continue to live in poverty with a low level of education and poor health, and the explanation that goes with this is that mining can pollute water and air, so local communities suffer from disease and lack of clean resources.

This means that health and living conditions decline.

Well done for giving that a really good go, and well done if you've got those key facts absolutely spot on.

You're doing a brilliant job today, geographers.

We now understand the benefits of using geological resources, as well as the costs.

Good work.

We're now ready to move on to learning cycle number 3, Do the benefits outweigh the costs? So many countries are investing in renewable energy and sustainable materials to reduce environmental damage.

Sustainable means that an activity can carry on for a long time, so it might allow us to meet the needs of today without compromising the needs of it to continue in the future.

Renewable energy sources can include things like solar energy, wind energy, as well as hydroelectric energy, as we can see in those three images.

So which of the following energy sources is not a renewable source of energy? Is it a, wind, b, solar, c, hydroelectric, or d, coal? Pause the video and have a go at answering that question.

Well done if you said d, coal.

That's not an example of a renewable energy source.

We do know that that's an example of a fossil fuel.

However, these alternatives can be really expensive, unreliable, or inappropriate in certain areas and can't yet meet all of our global energy demands.

Lucas says, "Well, some countries don't get enough sunlight all year round to generate enough solar energy." And Laura says, "Yeah, some countries cannot afford the infrastructure needed to generate this energy." So whilst they are definitely great alternatives, it can be tricky to develop them in all areas.

So this creates a dilemma.

We need geological resources, but we also need to protect the planet.

So true or false? We currently generate enough renewable energy to meet global demand.

Pause the video and have a go at answering that question.

Well done if you said false.

We know that renewable energy sources, like solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal, whilst growing rapidly, still only make up a portion of the total global energy production.

Well done, geographers.

So we're going to practise what we've learned in this learning cycle and this lesson as a whole, and we're going to think about whether the benefits outweigh the costs of extracting geological resources.

So on the screen you've got a statement.

The benefits of extracting geological resources outweigh the costs of extracting geological resources.

And there's three things I'd like you to do.

Firstly, I'd like you to place a cross on the line representing your opinion, whether you agree or disagree or are somewhere in the middle.

I'd then like you to state your opinion.

So do you agree, disagree, or partly agree with the statement? And then I'd like you to explain your opinion.

So discuss the benefits, then the costs, and then explain where you've put the cross and why you've put it on the line in that place.

Remember, when you're explaining, you should use terms like consequently, as a result, this means that, therefore, and so.

Pause the video and have a go at completing these three parts to practise Task C.

Well done, geographers.

I know that was a big piece of work, but I'm sure you've done brilliantly, so your response might look like something like this.

So we've crossed on the line, and then we've stated our opinion, and we've explained it.

So you could have said something like, I partly agree with the statement that the benefits of extracting geological resources outweighs the costs.

This is because geological resources, like coal, oil, gas, and metals, are very important for making electricity, building materials, and everyday products.

As a result, they help countries grow their economies and create jobs for people, such as in drilling, mining, transport, and retail.

This means that many people can have a better quality of life.

However, extracting these resources can also harm the environment.

For example, lots of deforestation can occur in areas where there is mining and drilling, which can destroy ecosystems. These processes can also cause pollution and contribute to climate change.

Therefore, even though there are benefits, the costs to the planet and the future generations are very serious.

So I think we need to find a balance by using resources carefully and investing in cleaner alternatives, like renewable energy.

Now, you may have had a slightly different opinion, and that is absolutely fine.

As long as you stated it clearly and explained it using evidence, I'm sure you've done a fantastic job.

Now that does bring us to the end of today's lesson on the impacts of using geological resources.

And in today's lesson, we've considered a number of key points.

Geological resources bring money, jobs, and materials we rely on daily.

Extraction harms landscapes, wildlife, and sometimes local communities.

Mining and fossil fuels create jobs and support national economies.

Fossil fuels pollute and add to global warming, despite economic value, and sustainable alternatives are growing but aren't yet fully replacing fossil fuels.

Well done for working so brilliantly hard today, geographers.

You have been fantastic and I'm really looking forward to our next lesson.

Have a great rest of your day.