Describe what is meant by “embedded water”.

Explain two reasons why diets are changing in middle-income countries.

Reason 1:

Reason 2:

Suggest two ways in which declining water availability might threaten a country’s energy security.

Way 1:

Way 2:

Water resources that are used in the production of food and manufactured goods in one country/place [1] that are transferred to other, often water scarce, countries or regions via trading [1].

Award [1] for identifying and describing a valid reason, with [1] for explanatory development.

For example: Rising incomes in middle-income countries have given more people sufficient disposable income [1] to incorporate more meat into their diets at the expense of vegetables and grains [1].

Other possible reasons include:

• Health awareness
• Advertising, especially by multinational food firms
• Environmental awareness
• Transition to global food systems
• Rapid urbanization and shift to energy-dense diets
• Real term fall in the cost of large number of foodstuffs
• Globalization/Westernization/Cultural homogenization/Role of TNCs

Award [1] identifying and describing a valid way, with [1] for explanatory development.

Possible ways include:

• less water for HEP production
• need to safeguard supplies of safe water might lead to fracking being banned
• falling availability of potable water may lead to increased need for desalinization plants (with their heavy energy usage)
• lack of water needed for steam generation or cooling in thermal/nuclear power plants.
• lack of water for geothermal energy production – water used in drilling/water used in cooling/water required in enhanced geothermal systems that rely on artificially created reservoirs in rock formations that do not have enough natural fluid
• lack of water may lead to a decline in the production of Biofuels.

For example: Declining water availability might reduce the input of water into reservoirs in hydro-electric power generation schemes [1], so a country that is heavily dependent on hydro-power may be unable to generate as much electricity as previously and may be unable to meet demand [1].

Many candidates were able to describe the main aspect of embedded water as water used in the production of food and manufactured goods. The second element of the term, which is based on trade with other nations, was not frequently identified. There were a significant number of candidates who did not have knowledge of the term and referred to water that was unavailable due to physical characteristics such as water locked in aquifers.

The best answers focused on the middle-income countries aspect of the question and reasons were related directly to these nations. Candidates scored well when they identified the rising incomes in such countries and many were aware of the increasing impact of TNCs, cultural change and globalization on diets. Health and environmental awareness were also valid reasons as long as they were related to middle income countries and not given as generic reasons. A number of answers were able to select valid reasons but did not relate them to an identified change in diet such as increased consumption of meat or fast foods. 

Many candidates were confident when referring to hydropower and were able to outline how declining water availability for HEP production impacted on energy security. The link to security was often established by pointing out the impact of amount of energy produced, reliability of energy production and reliance on other methods of production or sources of energy. Other ways identified were associated with water required for the production of steam, cooling and the extraction of other energy sources. Many answers also linked water availability to the production of biofuels. A number of candidates were able to identify valid ways but lacked precision when developing the link to energy security. Some answers focused on the water-food-energy nexus and were distracted into making comments about food production and energy which did not relate to the question.