RESOURCE
DEPLETION
Resource depletion
is the consumption of a resource faster than it can be replenished. Natural resources
are commonly divided between renewable
resources and non-renewable
resources. Use of either of these
forms of resources beyond their rate of replacement is considered to be
resource depletion. Resource depletion is most commonly used in reference to farming, fishing,
mining,
water
usage, and consumption of fossil fuels.
Some obvious causes of resource
depletion include:
- Aquifer depletion
- Habitat degradation leads to the loss of biodiversity (i.e. species and ecosystems with its ecosystem services)
- Irrigation
- Mining for fossil fuels and minerals
- Overconsumption, excessive or unnecessary use of resources
- Overpopulation
- Pollution or contamination of resources
- Slash-and-burn agricultural practices, currently occurring in many developing countries
- Soil erosion
- Technological and industrial development
- Deforestation.
All
these trends in continuum has lead to the reduced and in-efficiency of our
surrounding environment thereby creating an avenue for quite an unhealthy
environment which is now prevalent in most developed, developing and under
developed countries.
MINERALS AS VITAL RESOURCE
An
important resource to look at generally is minerals. Minerals are needed to
provide food, clothing, and housing. A USGS study found a significant long-term trend over the 20th
century for non-renewable resources such as minerals to supply a greater
proportion of the raw material inputs to the non-fuel, non-food sector of the
economy; an example is the greater consumption of crushed stone, sand, and
gravel used in construction.
Large-scale
exploitation of minerals began in the Industrial Revolution around 1760 in England and has grown rapidly ever since. Most of the world's
mineral ores are still being extracted from mines over fifty years old. Miners
cope by digging deeper, accepting lower grades of ore, and using technology to
extract the minerals. Virtually all basic industrial metals (copper, iron,
bauxite, etc.), as well as rare earth minerals, are facing output limitations.[3]
Minerals projected to
enter production decline during the next 20 years:
- Gas (2023)
- Copper (2024)
- Zinc
Minerals projected to
enter production decline during the present century:
- Aluminium (2057)
- Coal (2030–2060)
- Iron (2068)
Oil
Depletion [Peak Oil]
Peak
oil is the period when
the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters
terminal decline. It relates to a long-term decline in the available supply of
petroleum. This, combined with increasing demand, will significantly increase
the worldwide prices of petroleum derived products. Most significant will be the
availability and price of liquid fuel for transportation.
The
United States
Department of Energy in the Hirsch
report indicates that “The
peaking of world oil production presents the U. S. and the world with an
unprecedented risk management problem. As peaking is approached, liquid fuel
prices and price volatility will increase dramatically, and, without timely
mitigation, the economic, social, and political costs will be unprecedented.
Viable mitigation options exist on both the supply and demand sides, but to
have substantial impact, they must be initiated more than a decade in advance
of peaking.
Deforestation:
A Critical Factor to Look At In the
Issue of Resource Depletion
Deforestation is the clearing of natural forests by logging or burning of
trees and plants in a forested area. As a result of deforestation, presently
about one half of the forests that once covered Earth have been destroyed. This is to say that deforestation
wholesomely “at a rampant rate” causes and prompts the depletion of natural
resources. It occurs for many different reasons, and it has several negative
implications on the atmosphere and the quality of the land in and surrounding
the forest.
Causes of Deforestation
One
of the main causes of deforestation is clearing forests for agricultural
reasons. As the population of developing areas, especially near rainforests,
increases, the need for land for farming becomes more and more important. For
most people, a forest has no value when its resources aren’t being used, so the
incentives to deforest these areas outweigh the incentives to preserve the
forests. For this reason, the economic value of the forests is very important
for the developing countries.
Environmental Impact of Deforestation
Because
deforestation is so extensive, it has made several significant impacts on the
environment, including carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, changing the water cycle,
an increase in soil erosion, and a decrease in biodiversity. Deforestation is
often cited as a cause of global warming. Because trees and plants remove
carbon dioxide and emit oxygen into the atmosphere, the reduction of forests
contributes to about 12% of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. One of the
most pressing issues that deforestation creates is soil erosion. The removal of
trees causes higher rates of erosion, increasing risks of landslides, which is
a direct threat to many people living close to deforested areas. As forests get
destroyed, so does the habitat for millions of animals. It is estimated that
80% of the world’s known biodiversity lives in the rainforests, and the
destruction of these rainforests is accelerating extinction at an alarming
rate.
Controlling Deforestation
The
United Nations and the World
Bank created programs
such as Reducing
Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), which works especially with developing countries to
use subsidies or other incentives to encourage citizens to use the forest in a
more sustainable way. In addition to making sure that emissions from
deforestation are kept to a minimum, an effort to educate people on sustainability
and helping them to focus on the long-term risks is key to the success of these
programs. The New York Declaration
on Forests and its associated
actions promotes reforestation, which is being encouraged in many countries in
an attempt to repair the damage that deforestation has done.
REFERENCES
Jump up ^ Materials Flow and Sustainability,
US Geological Survey, Fact Sheet FS-068-98, June 1998.
Jump up ^ Klare, M. T. (2012). The Race for
What’s Left. Metropolitan Books. ISBN 9781250023971.
Jump up ^ Valero & Valero(2010) Physical geonomics:
Combining the exergy and Hubbert peak analysis for predicting mineral resources
depletion
Jump up ^ Physical geonomics:
Combining the exergy and Hubbert peak analysis for predicting mineral resources
depletion
Jump up ^ Physical geonomics:
Combining the exergy and Hubbert peak analysis for predicting mineral resources
depletion
Jump up ^ Physical geonomics:
Combining the exergy and Hubbert peak analysis for predicting mineral resources
depletion
Jump up ^ Physical geonomics:
Combining the exergy and Hubbert peak analysis for predicting mineral resources
depletion
Jump up ^
“Global Deforestation". Global Change Curriculum. University of Michigan
Global Change Program. January 4, 2006
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