Resources and Environmental Sustainability

Resources Non-Renewable: Renewable: Resources available in a fixed amount in the earth's crust, such as oil, coal and copper. Renewable: Resources normally replenished through natural processes. Examples: trees, grasses, wild animals, surface water in lakes and rivers, most ground water, air and soil. Q. So riddle me this batkids, “How do you make a renewable resource non-renewable?” A. Use it in a way that is not sustainable.

Can you see the difference? I can’t see the difference. 2007 Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky, We fell them down and turn them into paper, That we may record our emptiness. ~Kahlil Gibran! 1954 Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money. ~Cree Indian Proverb Can you see the difference? I can’t see the difference. 2007

Sustainability (Sustainable Development): Economic development that takes full account of the environmental consequences of economic activity and is based on the use of resources that can be replaced or renewed and therefore are not depleted. The ability of an ecosystem to maintain ecological processes and functions, biological diversity, and productivity over time. The concept of meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs E X A M

Factors in Resource Management Social/Cultural Economic Political Environmental

Let’s think about the Porcupine Caribou herd and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge… To drill or not to drill, that is the question!

For each of the factors on the next slide list any consequences or concerns. For example,… More Pictures Ideas

Economic local global Social/Cultural local global Short tem Long term Short tem Long term Political local global Environmental local global Short tem Long term Short tem Long term

Now write a one page paper… It must have an: Introduction: -Your first sentence: “What is at issue is whether or not the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) should be opened to oil exploration and drilling.” Body: -Four paragraphs discussing the long and short term Social/Cultural, Economic, Political and Environmental pros and cons. Conclusion: -Your first sentence: “There are many different opinions whether or not ANWR should be opened to oil activity. However,”...

Four Ethics of Resource Management - Where do you fit? Economic 2. Preservationist -Exploit resources for $ -limit resource use, preserve large areas of wilderness Balance Multiple-Use 4. Ecological -(sustainability) -love the earth, extremely strict control or resource use Now read your paper on ANWR. Which of the four ethical ‘camps’ above would you place yourself in and why? Use Examples from your paper to prove your answer. You must choose one of the above ‘camps’.