What is a Resource? Animals live in harmony with the environment, humans do not. How come? Two major misuses of resources: 1.Depleting scarce resources 2.Destroy resources through pollution

Why are Resources Being Depleted? WHY ARE RESOURCES BEING DEPLETED Energy resources MDCs vs. LDCs Animate power vs. Inanimate power Biomass fuel Fossil Fuel Fossil fuels are fininte Fossil fuels are distributed unevenly

Why are Resources Being Depleted? Finiteness of Fossil Fuels Renewable vs. Nonrenewable energy Remaining Supply of Fossil Fuel Proven reserves Potential reserve Expanding Production Coal mining Oil shale

Why are Resources Being Depleted? Uneven Distribution of Fossil Fuels Location of Reserves Where’s the coal? Where’s the oil? Consumption of Fossil Fuels LDCs vs. MDCs

Why are Resources Being Depleted? Control of World Petroleum OPEC Politics and OPEC Changing Supply and Demand Making Cars Dwindling reserves

Why are Resources Being Depleted? Nonrenewable Substitutes for Petroleum Natural Gas Coal

Why are Resources Being Depleted? Nonrenewable Substitutes for Petroleum Nuclear Energy Potential accidents from Nuclear Fission Radio active waste from Nuclear Bomb Material from Nuclear Limited Uranium Reserves High Cost of Nuclear Power

Why are Resources Being Depleted? MINERAL RESOURCES 92 natural elements on Earth Only 8 are on the Earth’s crust Metallic or Nonmetallic Minerals

Why are Resources Being Depleted? Nonmetallic minerals Phosphorus Potassium Calcium Sulfur

Why are Resources Being Depleted? Metallic Minerals Ferrous Metals Iron Manganese Chromium Titanium Magnesium Molybdenum

Why are Resources Being Depleted? Alloying elements Nickel Tin Tungsten

Why are Resources Being Depleted? Nonferrous Metals Aluminum Copper Lead Zinc Precious metals Silver Gold Platinum

Why are Resources Being Polluted? AIR POLLUTION Pollution Global-scale Air Pollution Global Warming Greenhouse Effect Global-Scale Ozone Damage Ozone Chlorofluorocarbons Freon

Why are Resources Being Polluted? Regional-scale Air Pollution Acid deposition Acid precipitation (AKA acid rain) Doesn’t fall where it is produced Life expectancy

Why are Resources Being Polluted? Local-scale Air Pollution Carbon Monoxide Hydrocarbons Photochemical smog Particulates

Why are Resources Being Polluted? WATER POLLUTION Water Pollution Sources Let it be someone else’s problem Water-using industries Municipal sewage Agriculture

Why are Resources Being Polluted? Impact on Aquatic Life Biochemical Oxygen Demand Water Temp Wastewater and Disease Less wastewater in LDCs and MDCs

Why are Resources Being Polluted? LAND POLLUTION Solid Waste Disposal Sanitary Landfill Incineration Burning trash Centralia, Pennsylvania Hazardous Waste Love Canal, New York

Why are Resources Reusable? RENEWING RESOURCES Leading Renewable Energy Sources Biomass Hydroelectric Power Wind Power Geothermal Energy Nuclear Fusion

Why are Resources Reusable? Solar Energy Passive Solar Energy The sun’s energy is free and limitless Capture the sun’s energy without special devices Glass technologies Active Solar Energy Photovoltaic cells Heat to electricity

Why are Resources Reusable? Uses for Renewable Energy Electricity LDCs have more need of Photovoltaic cells Motor Vehicles More MDCs are using electric vehicles How come people are slow to change to electric cars?

Why are Resources Reusable? RECYCLING RESOURCES Recycling has increased each decade since the 1970s Recycling Collection Pick-up and Processing Curbside, drop-off, buy-back, deposit Manufacturing Paper, plastic, glass, aluminum

Why are Resources Reusable? Other Pollution by Reduction Strategies Reducing discharges Take out the pollutants Increasing Environmental Capacity Where and when the discharge of pollutants occurs matters A Coking Plant: Using all Reduction Strategies Comparing Pollution Reduction Strategies

Why can Resources be Conserved? SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Conservation Preservation Sustainability and Economic Growth 1987 Brundtland Report China: 16 of 20 most polluted cities Sustainability's Critics WWF (World Wildlife Fund) Reduce the gap between MDCs and LDCs

Why can Resources be Conserved? BIODIVERSITY Biological and Geographic Biodiversity Genetic diversity Human’s have not discovered all the Earth’s species Land convervation Biodiversity in the Tropics Destruction of the Rain Forest For money in a LDC