Chapter 14: Resources

1. Chapter 14: Resources

2. Why are resources being depleted? • Two kinds of natural resources are especially valuable to humans • Minerals • Energy resources • We depend on abundant, low-cost energy and minerals to run our industries, transport ourselves, and keep our homes comfortable • Problem • MDCs want to preserve current standards of living while LDCs are struggling to attain a better standard

3. Energy Resources • Historically people have relied primarily on power supplied by themselves or by animals • Called animate power • Energy from flowing water and burning biomass fuel supplemented animate power • Biomass = • Wood, plant material, and animal waste • During the Industrial Revolution, MDCs converted to inanimate power • Generated from machines

4. Energy Resources • MDCs consume 3x the amount of energy that LDCs do • North Americans are the heaviest per capita consumers of energy • Use ¼ world’s energy • Have 1/12 world’s population • Three substances provide 5/6ths of the world’s energy • Coal • Petroleum • Natural gas • All three are fossil fuels • Residue of plants and animals that were buried millions of years ago • Two causes for concern • Supply is finite • Distributed unevenly

6. Fossil Fuels • Renewable energy • Essentially unlimited supply and is not depleted • Hydroelectric, geothermal, fusion, wind, and solar energy • Non-renewable energy • Forms so slowly that it cannot be renewed • Fossil fuels • Proven Reserves • Amount of energy remaining in deposits of fossil fuels • Potential Reserves • Energy in deposits that are undiscovered but thought to exist • Undiscovered oil fields • Enhanced recovery from current fields • Unconventional resources • Shale, oil sands

7. Uneven Distribution of Fossil Fuels • Two important inequalities in global distribution of fossil fuels • Some regions have abundant sources, others do not • The heaviest consumers are in different regions that most of the reserves • Leads to global instability • Uneven distribution • Coal • China- 39% • U.S.- 16% • Petroleum • Southwest Asia- 40% • Central Asia- 15% • Natural gas • Russia- 25% • Consumption • U.S. imports more than ½ of their petroleum • Japan 90% • LDC’s quickly “catching up”

8. Control of World Petroleum • Most intense conflict over energy will be centered on supply of petroleum • OPEC • At 1st western countries set oil prices and paid southwest Asian countries a small % of oil profits • Government policies changed in 1970s in SW Asian countries • Several LDC countries containing petroleum resources created OPEC in 1960 • OPEC was angry at North America and Europe for supporting Israel (1970s) • Led to embargo • Lifted in 1974, but raised prices • Caused severe economic problems in MDCs • LDCS hurt even more! • Changing Supply and Demand • The price of oil settled by 1980s, 1990s • U.S. reduced its dependency on foreign imports

9. Mineral Resources • Earth has 92 elements BUT 99% of the crust contains just 8 elements • Oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium • 8 most common combine with rare ones to create 3,000 different minerals • Each mineral is a potential resource • Minerals are either • Metallic • Have properties that are valuable for machinery, vehicles, industry • Non-metallic • 90% are building stones • Also used for fertilizer • Examples • Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Sulfur • Mineral deposits are not distributed evenly • Australia and China rank has two leading producers

10. Key Issue #2- Why Are Resources Being Polluted? • Pollution occurs when more waste is added than a resource can accommodate • Types of pollution: • Air • Water • Land

11. Air Pollution • Definition: • Concentration of trace substances at a greater level than occurs in average air • Earth’s atmosphere (at ground level) is 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, 1% Argon • Most common human activities that cause pollution • Motor vehicles, industry, and power plants • Most common air pollutants • Carbon monoxide, Sulfur dioxide • Air pollution concerns geographers at three levels • Global • Regional • local

12. Air Pollution • Global • Global warming • Pollution may be causing Earth’s temperature to rise • Greenhouse effect • Anticipated temp increase on Earth caused by carbon dioxide trapping some of the radiation emitted by the surface • Can have devastating consequences, even if only a few degrees • Global-scale ozone damage • Stratosphere contains ozone gases • Absorbs dangerous UV rays • Threatened by pollutants called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) • Regional • At regional scale, air pollution may damage vegetation and water supply through acid deposition • Definition: tiny droplets of sulfuric acid and nitric acid form and return to Earth’s surface • Leads to acid precipitation • Local • Urban air pollution • Carbon monoxide • Hydrocarbons • particulates

14. Water Pollution • American’s consume 5,300 liters (1,400 gallons) of water per day • Water Pollution Sources • Water-using industries • Municipal sewage • Agriculture • Impact on Aquatic Life • Pollution reduces Oxygen level • Wastewater and Disease • Most MDC’s have passed Clean Water laws • Major impact • Ex. Thames River- London, England • LDCs have less capacity to treat wastewater • Sewage flows into rivers • Leads to high rates of diseases such as Cholera, Typhoid, and Dysentery

15. Land Pollution • Solid-Waste Disposal • The sanitary landfill is most common strategy for disposal of waste in the United States • More than ½ of waste disposed this way • Number of landfills has declined since 1990s • Better compaction methods • Recycling and incineration have also increased • Can lead to air pollution • Hazardous Waste • Disposing is difficult • Includes heavy metals , PCB oils, cyanides, solvents, acids, and caustics • Can leach into soil, poisonous • Must report to EPA • Placed in containers and buried

16. Renewing Resources • Nuclear Energy • Not renewable but seen as alternative • Advantage • Small amount of material releases large amount of energy • Supplies 1/6th world’s energy • Mostly in MDCs • Problems • Accidents • Radioactive waste • Material for nucs • Limited uranium supply • Cost/ distribution • Nuclear Fusion • Some nuclear power issues could be addressed by fusion • Definition: • Fusing of hydrogen atoms to helium • Can only occur at high temps

17. Leading Renewable Energy Sources • Biomass • More than ½ of renewable energy • Wood is a renewable resource • Crops such as corn, sugarcane, and soybeans can be used for energy • Limited use • Energy to grow crops = to output • Forest reduced • Serves other purposes already such a food, clothing, shelter • Hydroelectric Power • Use of moving water to create energy • Has been used throughout history • 2nd most popular source of electricity • Can be environmental disaster • China – Three Gorges Dam • Wind Power • Historical source of power • Benefits • Less change to environment • Greater potential for increased use • Problems • Noisy • Lethal to birds • Visual blight • Geothermal Energy • Energy from hot water or steam • Prominent in volcanic areas • Lots of research currently underway

19. Solar Energy • The ultimate renewable source is solar energy • Currently supply 1% of electricity to U.S. • Potential is limitless • Sun’s estimated life = 5 billion years • Sun’s energy is free, can’t be owned, bought, or sold • Does not damage the environment or cause pollution • Active solar energy • Collect solar energy and convert it either to heat energy or to electricity • Example: • Solar panels • Passive solar energy • Capture of solar energy without any devices • Example: • South-facing windows • greenhouses

21. Renewable Energy in Motor Vehicles • Most serious challenge to reducing dependence on non-renewable energy is the motor vehicle • Batteries • Battery-powered, electric cars popular in 1900s • Shortcomings • Limited range • Costs more to operate • Recharging can take several hours • Led to creation of hybrids • Biofuels • Ethanol can be produced from biomass (corn in U.S., sugarcane in Brazil) • Takes a lot of energy, is source of food • Hydrogen fuel cells • Convert hydrogen and oxygen into water, producing electricity and heat in the process • Can be used to power motors or electrical devices • Obtaining hydrogen a problem • Have to separate it • Hydrogen fuel used to lift shuttles into orbit, power shuttle’s electrical systems • For motor vehicle use would require a new distribution system

23. Recycling • Definition: • The separation, collection, processing, marketing, and reuse of the unwanted material • Increased in U.S. from 1970 from 7% to 33% in 2007 • Main items recycled • Paper, plastic, glass, aluminum

24. Sustainable Development • Definition: • Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs • Conservation • definition: • Sustainable use and management of natural resources such as wildlife, water, air, and Earth’s resources to meet human’s needs • Preservation • Definition: • Maintenance of resources in their present condition • Sustainability • Difficult to balance environment with concern for economic growth • Example: China • Has 16 of 20 most polluted cities in the world