MILLER CHAPTER 1 Section 2:

1. MILLER CHAPTER 1Section 2: RESOURCES APES 2013

2. What is a Resource?

3. Resources • A resourceis anything obtained from the environment to meet our needs and wants • Examples: • FOOD • WATER • SHELTER • METALS • Resources are classified as one of the following: • 1. PERPETUAL • 2. RENEWABLE • 3. NONRENEWABLE

4. Perpetual Resources • Resources that, (on a human time scale), are renewed continuously • Examples: • SOLAR ENERGY • (EXPECTED TO LAST 6 BILLION MORE YEARS AS THE SUN COMPLETES ITS LIFE CYCLE) • WIND ENERGY • HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY

5. Renewable Resources • Resources that can be replenished fairly rapidly, (hours to several decades) through natural processes as long as they are not used up faster than they are replaced naturally • Examples: • FORESTS • GRASSLANDS • WILD ANIMALS • FRESH WATER • FRESH AIR • FERTILE SOIL

6. Sustainable Yield • Renewables can be depleted or degraded • The highest rate at which a renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing its available supply is called its SUSTAINABLE YIELD. • If we exceed a resources replacement rate, the available supply shrinks. This is called ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION. • EXAMPLES of Environmental Degradation: • Urbanization of productive land • Excessive top soil erosion • Pollution • Deforestation to grow crops • Depleting ground water • Reducing biodiversity by eliminating habitats and species.

7. Tragedy of the Commons • In his essay, ecologist Garrett Hardin argued that the main difficulty in solving environmental problems is the conflict between the short-term interests of the individual and the long-term welfare of society. • The example he used was the commons, or the areas of land that belonged to the whole village. • It was in the best interest of the individual to put as many animals in the commons as possible. • However, if too many animals grazed on the commons, they destroyed the grass. • Once the grass was destroyed, everyone suffered because no one could raise animals on the commons.

8. Tragedy of the Commons • The commons were eventually replaced by closed fields owned by individuals. • Owners were now careful not to put too many animals on their land, because overgrazing wouldn’t allow them to raise as many animals next year. • Hardin’s point being that someone or some group must take responsibility for maintaining a resource or it will become depleted.

9. Tragedy of the Commons • Hardin’s point can be applied to our modern commons, natural resources. • Humans live in societies, and in societies, we can solve environmental problems by planning, organizing, considering the scientific evidence, and proposing a solution. • The solution may be to override the short-term interests of the individual and improve the environment for everyone in the long run.

10. Tragedy of the Commons

11. Ecological Footprint • Ecological footprintsare calculations that show the productive area of Earth needed to support one person in a particular country. • An ecological footprint estimates the land used for crops, grazing, forests products, and housing. It also includes the ocean area used to harvest seafood and the forest area needed to absorb the air pollution caused by fossil fuels.

12. Ecological Footprint • An ecological footprint is one way to express the differences in consumption between nations.

13. Nonrenewable Resources • Resources that can be economically depleted to the point where it costs too much to obtain what is left • Some can be recycled and reused • Exist in a fixed quantity or stock in the Earth’s crust. • Natural geological processes can renew such resources, but it takes millions to billions of years for these resources to be replaced naturally • Can be depleted much faster than they form naturally

14. Examples of Nonrenewables: • ENERGY RESOURCES • COAL, OIL, NATURAL GAS • METALLIC MINERAL RESOURCES • IRON, COPPER, ALUMINUM • NONMETALLIC MINERAL RESOURCES • SALT, CLAY, SAND, PHOSPHATES

15. More on Nonrenewables • OIL AND SOME MINERALS are being consumed at exponentially growing rates in a single human lifespan. • Some can never be completely exhausted, but instead become economically depleted when the costs of extracting and using what is left exceed its economic value. • At this point we can: • Try to find more • Recycle or reuse existing supplies (not applicable to certain energy resources) • Waste less • Use less • Try to develop a substitute

16. The Three R’s of Sustainability • REDUCE. • Refers to limiting waste and using less of the nonrenewables • REUSE. • Using a resource over and over in the same form • EXAMPLE: Glass Bottles can be collected, washed and refilled • RECYCLE. • Involves collecting waste materials, processing them into new materials, and selling the new products. • EXAMPLE: Aluminum cans can be crushed and melted to make other aluminum items that consumers can buy.

17. The Benefits of The Three R’s • RECYCLING nonrenewable metallic resources takes much less energy, water and other resources and produces much less pollution and environmental degradation than extracting “virgin” metallic resources. • REUSING takes even less energy and other resources and produces even less pollution and environmental degradation than recycling. • RECYCLING and REUSING help us REDUCE our nonrenewable resource use.