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natural resources depletion
- 1. NAME:MARYAM ARIF COURSE: ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION B.S.ED(Hons)5th semester PRESENTED TO: Dr TAYYABA M. AKRAM STUDENT ID: 2018-2326(MORNING)
- 3. What are resources? A resource is any physical material constituting part of Earth that people need and value. Natural materials become resources when humans value them. The uses and values of resources change from culture to culture and from time to time. Resources are spatially distributed varying in quantity and quality.
- 4. NATURAL RESOURCES: Natural resources are materials from the Earth that are used to support life and meet people's needs. Any natural substance that humans use can be considered a natural resource. Oil, coal, natural gas, metals, stone and sand are natural resources. Other natural resources are air, sunlight, soil and water
- 6. On the basis of origin: Abiotic factors refer to non-living physical and chemical elements in the ecosystem. Examples are air, water, sunlight, soil, and minerals Biotic factors are living or once-living organisms in the ecosystem. These are obtained from the biosphere and are capable of reproduction. Examples of biotic factors are animals, birds, plants, fungi, and other similar organisms.
- 7. On the basis of origin: Resources are characterized as renewable or non-renewable; a renewable resource can replenish itself at the rate it is used, while a non-renewable resource has a limited supply. Renewable resources include timber, wind, and solar while non-renewable resources include coal and natural gas. An inexhaustible resource is one that is replaceable, while an exhaustible resource is not replaceable, hence wind, sunlight and water are inexhaustible resources while other are exhaustible resources. fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas, as well as minerals like iron, copper, and aluminium.
- 8. DEPLETION OF NATURAL RESOURCES: The depletion of natural resources occurs when resources are consumed at a faster rate than that of replacement. And when it gets down to the discussion of natural resource depletion, it a terminology used in reference to water usage, farming, fossil fuel consumption, fishing, and mining. natural resource depletion is defined on the premise that the value of a resource is measured in terms of its availability in nature. A resource that is rare on earth due to depletion has a higher value than a natural resource which is in abundance. Due to the increasing global population, the levels of natural resource degradation is also increasing. Consequently, the world’s eco-footprint is estimated to be one and a half times the ability of the earth to sustainably provide each individual with enough resources that meet their consumption levels.
- 10. Causes of Depletion of Natural Resources 1. Overpopulation: The total global populations more than seven billion people. Still, there is a consistent increase in the overall earth populace and this has been a critical factor in accelerating the depletion of natural resources. An increase in the populace expands the need for resources and conditions necessary to sustain it. In addition, it contributes to increased ecological contamination. Research further indicates that developing countries are using more and more resources to industrialize and support their ever-increasing population. Hence, the depletion of natural resources will continue as long as the world population increases. 2. Poor Farming Practices: Humans are causing a lot of stress to land resources due to the over-reliance on food production for daily nutritional requirements. Poor irrigation practices, for example, is a key contributing factor to salinization and alkalization of the soil that sustains plant growth. Poor soil management practices and the use of heavy machinery and farming equipment also destroy the soil structure making it unsuitable for plant growth. Some farming practices such as excessive use of pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides equally kill important soil micro-organisms that are essential in replenishing nutrients in the soil.
- 11. 3. Logging: The World Bank reported that the net loss of global forest between 1990 and 2016 was 1.3 million square kilometres On the same note, tropical deforestation is estimated to occur at a rate of one percent annually, especially in Latin America regions. People are clearing forests primarily for agricultural reasons due to the increase in the population pressure. Humans are also cutting down trees to make space for residential complexes and multiplexes. Through deforestation the planet not only loses tress but also thousands of animals and great plant biodiversity due to the destruction of their natural habitats. Moreover, increased logging activities lead to soil erosion that degrades natural soil minerals. 4. Overconsumption of Natural Resources: The 1760 industrial revolution saw large-scale mineral and oil exploration and the practice has gradually growing, leading to more and more natural oil and mineral depletion. And together the advancements in technology, development, and research in the contemporary era; of minerals has become easier and humans are digging deeper to access different ore. The increased exploitation of different minerals has led to some of them entering into a production decline. For example, minerals such as Gasoline, Copper, and Zinc production are estimated to decline in the next 20 years. Plus, oil mining continues to rise due to the upsurge in the number of engines that use petroleum thereby magnifying its depletion.
- 12. 5. Pollution: An increase in population and modern anthropogenic activities is a major contributor to the disposal of pollutants into the natural environment and as such, the value of natural environments is gradually exposed to degradation. The soil, air, lakes, and seas are being contaminated with sewage, radioactive, materials, and toxic chemicals among other pollutants Uncontrolled release of carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, sulphur oxide, and carbon dioxide, for example, have resulted in the degradation of the ozone layer and global warming – environmental changes with their resultant depletive impacts on different natural habitats. . 6. Industrial and Technological Development: The present-day world is incessantly becoming industrialized as more and more countries make major technological breakthroughs. But as technological advancements continue, there is similarly a considerable growth in industries that release toxins and chemical by-products which are eventually deposited in lakes, soils, and lands. As a result, the by-products and toxic materials alter natural habits such as aquatic systems and wildlife.
- 14. Effects of Depletion of Natural Resources: 1. Water shortages Poor farming practices, deforestation, and pollution are major causes of water resource depletion due to contamination, wastage, and the destruction of natural water catchment areas. As of today, approximately one billion people lack access to clean water because of the effects of deforestation and contamination of water sources and groundwater. Water shortage further contributes to famine and food insecurity. 2. Oil depletion Oil is a non-renewable resource that accounts for approximately 40 percent of the total energy used globally. Research by EIA’s International Energy Outlook had shown that due to the high rate of oil exploitation, the amount of oil remaining would last for only 25 years. Oil is an essential commodity in manufacturing, planting, mining, and transportation among many activities, and its depletion would be devastating. The adverse effects of oil depletion include the fall of the business, the high cost of living in developing countries, and uncertainty in the transport sector.
- 15. 3. Loss of forest cover Approximately 18 million acres of forest cover are destroyed annually. This means that half of the world’s natural forest cover has already been cleared. Furthermore, studies indicate an increase in deforestation in the past three decades has resulted in a 12% to 17% rise in greenhouse gases globally. 4. Depletion of minerals There has been an increase in the exploitation of minerals such as phosphorus, copper, and zinc among others to sustain the seven billion people on earth. Studies Global Phosphorus Research Institute, for example, shows that the earth could run out of phosphorus – an essential element for plant growth, in the next 50 to 100 years. Studies by the United States Geological Survey also indicate that there is an increase in non-renewable resources consumption of natural minerals and construction materials such as copper, sand, gravel, and stone.
- 17. 5. Extinction of Species Due to the changes in the living conditions of animals as a result of resource overexploitation and habitat degradation, some species may go extinct. Forested regions are known to be a habitat for thousands of animals but deforestation is progressively destroying forest habitats. Practices such as overfishing and pollution have similarly led to a drastic reduction in the number of marine species such as the tuna fish.
- 18. Solutions of Depletion of Natural Resources 1. Controlling Deforestation Programs aimed at checking against deforestation such as REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) created by the World Bank, the New York Declaration on Forests, and the United Nations are initiatives that could help reduce the depletion of natural resources. The initiatives may also act as incentives for encouraging the general public to conserve forests as these are the habitat and protectors of some of the world’s unique plant/animal species and water sources respectively. Sustainability programs that aim to educate people about the importance of conserving natural resources should also be enacted as a way of focusing on the long-term risks associated with environmental degradation.
- 19. 2.Reducing oil, mineral and material consumption: Oil-rich countries together with the World Bank, state, and consumables’ regulatory bodies should join hands towards a common international objective of discussing oil and mineral consumption, as well as exploitation, can be reduced. Manufactures can, for instance, be trained on lean manufacturing (recycling, re-use, and reducing wastage) while consumers sensitized on how to adopt re-use, reducing wastage, and recycling techniques. 3.More exploitation and use of renewable sources of energy: Renewables such as solar and wind power can be explored more and utilized to the dependency on fossil fuel, which is a major cause of environmental pollution, climate change, global warming, and destruction of natural habitats.
- 21. 4. Protecting wetlands and coastal ecosystems: Wetlands are regions saturated with groundwater that serve a significant role in sustaining vegetation cover. The coastal and wetland ecosystems are thus vital in sustaining the food chain as they replenish water sources and avail minerals nutrients for primary producers (green and flowering plants), essential for maintaining plant and animal biodiversity. Also when coastal ecosystems are protected, they aid in controlling marine overfishing and protect coral reefs. 5. Sensitization and awareness creation: People need to be educated on how their daily practices put a strain on the natural resources and their individual contributions to the depletion of natural resources. The main purpose of creating awareness would be to encourage to preserve and restore the natural environment by getting involved in conservation efforts.
- 23. Conclusion: The controversial negative relationship between natural resources and growth, development has been at centre of many research discourses. Regardless of the economic activity, development is closely linked to use of the natural resource endowment. Physical planning and management can orient the land settlement process towards making efficient use of resources, setting standards to minimize potentially polluting activities, delimiting lands for multipurpose and uses, for protection or conservation, and for improving the infrastructure of the territory. A final conclusion is that in order to achieve a more satisfactory relationship between society and its environment, timely provision should be made for the changes that human activities and competition over use of resources may bring about in order to minimize potential conflicts.
- 24. References: http://www.oas.org/dsd/publications/unit/oea08b/ch28.htm file:///C:/Users/DELL/Downloads/PAPERJOU.13-SOCHJournal- NaturalResourcesDepletion-PAPERONLY.pdf https://www.slideshare.net/sanjana_ane/resource-depletion https://i.ytimg.com/vi/b8uJQPo8yq0/maxresdefault.jpg www.Wikipedia.com https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-depletion- natural-resources.php