IB ESS Topic 7.1: Natural Resources and Sustainability Management

Natural Resources

Natural resources are raw materials that are consumed by humans

Examples: Sunlight, air, water, land , fossil fules

Natural Capital

Natural Capital is the stock of natural resources available on Earth. And providing ecosystem services for economic production

Examples: freshwater, fresh air, healthy soil, minerals, timber, vegetation, and biodiversity.

Natural Income

Natural income is the sustainable stream of goods and services produced by natural capital.

Examples: timber, crops, or fish, while services include climate regulation, water purification, and flood prevention.

The Bank Account Analogy

achieve sustainability, societies must consume only the natural income generated without depleting the underlying natural capital stock

Like living off the annual interest of a savings account without taking out inintal amount

Renewable Capital

Resources that can be replaced as fast as they are used

Examples: crops, freshwater, solar, wind

Non-Renewable Capital

Resources that cannot be replaced within a human lifetime or over a really long time on geological timescales

Example: Metallic Ores - recyclable (iron ore, copper, gold, silver, and lithium)

Non-recyclable: Coal, Natural Gas, Crude Oil, Uranium

Stage of Development

Reserves are found but cannot be extracted due to technical or financial limitations

Example: Uranium deposits in remote regions

Biotic (Living) vs. Abiotic (non-living)

Biotic includes flora, fauna, and microorganisms

Abiotic (non-living) inculdes fossil fuels, air, solar energy, and freshwater.

Ecocentric View

 Emphasizes self-restraint, intrinsic valuation of nature, and ecological harmony.

Example: Indigenous populationsconsume only what is necessary

Technocentric View

Assumes technological innovation and economic growth will overcome resource depletion or material scarcity

Examples: Agricultural intensification and efficiency through the Green Revolution.

Anthropocentric

Sustainable human development managed through legal regulations, environmental taxes, government quotas, and policy framework balances.

Examples: Breeding, raising, and slaughtering animals purely for human nutrition or commercial goods

Supporting Services

ecological processes and functions necessary to maintain all other ecosystem services, without delivering direct material benefits to humans

Examples: nutrient cycling, water cycling

Provisioning Services

Material goods directly harvested or extracted from ecosystems by humans

Examples: Food crops, wild fish stocks, timber, natural fibers

Regulating Services

Benefits derived from the natural regulation of ecosystem processes

Examples: Climate regulation, flood control

Cultural Services

spiritual benefits derived from interaction with nature

Examples: Ecotourism, outdoor recreation in national parks

Intrinsic Value

ethical worth of organisms and ecosystems to exist, independent of their economic utility or benefit to humans

Example: Saving a stray dog just cuz

Economic Valuation

Putting monetary value on nature is controversial and complex because key services are priceless

Examples: Scottish natural capital valued at £200 billion

Dynamic Value

The perceived value of natural capital shifts over time due to cultural evolution, technological progress, or emerging resource scarcity

Case Studie: Costa Rica

Sustainable Development Exemplar

Embraces sustainability via principles of equity between generations shared across different communities, social classes, or nations in the current time

Government measures include banning single-use plastics, establishing Tortuguero National Park, and offering subsidies for rainwater harvesting and solar adoption

Case Studie: Sweden

Government Policy & Intervention

introduced a national carbon tax in 1991 to curtail greenhouse emissions while maintaining economic growth.

Examples show intervention through taxes, subsidies, and strict national emission targets.

Amazon Deforestation

Over-consumption & Supply Chains

800 million trees were felled across 1.7 million hectares in the Amazon rainforest for cattle ranching

EU passed a 2020 law prohibiting beef imports tied to post-2020 deforestation

Carmichael Coal Mine, Australia

Economic Interest vs. Biodiversity

Proposed coal development promises short-term economic gains but threatens the habitat of the endangered black-throated finch.

Sahel Region, Africa

Water and Biomass Insecurity

Over 60% of the Sahel is arid and 10% semi-arid; severe scarcity of water and biomass leads to low agricultural productivity and land vulnerability

Ogoni Land, Niger Delta

Resource Exploitation Conflict

Oil extraction led to severe environmental contamination, human rights abuses, and local socio-political conflicts

Global Fisheries Collapse

Excessive Consumption

Seafood production quadrupled in 50 years. Fishery collapse occurs when catch yields fall below 10% of historical maximums due to overfishing.

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Global action framework. SDG 12 specifically addresses Responsible Consumption and Production, striving to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation

Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs):

Planning tools conducted before major development projects to quantify potential environmental impacts and propose mitigation strategies. They allow local citizens and stakeholders to participate directly in decision-making.

Economic Globalization & Security

Globalization expands international trade supply lines and interdependence, but can undermine national resource security when domestic supplies become vulnerable to global market disruptions