Topic 7

Natural resources

Raw materials and sources of energy used and consumed by society

Two views of natural resources

• Natural capital

• Natural income

Natural capital

Total stock of natural resources available on Earth

• biomass of a forest

Natural income

Yield we can sustainably derive from natural resources/capital in terms of goods/services

Talking about nature this way

Advantages:

• aligns with anthropocentric thinking so humans will portect ecosystems for profit

• gives businesses incentives to manage resources sustainably

Disadvantages:

• ignores intrinsic ecological value

• encourages short term exploitation

Natural capital is ….

Dynamic - changes over time

Coal during industrial revolution had a high value but now it doesnt because we have renewable energy

Life supporting ecosystem services

• water replenishment

• flood and erosion protection

• pollution mitigation

• carbon sequestration

Water replenishment

• maintains freshwater supplies for plants and animals

• supports agriculture, drinking water and sanitation

• reduces the risk of drought

• Amazon rainforest intercept rainfall, allowing gradual infiltration into the soil

Flood and erosion protection

• protects human settlements and infrastructure

• maintains fertile soil for agriculture

• reduces sedimentation in rivers and reservois

• FP - Everglades in US absorb excess rainfall and river overlow

• EP - Tea plantations in India increase vegetationa nd reduce soil loss

Pollution mitigation

• ecosystems can reduce pollution by filtering, breaking down or absorbing pollutants

• soils break down organic pollutants, plants absorb excess nutrients, wetlands trap sediments and pollutants before they enter rivers

• Reed Bed Buffer Zones - dense wetland vegation that remove nitrates and phosphates from agricultural runoff

Carbon sequestration

• reduces the concentration of greenhouse gases

• helps mitigate climate change

• supports long term climate stability essential for life

• plants absorb CO” and convert to biomass

• carbon stored in forests, peatlands, grasslands, oceans

Resource security in 2 societies for food and water

• Amazon deforestation

• Lake Erie eutrophication

Deforestation in Amazon

Causes:

• logging, cattle ranching - extraction rates larger than regeneration rates

Environmental impacts:

• loss of carbon sinks - CO2 increased, boidiversity loss - decreased resilience

Human impacts:

Lake Erie eutrophication

Causes:

• agricultural runoff containing nitrates and phosphates from fertilisers

Environmental impacts:

• loss of biodiversity, oxyegen depletion, algal blooms

Human impacts:

• drinking water contamination, economic losses to fishing and tourism

For sustainability:

• resources can’t be used up faster than they can be regenerated

• waste must not be produced faster than ecosystems can absorb/transform it

Failure to manage natural capital can lead to:

• ecosystems degredation

• loss of biodiversity

• reduced human wellbeing and economic instability

Energy consumption

• total amount of energy used by individuals, industries and countries

• As population grows, individual demand grows rising global energy consumption

Economic development on energy consumption

• As countries become wealthier, they use more energy for industrial processes, transportation and technology

• India developing manufacturing and infrastructure sector

Environmental concerns on energy consumption

• EU aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050

• cleaner energy to be used in response to climate change

Meeting the growing demand for energy

• reducing energy consumption - improve efficiency of applications

• behavioural changes - encourage people to use less electricty - tuyrn lights off

• energy storage - storing eneregy efficienty to manage renewable sources

Role of fossil fuels

• production of steel and concrete releies on coal and natural gas

• renewable energy not yet suitable for high energy processes

• natural gas essential for producing ammonia

Advantages and disadvantages of fossil fuels

Advantages:

• cheap initially

Disadvantages:

• emits greenhouse gases and contributes to air pollution

• less efficient

Advantages and disadvantages of renewables

Advantages:

• little to no pollution

Disadvantages:

• more expensive initially

• rely on weather

Batteries - energy conservation

• store electricity as chemical energy

• ev’s - tesla

Pumped hydroelectricity storage (PHS)

• pumps water to higher reservoir when there is surplus electricty

• when demand is high, water released back down turning turbines to generate electricity

• Dinorwigt Power Station - Wales

Advantages and disadvantages of PHS

Advantages:

• large capacity - can store huge amounts of energy

• reliable - provides quick response to demand

• long lifespan - can operate for decades with low maintenance

Disadvantages:

• geographic limitations - requires reservoirs, valleys, mountains

• environmental impact - reservois can damage ecosystems and disrupt wildlife

• economic costs - high initial costs to build

Fuel cells

• convert stored chemical energy into electricity

• used in transport (hydrogen powered vehicles that Japan invested in)

Thermal storage

• stores heat energy which can generate electricity or provide heating

• used with solar power plants - converted into electricty during low sunlight

Energy conservation

• changing behaviour to use less energy

• turning off lights

• travel by public transport

Energy efficiency

• technologiues and designs that require less energy to produce same results

• low energy LED

Advantages and disadvantages of wind/solar/tidal energy

Advantages:

• abundant energy source

• Nogreenhouse gas emmisons

Disadvanates:

• Intermittent - dependent on weather

• high initial costs