GEOG110 Economies, Resources, Environments

Resources and Capitalism

Resources drive capitalism, and capitalism drives resource use. Tensions exist within capitalism regarding resource issues. Cost and scarcity drive the search for new resources and alternatives. Pollution also drives the search for alternatives.

Economic Geography and Natural Resources

Economic geographers examine the importance of resources to economies, efficient resource use for economic development, the shaping of economies by resource extraction, and the influence of economic systems on resource use.

Natural Resources and the World Economy

Natural resource industries are vital to the global economy. Developed economies rely on access to these resources. The volume of resource use in modern society is unprecedented, raising questions about sustainability.

Resources Shape Economic Relationships

The material properties of resources affect economic relationships. For example, labor relationships in the coal versus oil industry and high value minerals influencing conflict in areas like The Congo.

Resources Are Not, They Become

Whether a resource is actually a resource depends on how it fits into the ecological and technological system. The value depends on its role in the economic and technological system.

Biological Resources and Capitalism

Capitalism can transform biological processes to increase profitability, for example, breeding cows to grow bigger or transforming chickens into efficient meat production.

Extractivism

Extractive industries turn materials from the environment into commodities. Extractivism as an economic form prioritizes quick economic growth, often at the expense of sustainable development.

The Resource Curse

Countries rich in extractive resources may experience slower economic growth, weaker governments, corruption, and conflicts. This is because investments prioritize extractive industries.

Sustainability

Resource sustainability involves using resources at a sustainable rate. Environmental sustainability concerns managing waste and pollution. Unsustainability can disrupt economic reproduction and harm humans and the environment.

Externalities

Environmental costs imposed on those not involved in the economic process creating the problem. Governments try to internalize these externalities.

Environmental Justice

Unequal distribution of environmental benefits and burdens among different communities, often based on race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.

Climate Change

Climate change is a global environmental problem driven by economic activities. Addressing climate change requires changing political and economic systems.

Decoupling

Decoupling aims to break the link between economic activity and greenhouse gas emissions. Many countries are trying to achieve this, but with varying degrees of success.