1. Chapter 14: Resource Issues http://www.conserve-energy- future.com/WindTurbines.php http://www.flickr.com/photos/97705796@N00/2916417753/

2. Resources Things we use for a certain purpose Substances in the environment that are useful to people, can be accessed, and are used People throughout human history have used available resources to make their lives easier and to survive We just have better capabilities of maximizing and capitalizing on this usage today and have an increasing population that causes that usage and demand to be higher

3. Resources Some resources are finite- a limited supply that cannot be renewed or added to- they are called non-renewable resources (common sense) Some resources can be renewed- they are called renewable resources

4. Resources We need to be informed of the status of the resources we use and make responsible decisions We need to manage our resources adequately to ensure that they last Many will probably be depleted in our lifetimes We use lots of resources and are often not that responsible with them

5. Resources: things we use for a certain purpose and place value on Chapter 14 Section 1: Why are resources being depleted? http://www.conserve-energy- future.com/WindTurbines.php http://www.flickr.com/photos/97705796@N00/2916417753/

6. Resources They are substances in the environment that are useful to people They include water, air, soil, minerals, plants, animals, etc… There are lots of issues about resources: – They are finite, although many can be reused or renewed – They are not evenly distributed

7. Resources People consume lots of stuff Limited resources, unlimited desires= scarcity Population grows- resources remain pretty steady This is one of the things that scares people about overpopulation (remember Malthus? Essay on the Principles of Population?) Plus, MDCs consume more and want to maintain their standard of living- LDCs want to improve theirs

8. Resources Two major resources of great value to humans: – Energy resources – Mineral resources

9. Resources To do work, people use: Animate power- used to pretty much rely on this- power by humans or animals (today used more in LDCs than MDCs) Inanimate power- power generated from machines- more and more used (heavily relied upon in MDCs, growing in LDCs) – They are powered by fuels or other sources of energy

10. Resources Historically, humans have used biomass fuel- wood, plant material, and animal waste It is burned directly or turned into charcoal, alcohol, or methane gas During the 1750s-1800s when the Industrial Revolution pushed more production of goods by machine, people sought more efficient resources

11. Resources First coal was used Then oil First it was used for kerosene- the gasoline was actually burned off, until people started using it to run automobiles Energy is used mostly in businesses, homes, and transportation

12. Resources Some of the most common sources of energy are petroleum, natural gas, and coal They are known as fossil fuels They provide 5/6s of the world’s energy These are residue of plants and animals that were buried millions of years ago and the pressure and chemical reactions with sediment slowly turned them to fuels we extract today

13. Problems with Fossil Fuels Very efficient- we’ve become very reliant on them BUT: – They are finite- non-renewable resources – They are unevenly distributed around the world

14. Resources Fossil fuels are not considered renewable because they take so long to form Renewable resources/energy: replaced continually, at least within a human life span- essentially unlimited – Examples? Solar, wind, hydro Nonrenewable resources/energy: forms so slowly that for practical purposes it can’t be renewed and are finite – Examples? Oil, natural gas, coal

15. Uneven distribution of fossil fuels Some regions have abundant reserves- others have little Consumption of fossil fuels is much higher in some areas than others

16. The US North Americans represent 1/20 th of the world population They consume ¼ of the world’s energy They produce ¼ of the world’s pollutants

17. U.S. Energy Consumption 1850-2005 Fig. 14-1: U.S. energy consumption grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, but the rate of growth has slowed since then. Energy from petroleum and natural gas have grown more rapidly than coal, especially since the 1960s.

18. Outlook for World Petroleum Production (to 2030) Fig. 14-2: As production from current proven reserves declines, other petroleum sources are likely to be developed.

19. How much is left? They are buried under the Earth’s surface- can’t say precisely Have some educated guesses At current rates of consumption (not taking into account that those rates are increasing), many fossil fuels will be largely tapped out within a century or two Our proven reserves will probably go sooner

20. How much is left? A proven reserve is a supply line that has been discovered, tapped into, and can be reasonably measured Current world petroleum consumption rate: 26 billion barrels a year Our proven reserves: 1.3 trillion barrels How long will those proven reserves last? Around 50 years

21. How much is left? The undiscovered or untapped reserves are called potential reserves Think the controversy over drilling in Alaska, off-shore of NC, etc…

22. How much is left? With natural gas reserves? 60 years Coal? 175 years (1/2 of US electricity comes from power plants that burn coal) Yes, electricity for the most part comes from fossil fuels

23. How do we get to the potential reserves? Most of the easy ones to access are proven reserves To get to the potential ones, it’s more costly Deep sea drilling and off-shore drilling (hmmm, BP) Remote locations like Alaska (do we want more oil or habitat preservation?)

24. Uneven Distribution Of Resources Some places have more fossil fuels than others Some have proven reserves (tapped) and/or potential reserves (not tapped) Countries with good supplies have an advantage

25. Resources Some countries have little and have to import Countries that have a lot have an upperhand and often work to capitalize on it like OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) in the Middle East

26. Coal Production, 2004 Fig. 14-3a: China and the U.S. are the world’s largest coal producers. Little coal is produced in most of Africa, the Middle East, and some of Latin America.

27. Petroleum Production, 2004 Fig. 14-4a: Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the U.S. are the world’s largest petroleum producers.

28. Natural Gas Production Fig. 14-5a: Russia, the U.S. and Canada are the world’s largest natural gas producers.

29. Uneven Rates Of Consumption Some states consume more than others MDCs tend to consume more (the US about ¼ of the world’s energy) LDCs are increasing their consumption rates LDCs collectively went from 27 percent of energy consumed in 1990 to 35 percent consumed in 2000 to 40 percent in 2005 This puts strains on supplies

30. Per Capita Energy Consumption Fig. 14-6a: Energy consumption per person in MDCs is far larger than in LDCs. The U.S. and Canada have the highest levels of per capita energy consumption.

31. Control of Resources MDCs used to control most of the world’s energy resources Have tapped out many of their own Often import more Struggle for who controls these resources Petroleum is the biggest issue (think Iraq invading Kuwait in the early 1990s- one key reason, to control their oil supplies)

32. Alternatives to Petroleum for Energy Natural gas (last a max of 60 years at current consumption rates) Less expensive to burn, less polluting than oil and coal, but harder to transport and fewer proven reserves US is a major producer, but proven reserves are limited 2 major producers are Russia and Iran (their government probably isn’t going to want to help us out with their natural gas, by the way)

33. Alternatives to Petroleum for Energy Coal (last a max of 200 years) US has large proven reserves- really important to us (produces over ½ electricity in US) Problems- air pollution, mining is dangerous, mountain top removal, etc… MDCs can lower the pollution with regulations and smokestack scrubbers, but LDCs don’t often follow those regulations (MDCs didn’t until they became more developed!)

34. Alternatives to Petroleum for Energy Nuclear Energy (about 70 years worth of uranium at current consumption rates) Large amount of energy released from a small amount of material (1 kilogram of enriched nuclear fuel contains more than 2 million times the energy in 1 kilogram of coal) This source supplies about 1/6 of the world’s electricity

35. Alternatives to Petroleum for Energy The US generates 1/3 of nuclear power Japan and France 1/3 30 other countries use it and represent the other 1/3 collectively European countries are the most reliant on it though! In the US, it depends on the state- 19 states have no nuclear power plants and some have more than one (1/2 electricity in New England comes from it, ¼ in the Southeast, 1/10 west of the Mississippi)

36. Alternatives to Petroleum for Energy Problems with nuclear? – Potential accidents (Chernobyl 1986, Japan 2011) – Radioactive waste (there is no permanent storage for radioactive waste- must be isolated for 1000s of years so today it is stored “temporarily” in cooling tanks at nuclear power plants) – Bomb material from nuclear (plutonium can be harvested from it and used to make nuclear weapons- used only twice in history on people- WWII when the US dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war)

37. Alternatives to Petroleum for Energy Problems with nuclear? – Limited uranium reserves- 70 years left at current usage rates- ¼ are in Australia and 1/6 in Kazakhstan – High cost of nuclear power- cost a lot to build the plants (billions) and to maintain them safely (even the US had a scare at Three Mile Island in the 1970s) – So why do countries still want it? Another source of energy, doesn’t give off the pollutants unless something happens like in Chernobyl and Japan, reduces dependency on foreign oil, can help produce weapons

38. Nuclear Power Production Fig. 14-9a: Nuclear power as a percent of total electricity. Several European countries as well as South Korea rely most heavily on nuclear power.

39. Uranium Reserves Fig. 14-9b: Uranium reserves are widely distributed. Australia and Kazakhstan have the largest known reserves.

40. Nuclear Power in the U.S., 2005 Fig. 14-10: Location of current nuclear power plants in the U.S. and nuclear power as a percent of total electricity in U.S. states.

41. Mineral Resources Earth has 92 natural elements 99% of earth’s crust is made up of eight elements though- oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium Over 3000 different minerals from combinations of elements They vary in color, hardness, and density

42. Mineral Resources They can be used for their mechanical or chemical purposes They are often highly valuable They are not uniformly distributed around earth either like fuels They are either metallic or nonmetallic

43. Mineral Resources Nonmetallic minerals include stones, coarse gravel, fine sand, and others They can be used for building, roads monuments, tools, daily uses, fertilizers, etc… Metallic minerals are heavier and can be molded into tools or used to build things or conduct electricity They are either ferrous- with iron- or nonferrous

44. Mineral Production Fig. 14-12: Production of ferrous and non-ferrous metals and non-metallic minerals. Australia and China are leading producers of several important minerals.

45. WHY ARE RESOURCES BEING POLLUTED? Chapter 14 Section 2

46. Pollution Pollution is when we give off waste and it is more than a resource can handle We consume lots of stuff and dispose of a great deal of stuff We rely on air, water, and land to dispense our waste When we discard something, it never really completely disappears

47. Pollution Human pollution- waste given off by humans Natural pollution- waste created by natural disasters and changes like volcanic explosions

48. Air Pollution When stuff that doesn’t belong in the air gets into it Air is made up of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% argon, and less than 1% trace gases When other stuff gets in there, it causes air pollution Motor vehicles, power plants, and industry give off the most pollution

49. Air Pollution Global warming/climate change is when the world is getting warmer as a result of the ozone being depleted because of pollution The ozone is the protective layer of gases that observe dangerous rays from the sun and protects the planet

50. Air Pollution The anticipated increase of Earth’s temperature, caused by carbon dioxide trapping some of the radiation emitted by the surface in the ozone is called the greenhouse effect Even if the world temperature averages just go up a couple of degrees that can have an incredible impact When pollution gets into the air, it also can get into clouds and come back to the earth in a form of precipitation (acid rain)

51. Global Temperatures, 1880-2002 Fig. 14-13: Annual mean temperatures have increased almost 1° C. since 1880.

52. Air pollution Main components of air pollution- – Carbon monoxide – Hydrocarbons – Particulates – Often is most concentrated in urban areas – Creates smog around cities – Affects rural areas too though

53. Air pollution Can increase breathing problems Can hurt plant life Can affect the water supply- gets into the rain creating acid rain (look at our higher elevations- Grandfather Mountain and Mount Mitchell and you can see the impact) Can decrease visibility

54. Mexico City Smog Mexico City has many vehicles and is located in a mountain basin that limits dispersion of air pollutants.

55. Water Pollution Bad stuff in the water Water is key to human survival 97% of earth’s water is salt Half of the rest is fresh frozen water 1 ½ percent is fresh but sometimes brackish Not uniformly distributed around earth

56. Damaged Forests, Czech Republic Acid precipitation has killed many trees in the forests of the Czech Republic.

57. Water Pollution Three main sources of water pollution: – Industries – Municipal (city) sewage – Agriculture

58. Water Pollution Can kill off aquatic life Can make fresh water harder to get Can cause competition Can limit activities Can spread disease

59. Land Pollution We throw away stuff That pollutes the land Sanitary landfills are set up to put garbage in and then they are buried Stuff can also be incinerated (gives off air pollution) Really challenging to determine where trash should go, particularly hazardous waste

60. WHY ARE RESOURCES RENEWABLE? Chapter 14 Section 3

61. Renewable Resources These can be replaced but are more expensive than the big three- oil, natural gas, and coal Some examples: – Biomass (using plants to make fuel- wood, corn, soybeans, but often takes as much energy to produce it as it will produce in the long run- also has externalities like this: more corn has been grown in the past decade in the US for ethanol and this raised the price of corn products in the grocery store and meats because lots of livestock are fed corn or corn products)

62. Renewable Resources Some examples: – Hydroelectricity (water power- used since prehistory, use its movement to turn wheels and produce electricity, 2 nd main source of world power, renewable but you have to build dams/can change ecosystems/not evenly distributed)

63. Hydroelectricity Production Fig. 14-16: Percent of electricity from hydroelectric power. Many countries in South America and Africa depend heavily on hydroelectric power.

64. Renewable Resources Some examples: – Wind power (used for thousands of years- sailboats, windmills, not exploited nearly to their potential because they can be eye sores, noisy, lethal for flying creatures, but they have a lot of potential in many regions, including the US, and modify the environment less than most other sources

65. U.S. Wind Power Potential Fig. 14-17: Winds are strong enough to support substantial wind power generation in the U.S. Plains as well as other regions in some of the East and much of the West.

66. Renewable Resources Some examples: – Solar power (has a lot of potential, very renewable, could be used in almost all parts of the world, sun’s remaining life is estimated at 5 billion years, cannot be controlled just by one country or a few, does not give off pollution, but expensive to convert to and not as efficient in production at a large scale, can also use it supplementary as passive solar energy)

67. Solar Energy in Zimbabwe A demonstration solar-powered oven used to cook food in Zimbabwe.

68. Renewable Resources Some examples: – Geothermal energy (the earth’s interior is hot from natural nuclear and chemical reactions, the magma- basically what comes out of volcanoes- can interact with groundwater, heat it, and be tapped by wells as heated water or steam, this can be tapped best around volcanoes and in rifts on land and sea- used in California, Italy, New Zealand, Japan, and almost completely powers Iceland- not evenly distributed though!)

69. Renewable Resources Some examples: – Nuclear fusion (could solve some nuclear power problems, this fuses hydrogen atoms to form helium, fusion releases lots of energy, can only occur at very high temperatures (millions of degrees), very expensive, few countries have the technology to create and harness it- hydrogen bombs produce this briefly)

70. Renewable Resources Uses: motor vehicles, electricity Can help us Nonrenewable resources like petroleum are going to run out at current consumption rates Renewable resources can help us continue our way of life

71. Renewable Resources Today- around 6 or 7 percent of US energy comes from renewable resources – 45 percent of that from biomass – 45 percent of that from hydroelectricity – 6 percent of that from geothermal – 2 percent of that from wind – 1 percent of that from solar

72. Recycling This is the separation, collection, processing, marketing, and reuse of unwanted or discarded materials Becoming more and more important Can be expensive (some products more expensive to recycle than to make) Pushed more in MDCs than LDCs

73. How to reduce pollution Recycle Reuse Cleaner energy sources Reduce discharge- don’t consume or produce as much pollution Increasing environmental capacity to handle waste and pollution Coking plants- use coal to produce coke, an input in steel production

74. WHY CAN RESOURCES BE CONSERVED? Chapter 14 Section 4

75. Conservation It is the sustainable use and management of natural resources like wildlife, water, air, and earth deposits Preservation is the maintenance of resources in their present condition Push for sustainable development This is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

76. Conservation Push to protect biodiversity This is the variety of species across earth as a whole or in a specific place There is biological biodiversity There is geographic biodiversity When humans develop more land and consume more stuff, they are infringing on environments and ecosystems and might disrupt them and reduce biodiversity

77. Conservation Lots of stuff we don’t know Drive to protect resources Rainforests hold lots of potential Shifting cultivation threatens it though Water pollution threatens marine life Air pollution threatens plant life Land pollution threatens plant and animal life