Environment

Environment

1. Production & Consumption of Resources

   • The Resource Curse Thesis
     • definition
       • resource-abundant economies performed worse in terms of rates of economic development
     • factors
       • 1 - economies more susceptible to fluctuations in income due to resource price volatility - overdependence during period of 'bust' --> depletion of resource base - after resource boom, economy is insufficiently developed or diversified to sustain living standards
         • not inevitable --> effective gorvernment policy can use resource income to promote more diversified economy and sustain living standards
       • 2 - failure to redeploy income from resource sector to promote sustainable economic development - some use resources income to subsidize and protect inefficient producers in non-resource sectors - later resource income dwindles and economy is forced to open up to international competition --> inefficient produces then fail
   • distributions
     • Oil Production & Consumption - produce most Middle East - produce least South & Central America - consume most Asia Pacific - consume least Africa
     • Natural Gas Production & Consumption - produce and consume most Europe - produce most and least South & Central America

2. Energy Resource

   • explanation
     • - more energy is consumed as industrial activity grows but decreases in post-industrial stage of economic development - decreases because deindustrialization and economic restructuring where less energy-intensive sector replace heavy industry and manufacturing - conservation and technological change makes industry more energy efficient
       • however, Newly Industrialized Countries (NIC) of Asia like Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore's time was compressed as they did not have the advantage of substantial indigenous energy resources

3. Resource

   • definition
     • substance useful to humans, economically feasible and socially acceptable to use
   • implications
     • dynamic, intimately linked to evolution of human society --> as new tech emerge old tech and associated resources become redundant
       • e.g. flint --> essential during Stone Age for making tools but has limited value now
     • new tech create new demands and concerns, control over supply is important in political and economic powers
       • e.g. availability of rare earth metals used in 'green' tech
   • dimensions
     • dynamic nature of resources --> difficult to estimate resource availability level and scarcity
       • types & concerns
         • Physical - exhaust minerals and energy - human population exceed food production capacity
         • Economic - rich always outbid poor for essential resources - need exceed ability to pay for supplies (RESOURCE POVERTY)
         • Renewable & Environmental - distribution of bio-geographical cycles threaten sustainability of earth life - pollution exceeds absorptive capacity --> economic and health problems

4. The Society-Environment Relationships

   • Sustainable Development
     • - 1987 Brundtland Report : possible to grow economy without compromising the environment - sustainable development = development which meets the needs of present without compromising ability of future generations to meet their own needs
       • highly contested and vague --> contentions arise - how to determine present and future needs? - whose needs? - allow differentiation of responsibility of carbon emissions between developed and developing countries? - developing countries allowed to use less sustainable development to grow econmy?
   • Approaches to Environmentalism
     • e.g. international agreements, legislature, lifestyle changes, community living and through direct action
     • Reformist Approach
       • - modified sustainable economic growth - large technological development as solutions for environmental problems - environmental solutions to coexist with existing social and political structures
     • Radial Approach
       • - limits to economic growth and presents uncontrolled economic growth as undesirable - distrust of scientific and technological fixes - radial social and political change
   • Assessing the Effectiveness of Approaches
     • policies are being designed and implemented at global, regional and local scales but some issues still dog progress
       • - remediation and restoration of environment takes years - costs are enormous - negotiation and implementation of global and regional environmental policies are slow