Environment

Environment

Production & Consumption of Resources
1. The Resource Curse Thesis
  1. definition
    1. resource-abundant economies performed worse in terms of rates of economic development
  2. factors
    1. 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
      1. not inevitable --> effective gorvernment policy can use resource income to promote more diversified economy and sustain living standards
    2. 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
2. distributions
  1. Oil Production & Consumption - produce most Middle East - produce least South & Central America - consume most Asia Pacific - consume least Africa
  2. Natural Gas Production & Consumption - produce and consume most Europe - produce most and least South & Central America
Energy Resource
1. explanation
  1. - 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
    1. 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
Resource
1. definition
  1. substance useful to humans, economically feasible and socially acceptable to use
2. implications
  1. dynamic, intimately linked to evolution of human society --> as new tech emerge old tech and associated resources become redundant
    1. e.g. flint --> essential during Stone Age for making tools but has limited value now
  2. new tech create new demands and concerns, control over supply is important in political and economic powers
    1. e.g. availability of rare earth metals used in 'green' tech
3. dimensions
  1. dynamic nature of resources --> difficult to estimate resource availability level and scarcity
    1. types & concerns
      1. Physical - exhaust minerals and energy - human population exceed food production capacity
      2. Economic - rich always outbid poor for essential resources - need exceed ability to pay for supplies (RESOURCE POVERTY)
      3. Renewable & Environmental - distribution of bio-geographical cycles threaten sustainability of earth life - pollution exceeds absorptive capacity --> economic and health problems
The Society-Environment Relationships
1. Sustainable Development
  1. - 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
    1. 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?
2. Approaches to Environmentalism
  1. e.g. international agreements, legislature, lifestyle changes, community living and through direct action
  2. Reformist Approach
    1. - modified sustainable economic growth - large technological development as solutions for environmental problems - environmental solutions to coexist with existing social and political structures
  3. Radial Approach
    1. - limits to economic growth and presents uncontrolled economic growth as undesirable - distrust of scientific and technological fixes - radial social and political change
3. Assessing the Effectiveness of Approaches
  1. policies are being designed and implemented at global, regional and local scales but some issues still dog progress
    1. - remediation and restoration of environment takes years - costs are enormous - negotiation and implementation of global and regional environmental policies are slow

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	Created by Baby Diamonde about 6 years ago