Danger Of Natural Resources Exhaustion

Danger of Natural Resources Exhaustion

In the last 200 years, the world’s population, which grew exponentially in almost the entire nineteenth century and much of the 20 exercises on the natural resources of the earth.

An example of this has been the environmental crisis that we currently live which has increased dramatically, this due to the generation of waste and the excessive use of natural resources, as well as the lack of awareness of environmental problems and excessive consumerism. Therefore, we are facing a serious problem of exhausting basic natural resources, without taking into account that most human beings have reduced access to these.

Natural resources are those that the planet gives us without the need for human intervention. They are indispensable to subsist, but if they are consumed at a rate greater than that of their natural regeneration, as is currently the case, they can quickly exhaust. However, it is possible to adopt measures that lead to responsible consumption and sustainable use of resources. Not all are simple measures, but it is urgent to start applying them to reduce the negative impact that has been caused to the planet.

The idea of ​​resource is associated with limitation, that of something that is valuable to meet needs but that is often not available to everyone. Therefore, the exhaustion of resources is one of the problems that most socially worry, as demonstrated at the first summit of the land organized by the United Nations in Rio in the year of 1992.

As mentioned above, natural resources are indispensable for our survival on the planet, so it is important to know them for their best preservation. There are two types of natural resources: renewable and non -renewable.

Renewable resources are inexhaustible, such as solar radiation, tides, wind and hydroelectric energy, this are perpetual resources that are not in danger of exhausted in the long term. Some renewable resources such as geothermal energy, fresh water, wood and biomass must be carefully handled to avoid exceeding the world’s global capacity of the same.

Non -renewable resources are those resources that exist in nature in a limited way because their regeneration implies the passage of many years. Non -renewable resource is considered to a natural resource that cannot be produced, regenerated or reused at such a scale that can sustain its consumption rate. These resources commonly exist in fixed quantities or are consumed much faster than nature can produce them. Some of the non -renewable resources are: oil, minerals, metals, natural gas and groundwater deposits, (provided they are confined aquifers without recharge).

Human beings have been exhausting those resources (especially non -renewable) of the planet and the levels of quality of life will begin to decrease around 2030 unless immediate measures are taken. The World Nature Fund (WWF) indicates that the current overexploitation of natural resources is generating a huge deficit, since every year 20% more than those that can be regenerated are consumed and that percentage does not stop growing.

So, if it follows at this rate, 2 would be needed.5 Planets to supply us by 2050, according to the latest planet Vivo (2016) report. This publication affirms that the world population of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles decreased 58% between 1970 and 2012 due to human activities and predicts that, in 2020, that percentage will be triggered to 67%.

When the exhaustion of resources is mentioned, we refer to an overexploitation of them. The overexploitation of natural resources originates when organisms are extracted or ecosystems are exploited at a rate greater than that of their natural regeneration. Therefore, there are many activities that cause this problem and few prevention and eradication measures.

The greatest impact of overexploitation is the loss of biodiversity, that is, the extinction of the resource, which has other consequences, both environmental (for example, the interruption of trophic networks) and socioeconomic since an important source of income is lost.

The economy plays a very important role in the overexploitation of non -renewable resources since these are exploited by the human being in exchange for a monetary value that will depend on their shortage and demand. Its usefulness as resources depends on its applicability, but also on the economic and energy cost of its location and exploitation.

Therefore, the overexploitation of natural resources is the excessive use of these, that is, it occurs when humans abuse these to the point that they are not allowed to be renewed in time and even exhaust them or extinguish them. Currently, the overexploitation of wood, forests, navy or oceans, animals, etc.

This act causes big problems throughout the planet, although we do not want.

In a report by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) of 2013, which collects the study of climate change, fishing and aquaculture in Latin America, it is pointed out that global climate change entails in addition to the increase in the average temperature of the planet a Series are other potentially harmful alterations for fishing and sustainable aquaculture, such as:

1. changes in sea temperature at local level;
2. ocean acidification;
3. increase in sea level;
4. changes in the concentration of environmental oxygen;
5. increase in the severity and frequency of storms;
6. Changes in the circulation patterns of sea currents;
7. changes in rain patterns;
8. changes in river flows; Y
9. Changes in biogeochemical flows (nitrogen).

It is therefore insisted on the need to increase efforts to disseminate and raise awareness among people on their effects and to adopt the minor and adaptation measures. Problems and imbalances are enhanced like this, endangering the survival of the human species. A clear example of this is another essential resource in recoil: that of forest mass. In the last 100 years the planet has lost almost half of its forest area.

As reports from FAO (food and agriculture organization), the land continues to lose net every year 11.2 million hectares of virgin forests. This happens, according to reports from the World Fund for Nature (WWF), as a consequence mainly of its use as a source of energy of agricultural and livestock expansion and mining and activities of wood companies. A report by the Brazilian government recognized in 1999 that 80% of the wood extracted from the Amazon was obtained without permission.

This reduction in forests, particularly serious in the case of tropical jungles, not only increases the greenhouse effect, by reducing the absorption of carbon dioxide, but also aggravates the decrease in water resources: as the roof Forestry diminishes, logically increases the runoff of rain, which favors floods, soil erosion and reduces the amount that filters on Earth to recharge aquifers.

Like this, there are many more examples of all the damages that have been done to the environment because of the excessive use of its natural resources. All these events entail a consequence and if you want to preserve the future of humanity, the changes must be made from now. We can all contribute to this defense of the environment and protection of vital resources. We can all and we must apply the three R method (reduce, reuse and recycle) and contribute to the necessary collective decision -making.

In short, the danger of exhaustion of resources and anthropic transformation of ecosystems, due to our life forms, is really very high and requires the urgent adoption of savings, protection and regeneration measures, a transformation of the forms must be proposed of production and consumption, of the use of energy and the management of natural resources, as well as the forms of occupation and use of the territory as part of the necessary revolution for a sustainable future.

Regarding this, many experts have shown with numerous sector studies that can achieve a reduction of 80% in the use of resources in agriculture, transport, buildings and a series of manufacturing industries. But the lack of world agreements and consequent regulations of mandatory compliance, they point out, prevents companies and governments from adopting the necessary measures: in a globalized economy, no one decides to act in isolation for fear of losing competitiveness. This refers us to the need for universal governance for sustainability. It must be considered that planet Earth is no longer an inexhaustible source of resources and that its exploitation must be considered in the medium term and not focus only on the present.