Scarce Resources - Land, Water and Atmosphere
Declining Land Resources
Even if we take an unromantic view, we need land to live on, to feed us, to provide our raw materials, to provide an environment that sustains us and which allows the bio diversity for the global ecosystem to maintain the planet at a habitable level.
Yet clearing, deforestation, logging, urbanisation, soil degradation, chemical pollution, over chemical fertilisation, salinisation, overgrazing, land conversion, acidification, waterlogging, wind erosion, water erosion and desertification all damage this most valuable resource as we go through a population explosion (see Climate Change for numbers).
As we approach and pass Peak Oil, there is also the danger that wealthy nations will want to use vast tracts of land to grow biofuels to try and compensate for the diminishing fossil fuels, putting further pressure on virgin land and food growing areas.
Added to this, a western style of living requires a much greater land volume, so as more countries wish to economically develop the pressure mounts further.
Declining Water Resources
We appear to be a planet abounding in water, however it has been written that only about 2.5% is fresh water. Of this global fresh water more than two thirds is in glaciers and permanent snow, with the majority of the rest in underground aquifiers. A mere quarter of one percent is in rivers and lakes.
The fresh water in glaciers and permanent snow, along with the underground reservoir fresh water are defined as non-renewable (as they take more than a thousand years to recharge).
From 1900 to now the volume of fresh water reported to be used by man has gone up over six fold, and with a rising population and greater economic prosperity this is likely to increase.
At the same time we have pollution of ground water by fluorides, heavy metals, nitrates, pesticides, herbicides, bacteria, viruses, hydrocarbons, radioactive wastes, salts, solvents and other toxic chemicals.
Degraded Atmosphere
Back in the nineteen seventies, scandanavian countries found that their waterways were becoming more acidic, leading to a loss of life in them. It was initially suspected that because of the prevalent wind patterns this would have had to have come from the United Kingdom alone. However, studies indicated that the effect was coming from several northern european countries as well as from within Scandavia itself.
This is one example which shows that what has been described as the "Aerial Ocean" does not respect national boundaries. What we pump into the atmosphere will circulate and effect us all.
How do you find out more?
Excellent analysis backed by numerical data is provided by The Little Green Handbook: Seven Trends Shaping the Future of Our Planet
Other pertinent books include:
Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet: The New Geopolitics of Energy
Principles of Water Resources: History, Development, Management, and Policy
Natural Resources and Violent Conflict: Options and Actions
The RFF Reader in Environmental and Resource Policy
For businesses that wish to fast track their knowledge on these subjects,
please see our Executive Briefings section.
