Global resources: How can you protect the planet?

Geraldyne
Meridian Junior College
Singapore

Global resources are a part of the natural environment that people value, such as soil, oil, other energy sources and water. It also consists of land, labour, capital and entrepreneurship used in the production of goods and services. However, the recent population increase combined with much higher per capita consumption of materials and energy, has produced huge jumps in global energy consumption, carbon emissions, water use, fish consumption, land degradation and deforestation. We are now faced with scarce resources and environmental degradation, and unless we make an effort to protect the planet, there could be a day when all our resources are entirely used up.

Environmentalists, governments and international bodies, such as the United Nations, have expressed concerns about the depletion of our resources and pollution. Thus, we need to do something to protect the planet and evaluate if current eco-friendly policies are useful.

Land, a non-renewable resource, is considered to be a scarce resource as it is now used for more human activities due to globalisation. Humans engage in logging to clear land for the development of roads and factories and, in the process, clear away animals' natural habitats. In addition, nomadic farming practices can cause land to be degraded and also reduces the amount of land for farmers to grow crops. Humans also clear land for agriculture, and in many economically less developed countries, the farmers cannot afford expensive high-tech machines, and thus they resort to using the slash-and-burn method to clear land for agriculture. An example would be Indonesia, where these methods were used, resulting in huge forest fires and air pollution.

In addition, although fertility rates have dropped sharply in recent years in most poor countries, the largest number of girls ever born has yet to reach their reproductive years. This will ensure a tremendous momentum behind global population growth. The planet's population will expand by almost a third, which will be two billion extra people by year 2025. As such, the amount of land available to meet our increasing needs may not be enough.

Not only has our usage caused a problem of land scarcity, it has also led to other repercussions. For example, landslides and flooding rivers and streams are happening more often. This is because, with the lack of trees, there is less water absorbed by the tree roots and, as such, there is more surface run-off that affects slope stability and rivers. It also results in more barren land. The haze caused by the slash-and-burn method of land clearing has an impact on our planet. Firstly, the haze affects the tourism economy of the neighbouring countries and, at the same time, it causes serious air pollution.

With all these negative impacts and the scarcity of land, some policies have already been put into place. These have included the establishment of nature reserves and fines for illegal logging. However, this has proved to be ineffective. Thus, public education to promote sustainable development and the need to use recycled paper could be more forcefully implemented. It can be done through sales promotions, so as to encourage people to choose recycled paper. This may help to improve the situation.

Another major global resource that people are concerned about is fuel, such as oil and coal. There are more needs for fuel now due to increasing levels of industrialisation. China, the former Soviet Union, Africa and Latin America are likely to increase their share of oil consumption in order to modernise. However, fuel is also a non- renewable resource and thus, if we continue to use it, it may soon run out.

With oil demand rising to 100 million barrels a day by 2020, which is an increase of one to three per cent a year, it is crucial that we look into alternative forms of energy. Currently, the alternative forms of energy used would mainly be hydroelectric power and solar energy. However, these forms of energy require high set-up costs. Human waste can be used as an alternative source of energy to be used as fuels for heating and power in diesel energy boilers. However, this form of energy is not widely promoted. In addition, a Canadian company produces 22,000 tonnes of bio-oil each year from waste wood chips. If these alternative energy sources were more widely promoted and supported by the governments, it could reduce the burden on our planet and, most importantly, it is economically friendly as well.

Water also needs our protection because of its scarcity and the increase in pollution. The availability of clean water around the world is depleting and with the average consumption per person per day at 80 gallons, and an increase in water usage for industrialisation, it is no wonder that we face scarcity.

The availability of clean water is decreasing due to droughts and an increase in global temperatures, which are the results of our increased carbon emissions that led to global warming in the first place. For example, the water level in China's largest river, the Huang He, is dropping annually due to the increase in droughts in China. The number of oil spillages has also increased significantly causing water pollution. This reduces the amount of clean water and at the same time results in another problem, which is coral bleaching.

Due to the high water pollution, reef-building corals are growing at a very slow rate. This unbalances the biodiversity of marine life. In addition, many marine animals, such as dolphins and seagulls, are killed due to water pollution. To help save water from pollution, governments can enforce a yardstick for the construction of ships, so as to reduce the chance of spillages when they are out at sea. In the short term, governments can also undertake river-cleaning campaigns. However, these measures may not be fully effective because ships might then be illegally manufactured in an attempt to not adhere to the yardstick and river-clean ups are not economically friendly. As such, public education on the importance of keeping water clean would be where the governments should start.

Water scarcity can also be tackled by public education. Governments can be more aggressive in the publicity of the 3 'Rs' – reduce, reuse and recycle. This would help to ensure that we have enough water and that it would not be depleted so quickly.

Our global resources are not abundant or infinite; there will be a day when they run out. In addition, our usage of the resources without the consideration of the consequences, have led to their scarcity and other environmental problems, such as pollution and global warming. As such, it is important that we do something to protect our planet, as we cannot just take freely without giving back. Therefore, it is critical that the governments and national bodies work hand in hand to bring this message across to people and help in all environmental efforts.

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