Early in human history, people used energy for heating, lighting, and cooking. As humans began to farm larger areas of land, their energy demands changed. Domesticated animals were used for energy sources to pull plows. When the Industrial Revolution occurred, people’s energy demands further changed to meet the needs of industry. Work that was done by people and animals were then transferred over to machines. These machines required more natural resources such as iron and coal to produce large amounts of steel for tractors, pipes, and other devices.
As the population increased, the demand for more products, such as clothing, shoes, and household items required more energy to be produced. The increased use of machines eventually led to an increased need for power. The needed power could only come from natural resources. Causes . Some of the materials needed are renewable resources, such as agricultural and forestry products, while others are nonrenewable, such as minerals. The SIS’S reported in Materials Flow and Sustainability (1998) that the number of renewable resources is decreasing; meanwhile there is an increasing demand for nonrenewable resources
Over-consumption/excessive or unnecessary use of resources: Non-equitable distribution of resources Overpopulation Slash and burn agricultural practices, currently occurring in many developing countries Technological and industrial development Erosion Habitat degradation leads to the loss of Biodiversity (I. E. Species and ecosystems with its ecosystem services). Irrigation Mining for oil and minerals Aquifer depletion Forestry Forest Reserves within a particular country Pollution or contamination of resources pictures and definition The environment is being abused and this depletion of resources is one way of showing the effects.
Mining still pollutes the environment, only on a larger scale. . Drilling for oil has become a major issue. America is more abundant in coal but the effects on the atmosphere are far worse than oil. Some environmental experts are worried that oil and gas development will seriously harm the area. Deforestation is the clearing of natural forests by logging or burning of trees and plants in a forested area. As a result of deforestation, presently about one half of the forests that once overfed the Earth have been destroyed. T has got many worse affects on the atmosphere Because deforestation is so extensive,there are many impacts on the environment, including carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, changing the water cycle, an increase in soil erosion, and a decrease in biodiversity. Deforestation is often cited as a cause of global warming. Because trees and plants remove carbon dioxide and emit oxygen into the atmosphere, removal of trees causes higher rates of erosion, increasing risks of landslides, which is a direct threat to many people living close to deforested areas
Efforts to control deforestation must be taken on a global scale. [citation needed] Organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank have started to create programs like Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REED) that Reforestation is also being encouraged in many countries in an attempt to repair the damage that deforestation has done The future of our earth is at risk for losing these natural resources forever.
In conclusion, the depletion of natural resources caused by humans requires immediate and creative solutions for the benefit of our world. Planet Earth needs help in reducing the consumption of natural resources by people who need to create better solutions, for a path to an improved future. Humankind has consumed more natural resources over the past century than over all earlier centuries put together(Molar). If humankind consumes any more of these natural resources, there may not be any more for people in the next century.
Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth’s biodiversity with the aim of retesting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction Habitat conservation is a land management practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore, habitat areas for wild plants and animals, especially conservation reliant species, and prevent their extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range.
Natural resource management is a discipline in the management of natural resources such as land, water, soil, plants and animals, with a particular focus on how management affects the quality of life for both present and future generations.
