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