Resource Geography
Explain how the ten laws of resource geography enable a deeper understanding of the past, present, and future (mis)management of Earth’s resources.
Current definitions of natural resources generally rely on the argument by Zimmerman (1933), where he stated that “resources are not, they become.” Resources are therefore described as appraisals that are mediated culturally for the physical environment (@@@). These appraisals are shaped by belief systems, political institutions, economic factors, and social attributes. Using this perspective, resource geography aims at explaining how the global economy is differentiated and integrated by these mediations. It also aims at examining the environmental outcomes and the wellbeing
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However, there exist some uncertainties about several issues. For example, there exist uncertainties about the timing and magnitude of the threat, societal and environmental impacts and costs, and some other basic facts associated with the threat. There also exists an uncertainty about the policy options, and the affordability and feasibility of establishing national and international arrangements aimed at addressing the threat. Uncertainty has also developed among the public as a result of the complexity of the threats, miscommunications by the media, political controversies, and the unending debates among scientists and scholars. According to scientific understanding, four main sources of uncertainties have been identified. They …show more content…
As human-induced climate change is projected to occur in a very short time, it is essential to analyze and know the effects that the climate change will bring. Policy makers aim at making decisions that will have lasting effects in the reduction of global warming. However, it becomes difficult as uncertainties deem these efforts by policy makers as insufficient. Debates among policy makers and scientists on the level of acceptable certainty or uncertainty have taken root. The main question everyone in the society seeks answers is “how can science be trusted to project climate change when the results are incomplete or inconclusive?” this has been the main challengers that decision makers face. In response to this, the policy makers end up taking into consideration two options. They include reducing the effects of uncertainty, and bounding the uncertainty. Uncertainty can be reduced by strategies such as research, data collection, simulation, modeling, among others. However, reducing uncertainty becomes difficult, considering all the uncertainty associated with global environmental changes. Scientists end up managing uncertainty, which is viewed as the most effective strategy. This entails including and integrating uncertainty when making
In the article “Climate of Complete Certainty” by Bret Stephens, he argues upon the topic that politicians exaggerate scientific certitude to benefit themselves. Stephens uses Clinton’s campaign loss and the climatic debate as illustrations to show that scientific fact doesn’t always give the defining factor of gains or losses. As stated by Stephens, Brexit showed the Clinton campaign that the populist tide causes a major surprise factor when determining the end result. With this example in mind, Stephens conveys that the end result strayed away from absolute certainty. Another instance in which scientific certitude is altered is within the topic of climate change.
Global temperatures have noticeably been rising since the mid 1800’s.The average temperature has increased by 0.6 ± 0.2°C since 1860 according to (John Sweeney, 2003)with accelerated warming apparent in the latter decades of the 20th century. The legitimacy of global warming had long been debated, however in a report by (IPCC, 2007) it states that warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice and rising global average sea level. Simulations on models such as EC-Earth provide us with predictions for future climate change. Depending on levels of emissions an increase of 1 to 5.5 degrees celsius is expected in average global temperatures by 2100.
Inequality is why this world is very unequal. wouldn't you like to know why.Does geography
Rudel, K. Thomas, J. Timmons Roberts and JoAnn Carmin. 2011. “Political Economy of the Environment.” Annual Review of Sociology 37: 221-238.
Ross, M. L. (1999). The Species of the World. The Political Economy of the Resource Curse. World Politics, 51 (2), pp. 113-117.
Furthermore, this analysis must take place amidst serious gaps in the existing research and technology concerning the developing climatic conditions. For these reasons, global warming stands as one of the most daunting policy issues facing our world today. This is compounded by the debate over the very existence of climate change. While countless sources of empirical evidence testify to the very real presence of climate change the world over, considerable denial of the phenomenon still exists. The argument has been made that evidence of climate change is a gross overstatement, or in some cases, a complete fabrication.
“We are consuming the Earth’s natural resources beyond its sustainable capacity of renewal” said by Herman Daly, Beyond Growth, Boston 1996, 61[1] .
Tietenberg, Thomas. Environmental and Natural Resource Economics. Addison Wesley: New York, 2003. pp. 561. ISBN 0-201-77027-X, pp. 7-11.
Political ecology also involves conflicts between people and institutions over resources, in both developed world and developing world contexts. The use of natural resources and the creation of a sustainable environment is a critical issue that must be observed from different perspectives. Does it permit sustainable resources? Is it a threat to local security? How is income distributed through societies, both gender and location wise? Who decides how these are to be classified? These are key problems in political ecology.
Common pool resources have long stood as the obstacle for human’s domain over the Earth. Humans have successfully conquered many frontiers, whether it has been the vast and almost endless open oceans or the dry and arid deserts across the world. With persistent exploration, discovery, and through new science advancements, humans have learned to not only become familiar with these new frontiers but have learned to exploit them. But when it came to utilizing these frontiers, common pool resources often created problems for anyone who sought to control it. “Common pool resources,” according to the encyclopedia, are resources made available to all for consumption and to which access can be limited only by high cost. Whether people realize the effects of this term or not, the availability and accesses to common pool resources has always afflicted with the relationship between
Climate change has been an extremely controversial topic in recent history and continues to create much debate today. Many questions concerning climate change’s origins and its potential affect on the globe are not fully understood and remain unanswered. What is climate change? Is climate change happening? Is it a natural cycle of the world or are there other catalysts involved such as human activity? What proof is there? What data correlations show climate change is accelerated by humans? How serious is climate change and how will it affect the future of our globe? What are we doing to address climate change? Should we really be concerned about climate change? Questions such as these have made climate change a very serious issue in today’s world and created the ideology of climatism. The issue of climate change has affected many different aspects of our lives and the world we live in. Policymaking, human activism, technologies, emission control, global warming, alternative energy sources and many other things have been greatly affected by the mania of climate change. This research report will present climate change in a light of common sense and rationality that will take a grounded discussion of the science behind climate change, global warming, human activity, and how the ideology of climatism has corrupted and driven the actions to combat climate change.
The Earth is currently locked in perpetuating spiral of climate change. While the global climate has unarguably been changing since the dawn of it's manifestation, the once steadied ebb and flow of climate change has become increasingly more unpredictable.The risk of rising sea levels, and drought plaguing the fresh water supply, during the time that flooding and sporadic storm conditions turn once fully inhabited regions into uninhabitable death traps. Climate change catalyzed by human's increased production of carbon dioxide, is more noticeable than ever in our recorded history (United States, 2014 National Climate Assessment). Thankfully however, with the changing weather conditions due to carbon related emissions, the change in public opinion about their personalized influence on climate change is also increasing. Kevin Liptak Jethro Mullen, and Tom Cohen note that In reaction to the most recent governmental report on climate change, even the U.S. government believes that a stronger approach needs to be taken to correct our self-generated cataclysm.
Adams, W. M. (1999). Sustainability. In P. Cloke., P. Crang & M. Goodwin (Eds.), Introducing human geographies (pp. 125-130). London: Arnold.
Natural resources serving our need and want by providing shelter, foods, air, water and energy. However, we can see today, the exploitation of natural resources for own goods, economic gain, and development causes the excessive use of resources, deforestation and mining for oil and minerals, that finally bring to the depletion of natural resources. What are the effects if natural resources are not protect by public? As we can see today, air pollution, land and water disruption, decease such as asthma due to the air pollution are the consequences if...
have more of a major effect on the company's health. Irving Burstiner was quoted in in The