CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Dr. Md. Shahadat Hossen Associate Professor Department of Environmental Science

What is nature and resources

Nature as all living organisms and the environments in which they live, and Resources in ecological point of view as anything in the environment which can be used. The definition of these two terms brings to mind of the word natural resources.
Natural resources are any form of matter or energy obtained from the physical environment that meet human needs. This definition of natural resources is not as simple as it appears. Most resources are created by human ingenuity. Oil was once a useless fluid until humans learned how to locate it, extract it from the ground, and separate it by distillation into various components such as gasoline, home heating oil, and road tar.
Whether something is classified as a resource depends on technology, economics, cultural beliefs, and the environmental effects of finding and using it.

Classification of natural resources:

Renewable resources The resources that can be replenished through rapid natural cycles are known as renewable resource. They are generally living resources (fish, and forests, for example), which can restock (renew) themselves if they are not overharvested. Non-renewable resources The nonrenewable resources are the earths materials. The resources that cannot be replenished through natural processes are known as non-renewable resources. fossil fuels, such as coal, petroleum and natural gas are considered non-renewable resources.

Non-renewable resources can further be divided into two categories, viz. a) recycle able and b) non-recyclable
a) Re-cycleale: These are non-renewable resources, which can be collected after they are used and can be recycled. These are mainly the non-energy mineral resources, which occur in the earths crust (e.g. ores of aluminium, copper, mercury etc.) and deposits of fertilizer nutrients (e.g. phosphate sock and potassium and minerals used in their natural state (asbestos, clay, mica etc.) b) Non-recyclable: These are non-renewable resources, which cannot be recycled in any way. Examples of these are fossil fuels and uranium, which provide 90 90 per cent of our energy requirements.

Resources can also be classified on biotic and abiotic:

Biotic resources are derived from animals and plants (living world). Abiotic resouces are derived from the non-living world e.g. land, water, and air.
Mineral and power resources can also be abiotic resources some are derived from nature.

In terms of availability, resources could be classed as inexhaustible and exhaustible

NATURAL RESOURCES

NATURAL CAPITAL
Natural Capital = Natural Resources + Natural Services
Solar capital

Air Air purification Climate control UV protection (ozone layer) Water Water purification Waste treatment Nonrenewable minerals iron, sand) Oil Nonrenewable energy (fossil fuels) Natural resources Natural services Soil Soil renewal Land Food production Nutrient recycling Renewable energy (sun, wind, water flows) Life (biodiversity) Population control Pest control

Natural resources and their uses

Soil: Used for growing crops (only 10% of the earth's surface). Soil can be used for shelter. Many tribal people around the world create shelters with the help of soil. Water: Used for drinking (only 0.0007% of earth's water is suitable for drinking. The rest is salt water, water trapped in glaciers, or polluted. Freshwater is used for irrigation of crops. Water bodies such as oceans, lakes, and rivers of the world can be used for transportation. Fishing is a valuable source of food within certain water bodies. The water from rivers is used to generate hydro-electricity. Minerals: Minerals can be defined as naturally occurring substances obtained from the ground. Some examples are coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron, copper, gold, etc. They are also absorbed by plants from the earth's surface, and are transferred to humans through food. They (coal, natural gas, and fossil fuels) are a source of energy. Used as ingredients to make other materials like iron ore, steel, and petroleum. Petroleum is used to make a variety of by-products like gasoline, plastic, etc. Can be used in its natural form like salt.

Natural resources and their uses

Vegetation: Land is used for farming from which vegetables, grains, and fruits are grown. Wood from trees is cut and processed to make furniture for homes and to provide for construction materials. It's used for cooking and also as fuel to produce heat for warmth. Clothing - clothes are made from cotton. Plants are used as an ingredient in medicines. Animals: Animals are used as food, and their waste is used as fertilizer for crops. We get fur and hide from animals which are both used for making clothes. Used for transportation.

The history of human resource use

wood and the sun

food, basic housing and weapons Wood consumption much higher

fossil fuels-coal, oil and gas

Environmental impacts of natural resource use

The use of natural resources can lead to a variety of environmental impacts:
Direct impacts of extraction, for example the impacts on nature and the landscape of opencast mining. Disruption of materials cycles by the introduction of previously unavailable matter into the biosphere (such as carbon, phosphate and heavy metals), or major movements of materials through the biosphere (e.g. the nutrients N and P), or the loss of natural areas (loss of fixed C, N and P as a result of deforestation and erosion).

Table : an indication of the type of environmental impacts resulting from the use of a number of important groups of natural resources
Category Direct impacts of extraction and distribution
Large local/regional impacts on the landscape and Ecotoxicological pollution

Disturbance to material cycles

Carbon cycle is greatly enlarged (greenhouse effect) Metal fluxes are increased (metals are present as contaminants) Sulphur cycle is enlarged

Other relevant environmental impacts

Greatest cause of acidification, important source of acidifying compounds in Western countries Calamities during extraction and distribution with large impacts on nature Disasters during extraction and distribution with large impacts on nature. Ecotoxicological impacts of pesticide use

Use of fossil fuels

Use of mineral reserves

Large local/regional impacts on the landscape and ecotoxicological pollution Clearance and loss of forest area, loss of soil, consumption of groundwater reserves

The use on non-ferrous metal in particular (e.g. copper, zinc, lead and cadmium) is responsible for a steep rise in metal fluxes Disruption of nutrient cycles, reduced carbon storage function Other greenhouse gas cycles affected Eutrophication and acidification due to use of nutrients or exhaustion due to use of nutrients

Use of wood fibres as fuel and material (forestry)

Fisheries

Use of water

Overexploitation and Disruption of nutrient cycles shrinkage of fish stocks, loss of biodiversity Falling water tables, salination, exhaustion of groundwater reserves, damage to ecosystems

Resource Depletion
Resource depletion is an economic term referring to the exhaustion of raw materials within a region. Use of either any forms of resources beyond their rate of replacement is considered to be resource depletion.

NATURAL CAPITAL DEGRADATION

Degradation of Normally Renewable Natural Resources
Climate change Air pollution Shrinking forests Decreased wildlife habitats Soil erosion Species extinction

Water pollution Declining ocean fisheries

Aquifer depletion

Causes of Resource Depletion

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 Irrigation Mining for oil and minerals drainage of wetlands Climate change

Challenges in sustainable use of resources

1. Human behaviour Human behaviours have said to make things worse by these activities; having too many children agricultural burning over consumption of resources failure to re-cycle production/disposal of toxic waste improper disposal of human waste improper disposal of garbage mis-use of pesticides overcrowding economic dependence on growth depletion of soils by over farming

2. Human population and consumption level The world population is projected to exceed 9 billion people by 2050. As always, population growth has a marked influence on levels of consumption and the efficiency of resource use. The impacts of the growing world population on land, water, energy, and biota resources are real and indeed overwhelming.

3. Economic growth Historically there has been a close correlation between economic growth and environmental degradation. As communities grow, so do the environment declines. There is concern that, unless resource use is checked, modern global civilization will follow the path of ancient civilizations that collapsed through over exploitation of their resource base.

Obstacle to sustainability in the use of resources

(a) Inability to replace ecological functions - While it is possible that we can find ways to replace some natural resources, it is much more unlikely that they will ever be able to replace eco-system services, such as the protection provided by the ozone layer, or the climate stabilizing function of the Amazonian forest. (b) Natural resources multifunction - A further obstacle to sustainability lies also in the multi-functionality of many natural resources. Forests, for example, does not only provide the raw material for paper which can be substituted quite easily, but they also maintain biodiversity, regulate water flow, and absorb Carbon dioxide. (c) Partial irreversibility of natural resources - Another problem of natural resources deterioration lies in their partial irreversibility. For example, the loss in biodiversity is often definite and consumption of natural capital or resources may have no observable impact until a certain threshold is reached. (d) Complementary role of resources The Ecological Economist Herman Daly had once asked, "What use is a saw mill without a forest?" From this perspective, the economy is a subsystem of human society, which is itself a subsystem of the biosphere and a gain in one sector is a loss from another.

Role of an Individual in Conservation of Natural Resources

Conserve Water: 1. Dont keep water taps running while brushing, shaving, washing or bathing. 2. In washing machines fill the machine only to the level required for your clothes. 3. Install water saving toilets that use not more than 6 liters per flush. 4. Check for water leaks in pipes and toilets and repair them promptly. 5. Reuse the soapy water of washing from clothes for gardening, driveways etc. 6. Water the plants and the lawns in the evening when evaporation losses are minimum. Never water the plants in mid-day. 7. Install a system to capture rain water. Protect the Soil: 1. Grow different types of ornamental plants, herbs and trees in your garden. Grow grass in the open areas which will bind the soil and prevent its erosion. 2. Make compost from your kitchen waste and use it for your kitchen-garden. 3. Do not irrigate the plants using a strong flow of water as it would wash off the soil. 4. Better use sprinkling irrigation.

Conserve energy: 1. Turn off lights fans and other appliances when not in use. 2. Obtain as much heat as possible from natural sources. Dry the clothes in sun instead of direr if possible. 3. Use solar cooker for cooking which will be more nutritious and will save your LPG expenses. 4. Build your house with provision for sunspace which will keep your house warmer and will provide more light. 5. Drive less, make fewer trips and use public transportations whenever possible. Share a car-pool if possible. 6. Control the use of A.C. 7. Recycle and reuse glass, metals and papers. 8. Use bicycle or just walk down small distances instead of using vehicle. Promote Sustainable Agriculture: 1. Do not waste food; Take as much as you can eat. 2. Reduce the use of pesticides. 3. Fertilize your crop with organic fertilizers. 4. Use drip irrigation. 5. Eat local and seasonal vegetables. 6. Control pests.