Resource and environmental issues

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Resource and environmental issues
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Example of Environmental issues

• Deforestation
• Environmental Impacts of Mining
• Global Warming
• Tragedy of the commonsoverfishing and other

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Deforestation
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Jungle burned for agriculture in southern Mexico
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Logging in Malaysia.
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Environmental impacts caused by deforestation

• Burning forests and decay of wood after logging
  contribute to the release of greenhouse gases
• Loss of biodiversity
• Forests are important parts of hydrologic cycle
  in nature

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Mining
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Chuquicamata, the largest open pit copper mine in
the world, Chile
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Iron hydroxide precipitate stains a stream
receiving acid drainage from surface coal mining.
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Environmental impacts of mining

• Land/soil erosion
• Formation of sinkholes,
• Loss of biodiversity in the area
• Contamination of groundwaters by chemicals from
  the mining process and products.
• Abandoned mines can still pose safety hazards
  such as deadly gases

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Chemicals used for mining

• Sodium cyanide for extraction of gold
• Sulphuric acid for extraction of copper from
  copper oxides
• If these chemicals are not handled properly,
  serious environmental impacts may occur to the
  neighbouring environment

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Global Warming
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Environmental Effects ofGlobal Warming

• Melting of permafrost and polar ice
• Rising sea level
• Spread of pests and disease
• Ecological impacts (e.g. disturbed life cycle of
  flora-fauna)

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This image is of the Easton Glacier on Mount
Baker in the North Cascades of Washington taken
in 2003. It shows the terminus position of the
glacier in 1985 as well.
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Tragedy of the Commons

• Free access and unrestricted demand for a finite
  resource ultimately dooms the resource through
  over-exploitation.
• Release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is
  one example. As everyone can release carbon
  dioxide into the atmosphere with little personal
  consequence, people tends to care very little
  about limiting its emission.
• Overfishing in the open sea is another example.
  If everyone with a fishing boat can fish as much
  as they like, they will eventually drive the fish
  stock to commercially extinct.

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State of Global Fisheries

• The FAO State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture
  2004 report estimates that in 2003, of the main
  fish stocks or groups of resources for which
  assessment information is available,
  "approximately one-quarter were overexploited,
  depleted or recovering from depletion and needed
  rebuilding.
• edible fish are endangered in 14 of the world's
  16 major fishing areas

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This is another example
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• If anyone can throw charms onto the wishing tree
  (a shared resource) without caring the
  consequence, the tree will eventually collapse.

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Any solution?

• Some suggested that overexploitation of a
  resource can be solved by proper management of
  the property right to use the resource.
• Licensing and tradeable quota are some possible
  financial instruments.

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Question

• If there is another wishing tree, how should it
  be managed?