10. The Future of Natural Resource

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10.The Future of Natural Resource
Environmental Management

• Larry D. Sanders
• AGEC 3503
• Spring 2006

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FACT OR MYTH?(relative to planet Earth)

• 1. There will always be more people.
• There will never be more land.
• 2. The world was made for humans.
• Humans were made to conquer and rule it.
• 3. All production processes/systems have
  limits.
• Ignorance of social benefits/costs leads to
  inefficiency possibly irreversible impacts.
• Humans are superior to all life forms.

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1. There will always be more people. There will
never be more land.
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2. The world was made for humans.Humans were
made to conquer and rule it.
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3A. All production processes/ systems have
limits.
OUTPUT
INPUT
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3B. The Law of Diminishing Returns shows that
all production processes/ systems have limits.
But, technology helps . . .
OUTPUT
META-INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE
INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE
AGRICULTURE
HUNT/GATHER
INPUT
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4a. Ignorance of social benefits leads to
inefficiency possibly irreversible impacts
undervaluing of benefits.

MB(p)
MC(p, s)
P
P
MB(s)
OUTPUT
Q
Q
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4b. Ignorance of social costs leads to
inefficiency possibly irreversible impacts
undervaluing costs.

MC(s)
MC(p)
P
P
MB(p, s)
OUTPUT
Q
Q
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5. Humans are superior to all life forms.

• The history of life on Earth . . . refutes the
  claim that it is better to be smart than to be
  stupid, at least judging by biological success
  beetles and bacteria, for example are vastly more
  successful than humans in terms of survival.
• --Noam Chomsky, Hegemony or Survival, p.1,
  Metropolitan/Owl Books, Henry Holt and Company,
  New York, 2003 (Chomsky was summarizing the
  thoughts of biologist Ernst Mayr on the future
  prospects of human survival).
• Are we nearing our 100,000 years of species
  average life span?

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What to do? (if youre a believer that human
perception of use of the planet needs to change)

• Remember the ad Teacher seeking student who
  wants to save the world? The key is to undo
  misperceptions abusive behavior
• If its undone, it will be undone by a whole new
  generation of authors teachers. One of which
  is you. . . . Parents, teach your children.
  Children, teach your parents. Teachers, teach
  your pupils. Pupils, teach your teachers.
• Vision is the river, and we who have been
  changed are the flood.
• . . . The world will not be saved by old minds
  with new programs. If the world is saved, it
  will be saved by new minds with no programs.
• --Quinn, D., The Story of B, Bantam Books, New
  York, 1996.

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You have changed . . .

• You are a different person than when you started
  the course. Yet much of you is the same. Think
  on that.
• Steel your opinions with accurate insightful
  information (knowledge).
• Temper your informed opinions with critical
  thinking.
• Test your critical thought with open-minded
  dialogue.
• Share what you know learn.

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We are only here to learn and have fun . . .

• Thinking outside the box means giving up the
  packaging, and perhaps the contents.
• Reframe the questions in ways that free you up
  to be creative in finding new solutions.
• Applying such focus to natural resource and
  environmental issues will be among the most
  important work youll ever do.
• If you dont know how to do that yet, that is
  your next learning challenge.