GEOG 1000 1st Edition Exam 2 Study Guide Units 3 5 Unit 3 2 20 3 4 Resources and Food Extractions humans extract what they need food metals minerals Division of labor unique to humans Environmental Determinism the environment in which a society lives determines its trajectory Possibilism the environment sets constraints for development but human culture sets the final course Uneven Spatial Development economic social and political outcomes are unevenly distributed Jared Diamond author of Guns Germs and Steel Environmental determinist Argued that history can be boiled down to geographical preconditions for food production and technological development not because of any superiority between civilizations Resources Natural resource anything created through a natural process that is beneficial to humans Most important food Proved reserve portion of natural resources that has been found and can economically be developed 3 Elements of Society 1 Cultural values that influence the decision that the resource is desirable and acceptable to use 2 Level of technology must be sufficient to enable use of the resource 3 Economic system determines if a resource is affordable and accessible i e a proved resource View of resources can change over time If resources become scarce or increase in waste 1 New technologies permit the substitution of new materials 2 New technologies permit a more efficient use of resources 3 New technologies permit the recycling of material that was once considered waste Renewable resource nature can regenerate as fast as the resources are used by humans Perpetual resources renewable come from a source that is virtually inexhaustible and indestructible Example wind solar tidal geothermal energy Potentially renewable resources that can regenerate in a short time span but humans can also destroy Example forests Nonrenewable resource cannot regenerate within the time period that they are consumed Mineral resources derived from the lithosphere Nonmetallic stone graphite are generally easier to obtain Larger the country the more likely it is to contain commercially exploitable deposits Cartel controls the output levels and price of mineral resources that are concentrated in a few countries Work best when demand is strong Minerals are nonrenewable Economic issue Externality is a gain or loss to someone due to the actions of someone else Positive externality is a reward one receives for these actions Negative eternality is a cost one incurs due to these actions Example pollution Producer externalizes cost to maximize profits Consumer externalizes cost to maximize consumer surplus Controversial no one wants to pay for externalities aka fossil fuels pollution etc Waste 1 Landfill disposal 2 Incineration can also be used to convert waste to energy Drawbacks toxic substances released concentrates waste waste has to be shipped 3 Recycling Barriers waste separation consumer resistance lack of market and hidden costs Energy Resources Fossil Fuels Oil natural gas and coal Account for 90 of all energy production Most important resource for the rest of the world Reserves concentrated in a few countries Coal Most abundant of the fossil fuels Most environmentally harmful Most difficult to transport Natural Gas Concentrated in former Soviet Union and Middle East Trade between Russia and Europe Oil Most widely used Most concentrated in Middle East Middle East produces far more oil than it consumes Global political importance Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries cartel Transported by pipelines or tanker ships Peak Oil highest production level may occur within the estimated 40 years left that the reserves can meet demands Renewable Energy Resources Nuclear Power Potential accidents Chernobyl Three Mile Island Fukushima Radioactive waste High cost No new plant in US since 1978 Biomass Most widely used in developing countries Plant material and animal waste Hydro electric Power Second most commonly used to produce electricity Only where is it available Negative damming of rivers Geothermal Energy from the earth s heat below the surface Good for heating or to generate electricity Wind Renewable Consume land Hazard to birds Solar Solar thermal energy Least area needed to generate power Air and Water resources Vital for humans When the concentration of waste exceeds a threshold that air water becomes polluted Pollution Higher in more concentrated areas urban areas Point pollution enter environment at specific sites easier to deal with Waste treatment plant Nonpoint Pollution diffuse into environment Example automobile exhaust Air pollution Occurs when trace substances exceed average levels in the air Natural sources of air pollution volcanic ash marsh gases smoke windblown dust Primary pollutants CO2 carbon monoxide sulfur oxides nitrogen oxides hydrocarbons Factors that affect air pollution climate weather wind patterns topography Acid Rain result of pollution when sulfur and nitrogen oxides combine with water vapor Effects soil water and materials Big problem in developing countries Photochemical Smog Nitrous oxides from automobile and industry exhausts Creates respiratory problems Ozone Depletion Is being depleted by chemical reactions with CFC s chlorofluorocarbons halons carbon tetrachloride and methyl chloroform Hole in the southern hemisphere increase in skin cancer eye cataracts effects on ocean Water Pollution Water is the universal solvent 4 contributors Agriculture industry mining and municipalities and resources Dissolved oxygen is a major problem for aquatic life Disease wastewater management Forest resources Renewable resource that needs to be managed Importance Carbon cycle reduce erosion habitat fuel shelter food and medicine Sustained yield selective cutting instead of clear cutting Food The Human Food Supply Problem of distributing rather than quantity produced Thomas Malthus came to conclusion that humanity would not be able to feed itself forever Food production grows 1 2 3 4 5 but population grows 2 4 8 16 32 Malthus was wrong increase in the availability of food More naturally fertile soils came under cultivation The transplanting of food crops to new areas where they are more productive Improvements in the transportation and storage of food refrigeration Scientific revolution in agriculture expand and raise productivity of cultivated areas The Green Revolution Produce food through hybrid strains new breeds of crops Norman Borlaug the man who saved a billon lives