Chapter 14

Resource Issues

An Introduction to Human GeographyThe Cultural Landscape, 8e

James M. Rubenstein

PPT by Abe Goldman

Resource Depletion

• Energy resources– Fossil fuel supply– Distribution of fossil fuels– World petroleum control– Nonrenewable substitutes

• Mineral resources– Nonmetallic minerals– Metallic minerals

U.S. Energy Consumption 1850–2000

Fig. 14-1: The main energy sources in the U.S. have changed over time as total energy use has increased. Growth was particularly rapid in the 1950s and 1960s.

Coal Production

Fig. 14-2a: China and the U.S. are the world’s largest coal producers. Little coal is produced in most of Africa and some of Latin America.

Coal Reserves

Fig. 14-2b: The U.S., Russia, China, and India have the largest reserves of coal.

Petroleum Production

Fig. 14-3a: Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the U.S. are the world’s largest petroleum producers.

Petroleum Reserves

Fig. 14-3b: Two-thirds of the world’s known petroleum reserves are in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia alone has over one-quarter of world reserves.

Natural Gas Production

Fig. 14-4a: Russia, the U.S., and Canada are the world’s largest natural gas producers.

Natural Gas Reserves

Fig. 14-4b: Russia has the world’s largest natural gas reserves. Iran and other Mid-Eastern countries have large reserves, but the U.S. has relatively little.

Per Capita Energy Consumption

Fig. 14-5a: Energy consumption per person in MDCs is far larger than in LDCs.

World Energy Consumption

Fig. 14-5b: The U.S., with about 5% of world population, consumes about 25% of world energy.

U.S. Oil Imports, 1973 and 2003

Fig. 14-6: U.S. oil imports increased from about one-quarter to over one-half of consumption between 1973 and 2003. Total consumption also increased from 4.5 to 6.1 billion barrels.

Nuclear Power Production

Fig. 14-7: Nuclear power as a percent of total electricity. A number of European countries as well as Japan and South Korea rely most heavily on nuclear power.

Nuclear Power in the U.S.

Fig. 14-8: Location of current nuclear power plants in the U.S. and nuclear power as a percent of total electricity in U.S. states.

Elements in the Earth’s Crust

Fig. 14-9: Oxygen and silicon are the most abundant elements in the Earth’s crust.

Ferrous Metal Production

Fig. 14-10: Iron ore is the most important ferrous metal. Brazil, Australia, and China account for one-half of world production.

Nonferrous Metal Production

Fig. 14-11: Australia is the leading producer of bauxite, the source of aluminum. Copper, lead, zinc, and the precious metals (gold, silver, and platinum) are the other main nonferrous metals.

Pollution• Air pollution

– Global scale air pollution– Regional scale air pollution– Local scale air pollution

• Water pollution– Water pollution sources– Impact on aquatic life– Wastewater and disease

• Land pollution– Solid waste disposal– Toxic pollutants

Global Temperatures, 1880–2000

Fig. 14-12: Annual mean temperatures have increased more than 0.5°C since 1880. The graph shows deviations from the mean temperature for 1951–1980.

Acid Deposition

Fig. 14-13: Due to prevailing winds, the highest sulfate deposit levels in North America lie east of the emission sources. Deposit levels in Germany are higher than in the U.S.

Aral Sea, 1975 and 1996

Figs. 14-1-1 and 14-1-2: The Aral Sea in the former Soviet Union has shrunk dramatically in area and volume due to extensive diversion of water for irrigation.

Change in Aral Sea, 1995–96

Figs. 14-1-3 and 14-1-4: The image on the left shows the Aral Sea in 1995. Overlaying this with the 1996 image in the previous slide makes it possible to depict the change in lake levels (right).

Solid Waste Sources, before and after recycling

Fig. 14-14: Paper products are the largest part of U.S. solid waste, followed by food and yard waste. Recycling can reduce solid waste considerably.

Renewing and Recycling Resources

• Renewing resources– Solar energy– Other energy sources– Uses for renewable energy

• Recycling resources– Recycling collection– Other pollution reduction strategies– Using all reduction strategies at a coking plant– Comparing pollution reduction strategies

Pollution Reduction at a Coking Plant

Fig. 14-15: A coking plant illustrates alternatives for reducing pollution, including: recycling discharges, reducing waste discharges, and increasing environmental capacity.

Resource Conservation

• Sustainable development– Sustainability and economic growth– Critics of sustainability

• Biodiversity– Biological and geographic biodiversity– Biodiversity in the tropics

Pollution and National Wealth

Fig. 14-16: Sulfur emissions in relation to national income suggest that discharges increase and then decline as development and wealth increase.