Natural resources and environmental impact

Greenhouse effect

It is caused by the emission of CO2 and other pollutant gases from factories, ships and airplanes. The Earth emits infra-red radiation which is absorbed and bounced back by the CO2 and other atmospheric gases, and this leads to global warming.

Damage to woodland and jungle regions

It is caused by plagues, forest fires and acid rain in temperate and frigid woodland regions of developed countries. In emerging and underdeveloped countries, the size of the jungle regions is continually being reduced. Every year 13 millions hectares of forest disappear, mainly in the Amazon (Brazil and neighboring countries).

Terrain

It can be used as a tourist attraction, such as places with sandy beaches or geological formations of great beauty (tertiary sector).

Deforestation

It consists in the removal of plant cover. It is caused by the mass burning or felling of trees to transform land for agricultural, livestock farming or residential uses, or to supply timber to industries.

Sustainable development

It is a rational use of resources that will allow both present and future generations to benefit from these resources. It is being promoted globally.

US Geological Survey

It is a science organization that provides impartial information on the health of our ecosystems and environment. It also provides information on the natural hazards that threaten us, the natural resources we rely on and the impacts of climate and land-use change.

Water pollution

It is caused by chemical products used in agriculture. 5,000 people die everyday due to dirty water drinking. Accidents involving oil tankers give rise to oil slicks which affect the major global shipping routes.

Global warming

It is caused by the increasing greenhouse effect and the result is a progressive increase in the Earth's average temperature. This will result in an increase of droughts and desertification, a rise in sea levels due to the melting of the polar ice caps and the extinction of many living beings. The average temperature of the last 15 years has been the highest ever recorded.

Rates of energy depletion

It is the estimated duration of reserves according to current consumption. Petroleum will run out by 2042 and natural gas will run out by 2062.

Water overexploitation

It is the excessive consumption of freshwater as a result of agrarian, urban and industrial usage. As a result, there is a decrease in river flow and some rivers don't discharge in lakes or in the sea anymore.

Desertification

It is the loss of the fertile layer of the soil. The land's capacity for agrarian activities is reduced or lost as a result of erosion and overexploitation of water resources.

Biodiversity reduction

It is the loss of the variety of the Earth's animal and plant species. More than 11,000 of these are at risk of extinction due to the changes made to their natural habitats and the introduction of exotic invasive species which compete with local species, amongst other reasons. Species are dying out at a rhythm 1,000 times faster than the natural rate.

Soil pollution

It is the result of chemical waste substances from agriculture and industry as well as the dumping of unclean water and refuse. In developed countries there are treatment plants and waste management sites, but in underdeveloped countries there are massive unmanaged waste dumps.

Atmospheric pollution

It is the result of harmful emissions from power stations, central heating systems, industry and transport. It mainly affects the Earth's major cities and poor countries, where coal is still used for heating and petrol containing lead is common in urban car traffic.

Acid rain

It is the result of sulphur oxide and nitrogen emissions from industries and power stations. These mix with the atmosphere's water vapor and are converted into acids, which fall on the Earth's surface as precipitation.

Industrial society

It is the society we live in, and started developing after the industrial revolution, from the 18th century onwards. It's characterized by unceasing population rise, urban expansion and industrial development.

Erosion

It is the wearing away of the soil and is due to deforestation and inappropriate agricultural and livestock farming methods. 40% of the world's arable land has suffered long-term damage.

Subsoil

It provides human beings with minerals and rocks, obtained from mining (primary sector). It also provides sources of energy, such as geothermal energy.

Soil

It provides support for population settlements and agrarian activity (primary sector) and is the main medium for the growth and nourishment of woodland plants and animals.

Human activities that harm the environment

These are the rise in population and consumption that leads to an overexploitation of resources; the unceasing growth of human settlements that leads to waterways and land pollution; agrarian activities that lead to deforestation and overexploitation of surface and subterranean water supplies; and the industry and service sectors that produce emissions of noxious substances and degrade the natural vegetation.

Hunter-gatherer societies

These were the first human settlements and had a limited impact on the environment. They lived from hunting, fishing and gathering of fruit and roots.

Agrarian societies

These were the human groups that developed from the Neolithic Revolution (around 8000 BC) onwards. Some modifications were made to the landscape in order to adapt it to agriculture and livestock farming, but the impact on the environment was limited.

Alterations made to the relief

They are caused by mines, quarries and transport infrastructure. As a result the landscape is marred and locations of geological importance are destroyed.

Resources derived from water, atmospheric and vegetation sources

They are fresh and salt water supplies (they provide hydroelectric energy and are used in the three sectors through agriculture, industrial manufacture and leisure activities); the energy sources and climatic conditions provided by the atmosphere; and vegetation sources (also used in the three sectors, provide energy through wood for example).

Solutions to soil erosion

They can be reforestation, building of terraces on the slopes of the hills or planting of woodland borders around reservoirs to limit sedimentation, amongst others.