Introduction to Human Geography - 2nd Edition Chapter 13 Environment and Resources

Environment and Resources Joseph Henderson STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this section , the student will be able to . Understand the problems associated with the demand for nonrenewable energy resources and the available supply . Explain the issues associated with the pollution of air , land , and water . Describe the types of renewable and alternative energy resources and global initiatives to leverage these resources . Connect preservation efforts worldwide to anthropogenic pressures on the environment . CHAPTER OUTLINE Introduction Nonrenewable Energy Resources Renewable Energy Sources Pollution Preservation of Natural Resources Key Terms Works Consulted and Further Reading Page 263

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES INTRODUCTION A discussion of resources makes an excellent capstone for this textbook , as most major topics that have been discussed previously relate to the consumption of resources in some way . Global population increase means a greater demand for resources . Job opportunities in fossil fuel mining and drilling are a pull factor for migration in many countries where fossil fuel extraction is an important part of the economy . Cultures , and their associated political and economic systems and settlements , affect and are affected by the availability of resources and how resources are used in a country . For example , as discussed in . the availability of coal in the United Kingdom helped bring about the industrial revolution in that country . Furthermore , as developing countries modernize , their energy needs for transportation and electricity grow , and there is a continued increase in the demand for such energy sources as fossil fuels . NONRENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES Fossil fuels are by far the most energy source for most countries worldwide , and these resources are nonrenewable , or in supply . Fossil fuels are burned in electric power plants , and provide energy to power vehicles , aircraft , and ships . While the technology exists to burn fossil fuels in power plants so that the emissions are not particularly in terms of air pollution , air quality reduction because of the combustion of fossil fuels is still considerable and is a cause for concern at the international level . The major fossil fuels are coal , oil , and natural gas . Fossil fuels are formed from ancient living matter . In the case of coal , this fossil fuel was likely formed from primordial plant material in swamps that was buried and metamorphosed through time . The origin of oil and natural gas is attributed to microscopic organisms that sank to the bottom of prehistoric oceans and over time , transformed into these two fossil fuels . The countries that hold the greatest share of fossil fuel proven reserves , or deposits that can be recovered with some certainty , are varied . For coal , the United States has the largest reserves , followed by Russia and China . In the case of oil , the vast majority of proven reserves are located in the Middle East in countries like Saudi Arabia ( with the largest reserves ) and Canada . Other countries that hold substantial reserves include Iraq and Venezuela . Lastly , for natural gas , Russia and the Iran have the largest reserves . These statistics do not take into account potential reserves of fossils fuels , or fossil fuels that may be exist but have not been . One example of potential reserves in the United States is the Green River Formation in parts of Colorado , Utah , and Wyoming . This large deposit of shale rock may contain up to three trillion barrels of oil , only half of which is recoverable ( trillion barrels of oil , though , is roughly equivalent to the entire world proven oil reserves . The Green River Formation is not likely to be tapped because of complications associated with extracting oil from the rock , Page 264

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES as the process would require heating the rock and using quantities of water in a rather arid region . Another example of potential reserves is the deposits of oil and gas in the Arctic , a region that has not been extensively explored , but the melting of sea ice caused by rising temperatures in the Arctic is increasing opportunities for experimental drilling . The countries that have the largest reserves are not necessarily the countries with the leading amount of fossil fuel production . Production refers to the extraction of fossil fuels from the Earth by drilling and mining . The leading coal producers are China , India , and the United States , largely because of demands for electric power . Saudi Arabia , Russia , and the United States currently lead the world in oil production . Natural gas is extracted most heavily in the United States and Russia . RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES Fossil fuel resources are , so efforts to seek other types of energy resources are ongoing in many countries around the world . Because fossil fuels are not limitless , some researchers are concerned that supply will eventually exceed demand , particularly as developing countries increase economically and technologically . Moreover , as we will see in a later section on pollution , the emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are a serious concern for the global atmosphere , and clean energy is seen as a better alternative to coal , oil , and natural gas . The shift away from fossils fuels involves a number of different types of renewable energy and alternative energy sources . Renewable resources are those that are in supply . Major types of renewable energy include solar , wind , hydroelectric power , and geothermal energy . Although the risks are considered to be , an alternative energy source is nuclear power , but nuclear power is not renewable as it depends on the supply of uranium . efforts worldwide to harness these energy sources can be seen in many regions of the world . For example , in Europe , a concerted effort to fund renewable energy projects has been underway since the . In 2016 , wind energy overtook coal as the second largest form of power production ( after natural gas ) in Europe , and 80 percent of new energy projects were from renewable energy sources . France , Ireland , the Netherlands , and Finland all set records for installation , while Germany continues to lead in wind power . Norway and Sweden are the leading countries overall in terms of renewable energy consumption in Europe , as more than half of their energy consumption is from ( Figure ) In Asia , while China continues to build many plants , it is investing hundreds of billions of dollars on renewable energy , more money than the United Kingdom , the United States , and Japan , combined . This development is important as China is the world largest emitter of greenhouse gases , and this pollution may contribute to global warming . Moreover , China is already the world leader in wind Page 265

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES 50 Share of energy from renewable sources by Member Slate ( energy ) 50 an an 20 ' gee a ?

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of based on dais Figure Renewable energy for selected countries in Europe Author Source License BY SA power and plans to build the largest solar farm on the planet . India goal is to produce over 50 percent of its power from renewable energy by 2027 . All of these efforts require a considerable amount of capital investment to help cover the costs of the energy transformation . In the Middle East , even the world leader in oil production , Saudi Arabia , is looking toward renewable energy as they are expected to be a net importer of oil by 2038 as their domestic supplies dwindle . The Middle East is an excellent location for solar power because of the number of days in a year . In the United States , only about 12 percent of energy production is from , and much of that production is from hydroelectric power . However , I America has some of the largest wind , I ' I and solar farms in the world . Texas leads in wind power production , and California has the most solar energy generating capacity ( Figure ) Efforts to promote electric car use have Figure The Smoky Hills Wind Farm in also been promoted in California , as 535 Author User the state government has set a goal of Source Commons having electric cars on the License BY SA Page 266

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES road by 2025 . Although using a battery to power a car instead of fossil fuels is generally environmentally friendly , electricity generated primarily from fossil fuels is still used to charge the vehicles . One of the more controversial types of renewable energy is . produce energy from living matter , and much of the biofuel used in the world is from a variety of crops such as corn , cassava , sweet potato , sugar cane , and sorghum . The United States and Brazil lead the world in biofuel production , followed by China . In the United States , most gasoline has a certain percentage of ethanol , derived from corn . The major controversy with stems from the fact that many of the plants used for could also be used to feed people , so whether or not using scarce land to produce fuel as opposed to food is a good idea is hotly debated . However , other biofuel sources exist besides agricultural crops , and these include and even bacteria such as coli . In the United States , India , and Germany , methane derived from cow manure and decaying plant matter is used to power electric plants . In County , Georgia , methane extracted during the wastewater treatment process is used to provide electric power for the wastewater treatment process ( Figure ) Figure at the Newton Creek wastewater Treatment Plant Author Jim Henderson Source Commons License Public Domain POLLUTION Air Pollution While the technology exists to burn fossil fuels so that the emissions are not particularly in terms of air pollution , air quality reduction because of Page 267

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES the combustion of fossil fuels is still considerable and is a cause for concern at the international level . Another pollutant that has received worldwide attention is ( and their impact on the ozone layer . Water pollution and the disposal problem of solid wastes are also important environmental concerns . One of the major issues internationally is the suspected anthropogenic , or , warming of the Earth atmosphere because of carbon dioxide in fossil fuel emissions . The issue is complex because climate change , as global warming has been dubbed , is affected by both natural and anthropogenic processes . A number of scientists are concerned with warming temperatures in the lower atmosphere because this warming could contribute to rising sea levels , an increase in the frequency of storms and drought , a greater number of heat injuries , and the spread of tropical pests into higher latitudes . Many climatic factors operate to affect global temperatures , so carbon dioxide produced by the burning of coal , oil , and natural gas is not the only important element that dictates temperatures worldwide . Ocean currents , shifts in large warm and cold pools of the Oceans such as El La Nina , changes in sunspot activity , photosynthesis from global plant life , the extent of global sea ice , the type and extent of global cloud cover , the natural cycling of carbon , and volcanic activity are but a few of the climate controls of global temperatures . Despite the complexity of the Earth climate system , many scientists attribute the slight warming ( degrees ) of the average temperature of the Earth since the Industrial Revolution to increased levels of carbon dioxide , a natural component of the Earth atmosphere . Scientists have been measuring atmospheric carbon dioxide in Hawaii since the , and the trend has been upward for virtually every year on record . The increase in carbon dioxide levels has been linked by many scientists to the burning of fossil fuels . So , how does this increase in carbon dioxide relate to warming temperatures around the globe ?

Scientists suspect that a natural phenomenon called the greenhouse effect is related to this warming . The greenhouse effect is the trapping of radiation ( heat ) by certain greenhouse gases in the lower atmosphere , as these greenhouse gases absorb and the heat from the Earth , essentially forming a blanket in the Earth lower atmosphere . Without the greenhouse effect , the Earth would be over 35 cooler , and life on Earth would likely not exist . Global warming is thought to be related to the greenhouse effect because carbon dioxide is one of the many greenhouse gases that traps heat from the Earth , and by humans increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere , the greenhouse effect is enhanced , leading to increased warming above and beyond the natural effect ( Figure ) International efforts to curb emissions of anthropogenic carbon began in earnest with the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 . This agreement , signed and by many countries around the world , sought to establish goals whereby countries would reduce their greenhouse gas emissions . The never the treaty , particularly because India and China , two of the worlds biggest producers of Page 268

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES carbon dioxide , were not required to reduce their emissions . However , the and other countries have continued their dialogue about lowering emissions , and the recent Paris Climate Summit is 2016 , signed by 194 countries ( is the newest plan for global cooperation in carbon dioxide reductions and with a goal to keep global average temperatures at less than above preindustrial levels . Human on the Greenhouse Effect Natural Greenhouse Effect Greenhouse Effect by Humans Figure Natural and greenhouse effect Author National Park Service and . Global Change Research Program Source . Global Change Research Program License Used with Permission . Another example of international cooperation to decrease atmospheric pollutants involves the ozone layer . The ozone layer is in the stratosphere or upper atmosphere from kilometers above the Earth surface . This important layer of ozone gas protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation that can be harmful to skin by causing sunburn and skin cancer . Scientists believe that ( used in refrigeration equipment and aerosols , have damaged the ozone layer and caused it to become dangerously thin over some parts of the globe . This thinning of the ozone layer has been named an ozone hole , and is most pronounced around the South Pole during the Antarctic spring ( Figure ) In response to these , in 1987 , 105 countries signed an international agreement known as the Montreal Protocol . The participating countries agreed to reduce the consumption and production of and to cease Page 269

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES producing by the year 2000 . The Montreal Protocol process continues as countries work to substitutes for . Although will linger in the upper atmosphere for many years , scientists have already seen some evidence of recovery in the ozone layer . 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 Ozone Dobson Units ) Figure Ozone depletion around Antarctica from 1979 to 2014 Author NASA Source NASA License Public Domain Water Pollution While air pollution of the atmospheric global commons is an international issue , pollution of water and land areas is likewise problematic . The supply of clean , fresh water for drinking and other uses such as irrigation is under stress as population pressure continues to increase demand . Many regions with water experience periodic droughts that strain available supplies . Unfortunately , both ground and surface waters are being polluted both in the United States and abroad . Pollutants such as industrial chemicals , runoff from roadways , and untreated sewage place a heavy toll on water supplies . Not only is unclean water unsafe to drink and in some cases for irrigation purposes , but pollution can also have a deleterious effect on aquatic life . Large Page 270

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES industrial spills , discharge from paper mills , and other types of pollutants can render a lake or stream devoid of life for considerably long periods . Another type of pollutant that is of considerable concern in the United States and abroad is commercial fertilizers used in agriculture . Although it would seem that fertilizers would encourage plant growth and help aquatic ecosystems thrive , the opposite is , in fact , true in many cases . Rainfall washes commercial fertilizers into surface lakes and streams , and these fertilizers increase the growth of algae . Through a process called , the abundant algal blooms die , and in the process of decomposition of the dead plant material , large amounts of oxygen are consumed . The lack of oxygen can result in extensive kills . One stark example of the harmful effects of can be seen in the Gulf of Mexico . The Mississippi River carries a load of commercial fertilizers , and where the river discharges into the Gulf , dead zones form at certain times of the year . The bottom and portions of the Gulf can become almost devoid of marine life over several thousand square miles . As a result , the Gulf of Mexico has the second largest dead zone of depleted oxygen area in the entire world , with the largest being in the Baltic Sea . Figure ) Bottom Dissolved Oxygen Contours Summer Survey June 25 July Ship Oregon oxygen 351400 Gulf of Mexico 751 ann Figure The 2010 Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico NASA Source NASA License Public Domain Page 271

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES Solid Waste As countries struggle to maintain clean water sources , a related problem with pollution occurs with solid waste and its disposal . Solid waste that is buried beneath the ground can , overtime , begin to pollute the groundwater below it . Water percolating downward through the rubbish can pick up harmful pollutants and deposit them in subsurface water sources . These groundwater reservoirs feed surface streams and are also tapped for well water . In the state of Florida , for example , the pollution of groundwater reservoirs , known as aquifers , is a issue because the state relies heavily on groundwater for its water supply . Three primary solutions to the problem of solid wastes is disposal in , incineration of the trash , or recycling . In the United States , solid waste collectors pick up trash in cities and neighborhoods and transports the waste to where it is buried daily to decrease the pervasive odor and protect it from marauding pests . This is the most common method of dealing with solid waste in the United States , but unfortunately , as urban sprawl expands towards areas where were on the periphery of populated areas , the matter of residents having to live close to is problematic . Moreover , require extensive areas of land , and in some states with heavy population concentrations such as New York City , government have resorted to shipping their refuse into adjacent states such as Pennsylvania where space for is more available . Another less common alternative to is incineration , a process made famous in Disney Toy Story ( Figure ) At incineration facilities , trash Figure The Claw moving plant waste and rubbish to incinerator Author Senior Airman Sam Source Air Force License Public Domain Page 272

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES is dumped into an enormous pile , and a machine picks up the trash and continually feeds the of the incinerator . The advantage of incineration is the vast reduction in the amount of trash that must be disposed of in , and these facilities also generate electricity from the combustion of the burning trash . Fortunately , because of advanced technology in the smokestack systems , the emissions from modern incinerators are not particularly harmful in the atmosphere . Because of its enormous output of daily solid waste , New York City takes advantage of incineration through a facility on the Hudson River just north of the city . The last method to deal with solid waste , recycling , is the most sustainable . Recycling involves the conversion of waste or other unwanted material into something that is reusable . Common wastes that are recycled include paper products , metals , plastics , and glass . In the United States , efforts to improve the percent of waste material that is recycled instead of disposed of in trash disposal units are many . For example , started in 2001 , is a competition amongst colleges and universities to promote student knowledge and participation in recycling . Georgia College in , GA , is one of the many competitors in every spring . Despite efforts such as these , the United States only recycles about 30 percent of solid waste , even though approximately 75 percent of the waste is recyclable . In contrast , Germany recycles about 65 percent of its municipal waste and leads the world , followed closely by South Korea at 59 percent . Germany recycling emphasis the generally strong emphasis on recycling in most European countries , thanks to rather strict recycling laws . PRESERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES Given the tremendous impact that human activities and settlements have on the environment , the question of how to preserve and protect the Earth land areas and its resources is particularly important , especially as the global population continues to grow . Two major concepts in this effort are conservation and preservation . Conservation involves using the Earth resources sustainably , which means they will be available to future generations . Ways in which conservation can be applied include not , replanting trees when they are logged , and protecting soil in farming areas from erosion . Preservation is the idea of protecting natural areas and trying to keep them as close as possible to their original , unspoiled state . As such , human impacts should me minimal , and resources in preserved areas are not for human use . One of the foremost examples of preservation is the national park . The governments in nearly 100 countries worldwide have established these parks in wilderness areas where visitors can come and enjoy the scenery and the and fauna . The United States is a world leader in national parks , and in fact , the national park in the world , Yellowstone , was created in the United States in 1872 . However , the United States only has 59 national parks , much less than the 685 parks in Australia , the world leader in total parks . In Asia , China boasts the largest number of parks at over 200 . Page 273

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN GEOGRAPHY Figure National Park , India User Source Commons License Public Domain These parks help protect some of the most vulnerable plant and animal species in the world . For example , in the coastal mangrove forests of eastern India , the Bengal tiger , an endangered species , is protected in the National Park ( Figures and ) Endangered species are species that are at risk of becoming extinct , and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature is an international organization aimed at protecting habitats , such as forests , and species around the globe ( website at ) Deforestation is one of the greatest threats to endangered species , particularly in tropical rainforests in places like the Brazilian Amazon , as depicted in Chapter , but also in the United States in the forests of the Northwest , for Page 274 ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES Figure National Park , India User Commons License Public Domain

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES example . Thousands of endangered species exist worldwide , and in the United States , the . Fish and Wildlife Service oversees the , protection and restoration of endangered species . The Endangered Species Act of 1973 protects vulnerable plant and animals in the United States , but the needs and demands of human development often clash with the preservation of habitat . With the world in the midst of one of the highest rates of extinction in the history of the Earth , the necessity to protect the remaining species from disappearing is a cause for alarm , both in the United States and abroad . KEY TERMS DEFINED energy sources from living matter . Conservation using natural resources in a sustainable way so that they are preserved for future generations . the process by which waters promote the growth of algae , and when the abundant algal blooms die , the decomposition of the dead plant material consumes large amounts of oxygen . Fossil Fuels energy sources such as coal , oil , and natural gas , derived from ancient plant and animal matter . Greenhouse effect the trapping of radiation ( heat ) by certain greenhouse gases in the lower atmosphere greenhouse gases absorb and the heat radiated from the Earth , increasing global temperatures by 350 compared to an atmosphere with no greenhouse effect . An area where solid waste is deposited and buried to reduce odor , vermin proliferation , and unsightly trash . Nonrenewable resource a resource that is in supply and is depleted by humans . Potential reserves estimates on available energy in deposits that are thought to exist but have not been completely . Production the extraction of fossil fuels from the ground . Proven reserves state in which the territorial boundaries encompass a group of people with a shared ethnicity . Preservation setting aside areas so that resources are essentially untouched with as little human impact as feasible . Renewable resource a resource that is in supply such as solar and wind energy . WORKS CONSULTED AND FURTHER READING China Aims to Spend at Least 360 Billion on Renewable Energy by The New York Times . December 22 , 2017 . Accessed April 23 , 201 01 world asia . Page 275

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES . Accessed April 23 , Kirk , Ashley . Paris Climate Summit Which EU Countries Are Using the Most Renewable Energy ?

The Telegraph . November 30 , 2015 . Accessed April 23 , news earth energy 12021449 . Anthony . Powering Asia Renewable The Diplomat . January 07 , 2017 . Accessed April 23 , 2017 01 . Paris Wikipedia . April 23 , 2018 . Accessed April 23 , wiki Paris Agreement . Ross . Untapped The Story behind the Green River Shale . November 06 , 2014 . Accessed April 23 , news id 225072 . Adam . Almost 90 of New Power in Europe from Renewable Sources in The Guardian . Accessed April 23 , environment 2017 feb 00 . Page 276