264
industrialized nations were on an
economically viable supply. With
this came, too, the realization that
oil is a finite resource. Scientists
had already considered the problem
and calculated the date when the
supply of oil would peak, before it
ran out or became uneconomical to
extract. In 1974 the peak oil date
was predicted to be 1995, with the
caveat that there were several
potential variables and unknowns
such as consumption rates,
available technology, and reservesDEPLETION OF NATURAL RESOURCES
yet to be discovered. In the early
21st century, new dates were given,
some extending the timeline for
oil to 2030 or beyond. In 2011,
however, US environmentalist Bill
McKibben declared that calculating
a peak oil date was pointless; if all
known oil reserves were burned,
the carbon produced would be
five times the amount required
to heat the planet by 3.6°F (2°C)—
the “safe” temperature limit that
climatologists had worked out in- The science has evolved,
but the predicted risks of burning
fossil fuels remain dire.
Saving trees
Forests are a valuable natural asset
that Earth cannot afford to lose.
Their diminished numbers pose a
significant threat for the climate;
trees are “carbon sinks,” meaning
they take in carbon dioxide and use
it to fuel growth. This then prevents
carbon from contributing to global
warming. Trees are a renewable
resource, and people, businesses,
and nations often plant them to
offset fossil fuel use, but not in
sufficient numbers. According to
Friends of the Earth, the annualloss of forests worldwide directly
causes 15 percent of global
greenhouse gas emissions.
Rain forests, estimated to
contain 50 percent of the world’s
species, are particularly vulnerable
to deforestation. Around 17 percent
of the Amazon rain forest alone has
been lost in the past 50 years. As
“Our Common Future” suggested,
part of the problem is that
developing countries can earn
money from large corporations if
they clear rain forests for mining,
logging, and cash crops. In
Indonesia, for example, intensive
deforestation took place to make
way for palm oil plantations.
Greenpeace reports that the amount
of Indonesian rain forest logged,
burned, or degraded in the last 50
years is equivalent in area to twice
the size of Germany. The UN and
other bodies now offer developing
countries technical advice and
financial incentives to manage their
forests in a more sustainable way.Deteriorating soil
Topsoil is perhaps one of the
world’s most undervalued
resources. This vast ecosystem,Some 887 moai cover the slopes of
Rano Raraku, Easter Island’s volcanic
crater, the source of the stones from
which the statues were carved.Easter Island
The fate of the ancient people
of Easter Island illustrates
the importance of managing
natural resources. Once a
thriving community of 12,000
people who erected enormous
stone monuments, they had
dwindled to just a couple of
thousand by the time Europeans
discovered the island in 1722.
Mismanagement of a fragile
ecosystem, especially mass
deforestation, and warring
between tribes, had been the
cause of their demise. The giant
heads, or moai, are made ofstone, but logs were needed
as rollers to transport them from
the quarries to ceremonial sites.
As the island’s many palms were
cut down, there was no wood
left for fishing canoes, which
led to many people starving
to death.
The final tragedy came in
1862, with the arrival of slave
traders, who captured 1,500
islanders and took them to Peru,
where almost all of them died.
The 15 islanders who eventually
managed to make it home
unwittingly introduced smallpox
to the island. By 1877, only 111
inhabitants survived.... the conservation of
natural resources is the
fundamental problem.
Unless we solve that
problem it will avail us
little to solve all others.
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