INTL201

Petroleum and resources

Depletion of oil not a problem (Cornucopians)

 Technology will allow us to overcome declining resources
 Age of oil will end when we find appropriate substitute

Oil scarcity as a "long emergency"

 Hard to accept depletion of oil
o No real substitute
 Renewables not currently viable as substitutes
o Prospects for permanent energy crisis
 Nuclear may be only viable option on large-scale in spite of its limitations

Is petroleum a global issue?

 Problem of oil depletion crosses borders
o Some countries have significant supplies, others do not
o Demand concentrated geographically and increasing
 Problem can only be solved by multiple actors
o Consumers (sustainable consumption)
o National governments
o MNCs (oil companies)
o Cartels (OPEC)
 Long-term focus needed
o Potential substitutes and solutions of energy depletion will require long-term
commitment
 Different values
o Some nations not willing to replace oil with more sustainable alternatives
 Consensus that problem is global issue
o Increasing awareness that US (and other countries) are overly dependent on
petroleum from handful of countries, recognition of negative environmental
impacts, and need to consider alternative fuels

Water
 Essential for human life
o No substitute
 Two points of view
o Plenty of water, primary issue is distribution
 Clean drinking water increasingly scarce
o Next resource crisis
 Privatization complicates availability and distribution of clean drinking water

Relevant issues
 Only regional shortages are relevant
  Water not distributed evenly
 Technology is the ultimate solution
 Desalinization

Water stress likely to increase

 Greater industrialization, particularly in developing countries
 More agriculture needed for larger populations

Three primary issues relating to water

 Uneven geographic distribution
 Increasing demands due to population growth
 Conflict over shared resources

Two related issues

 Contamination
 Control over access to water

Is water a global issue?

 Access to water created conflict among countries that share resources (coast or river, for
example)
o Some countries have abundant water, others do not
o Like oil, demand is increasing
o Lack of clean water may create political conflict and displace people
 Problem can only be solved by multiple actors
o Consumers (sustainable consumption)
o National governments
o MNCs (privatization of drinking water resources globally)
o NGOs
 Long-term focus needed
o Management and conservation of water resources will require long-term focus,
especially as demand rises
 Different values
o Is access to water a right or is water merely a commodity to be bought and sold?
 Consensus that problem is global issue
o Concern that rapid urbanization and growth in agriculture and industrialization
will increase demands on water resources, affect quality of life; part of larger
concerns about environmental sustainability