Resource and environmental issues

Prepared by:
Rochelle Z. Guevara

Submitted to
Richard Ortiz
Example of Environmental issues
 Deforestation
 Environmental Impacts of Mining
 Global Warming
 “Tragedy of the commons”—overfishing
and other
Deforestation
Jungle burned for agriculture in southern Mexico
Logging in
Malaysia.
Environmental impacts caused by
deforestation
 Burning forests and decay of wood after
logging contribute to the release of
greenhouse gases
 Loss of biodiversity
 Forests are important parts of hydrologic
cycle in nature
Mining
Chuquicamata, the largest open pit copper mine in the world, Chile
Iron hydroxide precipitate
stains a stream receiving
acid drainage from surface
coal mining.
Environmental impacts of mining
 Land/soil erosion
 Formation of sinkholes,
 Loss of biodiversity in the area
 Contamination of groundwaters by
chemicals from the mining process and
products.
 Abandoned mines can still pose safety
hazards such as deadly gases
Chemicals used for mining
 Sodium cyanide for extraction of gold
 Sulphuric acid for extraction of copper
from copper oxides
 If these chemicals are not handled properly,
serious environmental impacts may occur
to the neighbouring environment
Global Warming
Environmental Effects of
Global Warming
 Melting of permafrost and polar ice
 Rising sea level
 Spread of pests and disease
 Ecological impacts (e.g. disturbed life
cycle of flora-fauna)
This image is of the Easton Glacier on Mount
Baker in the North Cascades of Washington
taken in 2003. It shows the terminus position of
the glacier in 1985 as well.
“Tragedy of the Commons”
 Free access and unrestricted demand for a
finite resource ultimately dooms the
resource through over-exploitation.
 Release of carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere is one example. As everyone
can release carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere with little personal
consequence, people tends to care very
little about limiting its emission.
 Overfishing in the open sea is another
example. If everyone with a fishing boat
can fish as much as they like, they will
eventually drive the fish stock to
commercially extinct.
State of Global Fisheries
 The FAO State of World Fisheries and
Aquaculture 2004 report estimates that in 2003,
of the main fish stocks or groups of resources for
which assessment information is available,
"approximately one-quarter were overexploited,
depleted or recovering from depletion… and
needed rebuilding.“
 edible fish are endangered in 14 of the
world's 16 major fishing areas
This is another example
 If anyone can throw charms onto the
wishing tree (a shared resource) without
caring the consequence, the tree will
eventually collapse.
Any solution?
 Some suggested that overexploitation of a
resource can be solved by proper
management of the property right to use
the resource.
 Licensing and tradeable quota are some
possible financial instruments.
Question
 If there is another wishing tree, how should
it be managed?
Thank you!