Group 6

Chapter 6: The Environment as a Resource

 6.1 Resources: Analyzing the concept
 The earth is a resource base from which people need to take a harvest for a living.
 The world contains a variety of resources which the survival of humankind deeply
depends

6.1.1. The role of human’s determinism versus possibilism

 In the 19th century it was accepted that humankind had a little to say about destiny
and they accepted that the way of life was determined by the nature.
 These are certain laws of Earth:
 The law of allometric growth state that nature adhere principles to balance growth
or in other terms there is always a specific ratio between small and big branches in
a tree on stream at different order in a drainage basin have the same ratio.
 According to the allometric growth law it is wise to let things develop on
their own.
 Due to Industrial revolution and the interaction of humankind with
nature, this has interfered with this law of development that the nature has
set. The interference can either be good or bad to the development of the
environment
 The exploitation of resources from the earth is the activity that has a major
interference on the laws of nature
 So due to the industrial revolutions the question which is left to humankind
is to if whether must they transform nature in order to exploit maximum
amount of resources or must they let nature determine the amount of
resources which they can exploit
 6.1.2.Defining resources
 Resources are anything that is useful to humankind.
 Figure 2: Modern lifestyle
•As time and centuries passed the human needs increased and their level of
creativity increased.
 6.1.3. The utilization of resources
Utilization of resources refers mainly to how humans make use of the
resourced that they have.
 6.2. Classification of resources
 Resources are classified into three groups which are natural, cultural, and
human resources
• Natural resources –this are the resource that are natural in nature and they
are considered to useful to humankind. Natural resources include
biological resources, physical resources, and solar energy. Natural
resources are also classified into two ways which are renewable and non-
renewable
 Figure 3: Types of natural resources.
•Cultural resources- this are resources that are
manufactured by people. This can also be
defined as physical evidence or place of past
human activity: site, object, landscape,
structure.

Figure 4: Statue
•Human resources- are the set of the people who make up the
workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or
economy.

Figure 5: Human Resources

 Chart
Type of resources

Figure 6: Schematic classification of resources

Renewable and non-renewable resources
1. Renewable resources
All resources that form a part of natural cycle.
 
2. Non-renewable resources
These are all resources which cannot be used again and again.
Most non-renewable resources are the ones which people depend
on to survive on earth.
6.3. The ecology of natural resources
6.3.1 Mineral resources
Mineral resources are resources obtained from any sort of mining activities.
 
Number of possible ways to save minerals for the future
1. Discovery of new mineral deposits
2. Mining in the sea
3. Recycling
4. Substitutes
5. Reduce
6. Re-use

Energy resources
Fossil energy
A fossil energy is energy obtained from fossil fuels,
A fossil fuel is a fuel formed by natural processes, such as anaerobic decomposition of
buried dead organisms, containing organic molecules originating inancient 
photosynthesis that release energy in combustion
 
Types of fossil fuels
1. Oil
Crude oil is the mixture of hydrogen and carbon. Is made up of 85-90% carbon,
10-15% hydrogen. In the process of distillation oil is used to produce petrol and
diesel
 
2. Gas
Natural gas is formed under anaerobic decomposition of organic matter under
heat on pressure assisted by bacteria. It contains 75-99 methanol.

NUCLEAR ENERGY
•Nuclear energy is the dominant source of power after fossil fuels at present.
•There is no carbon dioxide emission.
•Energy emitted in nuclear reactions is used to drive turbines and power generators.
•The energy derived from nuclear reactions can be classified as:
Fission or splitting reactions used to generate electricity
Fusion or smelting reactions
•In South Africa, there is only one nuclear power station of about 2000MW capacity at
Koeberg, nuclear waste is stored underground at Vaalputs
 disposal of
radio-active
waste
material

problems
associated with high cost of
high risks of
uranium
accidents nuclear energy enrichment
generatiom

construction
of nuclear
reactors
The generation of nuclear energy.

RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES

•Renewable resources are resources that can be used more than once without them
running out.
 
WATER ENERGY
•Hydroelectricity supplies +20% of the world’s energy requirements.
•Africa generated 5% of its electricity using hydroelectric power.
•Requirements of the development of hydroelectric power stations
Building of dams
Relocating of many people

Generation of hydroelectricity.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
•Derived from the earth’s crust and occurs in the form of dry steam, wet
steam, and hot water.
•No carbon dioxide is emitted though some other gases are emitted that cause
air pollution, noise, and water pollution.
TIDAL ENERGY
•Generated by water flowing between low and high tide levels.
•The release of water turns the huge turbines to generate electricity.
•Factors preventing tidal energy from contributing to fulfill energy requirements
High costs of construction
Damage to sensitive coastal environment
Lack of suitable bays
•Installation is limited to suitable areas
 SOLAR ENERGY
•Largest source of energy

SOLAR ENERGY
•Largest source of energy

very despersed

not constantly
available installation
depending on costs are high
cloud cover

disadvantages
of solar power

•Living organisms on earth depend on solar energy for survival.

•The Earth receives an energy input of 15000 times the world’s commercial energy
consumption annually.
 Average daily insolation in South Africa

•Statistics prove that 1% of households in South Africa use solar

energy.
 the technology
is modular

schemes can be
little land is advantages of located in arid
required for
vast amount of
generating areas with low
solar power population
energy
densities

does not
compete with
people, forests
and agriculture
for land

•At 10% conversion efficiency, the yield of solar electric farm is about 2.5 to 3 million kilowatt-
hours per hectare.
•It is estimated that by the year 2050, about 30% of the world’s energy will be generated using
solar energy.
 absence of
noise

there is no
pollution as advantages
it is durable
no carbon of solar and reliable
dioxide is energy
emitted

easy to
install

•It proved to be difficult to supply more than 85% of households with electricity and about 80%
of the world’s population lives in rural areas where there is no electricity and solar energy can
be a solution.
 Generation of solar power
WIND ENERGY
•A device is installed that can convert kinetic energy in the atmosphere to useful mechanical
energy.
•The method is effective in dry areas and does not affect the existing land use in an area.
•The main wind energy source in South Africa is mainly in the coastal areas where average
wind speeds more than 4m/s.
•Wind is free, but costs of turbines are high.
•The costs of buying and installing turbines covered by ESKOM were R38 million.
•Problems associated with generation of wind energy in South Africa
Corrosive atmosphere along the coast
Gust lines of the wind regime
•Wind is unreliable and has an intermitted nature.
BIOMASS ENERGY
1. Burning of organic matter
•This is mostly useful in Third world countries where energy requirements are low.
•Supplies 80% of energy requirements in Third world countries.
•Causes air pollution because of large-scale environmental degradation.
•To satisfy the demand of energy, trees must be planted.
•The collection of firewood plays a major role in environmental degradation.
 2. Biogas
•The gases emitted from the process contribute to global warming
•The utilization of the gas also reduces the negative environmental effects of air pollution.

Generation of biomass energy

THERMAL VARIATION OF THE OCEAN

•Power generated this way can be used for the desalinization of seawater and abstraction of
minerals from the sea.
•Limitations are that construction and running costs are high.
THERMAL VARIATION OF THE OCEAN
•Power generated this way can be used for the desalinization of seawater and abstraction of
minerals from the sea.
•Limitations are that construction and running costs are high.
  
ENERGY FOR THE DEVELOPING WORLD

global
warming

loss of habitat climate

change

unaceptable
environmental
impacts caused by
patterns of energy
generation

land
pollution
degradation

acidification

•People are also somehow affected and are likely to have health problems.
•There are communities that have no energy supply.
 difficulty in the
generation of
imployment
opportunities

blocks income obstructing

generation economic
activities growrh

problems created
by no energy
supply

obsstruction in obstruction in
environmental educational
sustainabilities attainment

obstruction in
the availability
of hearth
services
Energy for the developing world
As a result of energy generation unacceptable environmental impact include global
warming, climate change pollution, acidification. Land degradation and loss of habitats.
Even with this there is still many people without adequate energy supply and some are
using wood/biomass to cook, which contributes negatively to their health and takes
away from their time to do productive activities.

Matter and energy laws and the environmental crises.:

The environmental crises is descried in terms of energy and food shortages in relation
to an ever increasing world population.

Law of conservation of matter:

Everything we throw away is still with us in some form or another. The waste that stays
from the sludge produced from processes in factories and industries must be disposed of in
some way which then results pollution.
*Space ship concept which relates to how earth has limited resources.
Pollution violates all natural laws , it does not only cause or means untidiness and litter
which has to be removed using process that consume energy. That’s why the environmental
crises is therefore an energy crises.
 •Water as a source

Water makes life on earth possible. it is the most abundant of all compounds found on the earths
surface. Water that can be utilized comes from the atmosphere, rivers, fresh lakes and ground
water. It is a renewable resource.
Utilization of water:
Utilization of salt water
•Extraction
•Consumption(irrigation systems)
•Non-consumptive use
Utilization of fresh water

•Agricultural use
•Industrial use
•Domestic use
 •Biological resources.

Vegetation as a resource.

•Photosynthesis taking place in plants maintains the exchange and balance of gases in the
atmosphere.
•Respiration
•Food for animals
•Paper
•To fulfill an aesthetic role(gardens, decoration)
•Cultural activities
•Medical purposes
 Animals as a resource

•Heterotrophic feeders
•Products(clothes, dairy products, etc)
•Markets of the east(Rhino horns, illegal trade)
•Entertainment (domestic pets)
•Commercial hunting
•Insects pollination
•Decomposition
Hunters classification

1. subsistence hunters - hunt 2. commercial hunting involes the

animals for food . killing and sale of animals' surplus.

3. sport hunting animals not

hunted for food
Atmosphere as a resource:
•Mixture of gases
•Dump for gaseous waste( smoke, incineration products and industrial waste which cause air
pollution and destruction of the ozone layer
•Removal of nitrogen for the manufacture of nitrogen-containing fertilizers.
•Obtain carbon dioxide and other gases used by industrial processes.
•Extraction of oxygen which is used for combustion of gases( used in cars, power stations,
furnaces
•Aviation and other sports(hand gliding, parachuting and even sailing)
•Windmills and power generators make use the atmospheric movements.
 Soil as a resource

•Retain water
•Building industry
•Planting

Outcome
Food doesn’t come from a food store, it is dependent on a healthy natural environment and
failure to understand this as people puts us at risk. Irresponsible utilization of the
environments resources lies at the heart of our dilemma.