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Earth’s Resources • Renewable… can be replaced naturally at or near the rate of use – Water – Grain – oxygen • Non-renewable… – Oil – Freshwater Sustainable development • Sustainable development uses resources that are renewable to create a smaller ecological footprint Land Resources • Space allocation – Human habitat… housing & recreation, industrial, waste management – Food… agriculture, livestock – Ecosystem… natural habitat • Management – Ensures soil composition remains healthy • Humus • NPK Agriculture Strategies • Crop Rotation – Replenishes nutrients • No till farming – Leaves roots intact… resists erosion and traps in moisture • Contour farming & terracing – Resists erosion and helps reduce water usage Forest Resources • Resources – Environmental gas exchange – Wood and pulp based products… paper & building materials – Global soil health – Area of ground water recharge • Impact of human intervention – ~1/2 of the natural forests of the world are now gone… deforestation – Considered renewable as long as properly managed… no clear cutting! • • • • Selective harvesting of mature trees Replanting Tree farms GMO to produce faster growing trees • Overfishing… threatens the reproductive cycles of fish… greatly threatens many species – Since the 1990s the US National Marine Fisheries Service has set many restrictions of size, amount, and season to help sustain this valuable resource – Aquaculture… fish hatcheries • Raises fish for human consumption – Causes coastal pollution and eutrophication is not wisely managed Fishery Resources Air Resources • Industrialization brought with it smog – A toxic layer of chemicals that creates a brownish haze in the sky • Considered a pollutant by the EPA (environmental protection agency) • Clean Air Act 1970… limited the amount of pollutants that can be safely released • Creates acid rain as the chemicals bind with water in the atmosphere… greatly affects plants by harming leaves and the soil bacteria that they depend on Freshwater Conservation • Clean Water Act of 1973
