Natural resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by humanity, in a natural form. A natural resource is often characterized by amounts of biodiversity and geodiversity existent in various ecosystems.

Natural resources are derived from the environment. Some of them are essential for our survival while most are used for satisfying our wants. Natural resources may be further classified in different ways.

Natural resources are materials and components (something that can be used) that can be found within the environment. Every man-made product is composed of natural resources (at its fundamental level). A natural resource may exist as a separate entity such as fresh water, and air, as well as a living organism such as a fish, or it may exist in an alternate form which must be processed to obtain the resource such as metal ores, oil, and most forms of energy.

There is much debate worldwide over natural resource allocations, this is partly due to increasing scarcity (depletion of resources) but also because the exportation of natural resources is the basis for many economies (particularly for developed nations such as Australia).

Some natural resources such as sunlight and air can be found everywhere, and are known as ubiquitous resources. However, most resources only occur in small sporadic areas, and are referred to as localized resources. There are very few resources that are considered inexhaustible (will not run out in foreseeable future) – these are solar radiation, geothermal energy, and air (though access to clean air may not be). The vast majority of resources are exhaustible, which means they have a finite quantity, and can be depleted if managed improperly.

Natural resources are naturally occurring substances that are considered valuable in their relatively unmodified (natural) form. A commodity is generally considered a natural resource when the primary activities associated with it are extraction and purification, as opposed to creation. Thus, mining, petroleum extraction, fishing, and forestry are generally considered natural-resource industries, while agriculture is not. The term was introduced to a broad audience by E.F. Schumacher in his 1970s book Small Is Beautiful. 

Natural resources are often classified into renewable and non-renewable resources. Renewable resources are generally living resources (fish, coffee, and forests, for example), which can restock (renew) themselves at approximately the rate at which they are extracted, if they are not overharvested. Non-living renewable natural resources include soil, as well as water, wind, tides and solar radiation — compare with renewable energy. 

Mineral resources are generally non-renewable and, once a site's non-renewable resource is exhausted, it is considered to be useless for future extraction, barring technological improvements that allow economic extraction from the tailings. Technological improvements may also allow future

extraction of metals at lower concentrations than at previous times, which converts

low-grade resources into ore, and may re-open or expand mines. 

Both extraction of the basic resource and refining it into a purer, directly usable form,

(e.g., metals, refined oils) are generally considered natural-resource activities, even

though the latter may not necessarily occur near the former. 

Rainforest on Fatu-Hiva, Marquesas Islands 

Enlarge 

Rainforest on Fatu-Hiva, Marquesas Islands 

Natural resources are natural capital converted to commodity inputs to infrastructural

capital processes. They include soil, timber, oil, minerals, and other goods taken more

or less as they are from the Earth. 

A nation's natural resources often determine its wealth and status in the world

economic system, by determining its political nfluence. Developed nations are those

which are less dependent on natural resources for wealth, due to their greater reliance

on infrastructural capital for production. However, some see a resource curse whereby

easily obtainable natural resources could actually the prospects of a national economy

by fostering political corruption. 

In recent years, the depletion of natural capital and attempts to move to sustainable

development have been a major focus of development agencies. This is of particular

concern in rainforest regions, which hold most of the Earth's natural biodiversity -

irreplaceable genetic natural capital. Conservation of natural resources is the major

focus of Natural Capitalism, environmentalism, the ecology movement, and Green

Parties. Some view this depletion as a major source of social unrest and conflicts in

developing nations.

Natural resources are materials that are available in the natural environment, and they are sometimes referred to as primary resources. Examples of natural resources include water, air, plants, animals, etc. Natural resources may or may not be renewable, which means there is always a possibility that the universe will run out of certain kinds of natural resource at some point.Increasing population and growing welfare place pressure on the natural environment & result in problems such as deforestation, overgrazing, and the contamination of land and water resources. In turn, the depletion of natural resources can frequently lead to land scarcity and to widespread changes in land use. Furthermore, we are increasingly aware that environmental issues may transcend national boundaries. As evidenced by various international

agendas & agreements, the management of the Earth’s natural resources is of concern to us all.

Courses in the domain of natural resources are offered by the Department of Natural Resources. The Department of Natural Resources comprises three knowledge clusters: Forestry, Agriculture and Environment. 

Scientists from each of these three clusters contribute their specialized knowledge and research experience in forestry, agriculture and environment to the department’s courses. In addition, the department carries out research and offers courses in a number of cross-cutting topics. 

These include the adaptation and mitigation of impacts caused by increasing human pressure and economic production, as well as ‘high technology applications.

Earth Observation and Natural Resources and

Environment WGThe Natural Resources and Environment WG engages in outreach and

dialog with the Natural Resources and Environment information

community to demonstrate the value of OGC processes and standards, and

to provide a point of input for new requirements. The NRE WWG is in the

process of being merged with the Earth Observation (EO) WG.

Current focus of the group includes:

Sustainable Development

Development of Application Schemas for Natural Resources and

Environment

Outreach to, and communication with, other individuals and

organizations in the NRE information community

Population and Climate Change

A “Malthusian” theory about the relationship between population growth

and the environment suggests that as populations grow, they will strip

their resources leading to famine, hunger and environmental degradation.

As detailed further in this site’s section on population that is an

oversimplification and has largely shown not to be true. Instead, it has

been factors such as politics and economics (i.e. how we use our resources

and for what purpose) that has determined environmental degradation or

sustainability.

For example, the world’s wealthiest 20% (i.e. the rich countries) consume

approximately 80% of the world’s resources, while the rest of humanity

shares the other 20% of resource consumed, as noted in

the consumption section of this web site.

In regards to climate change, countries with large populations such as

China and India have not been the countries contributing greenhouse

gases for the decade that has been required to trigger climate change, as

noted further above.

While in total amounts their emissions might be high (China is second

largest emitter after the United States, for example), per person, their

emissions are significantly smaller as noted earlier.

The atmosphere of course doesn’t “care” so to speak, but from the

perspective of international relations, this is important: As stated above,

penalizing developing countries for the problem mostly caused by the rich

countries is not seen as fair by the developing world and so they will

understandably resist demands by Bush, Blair and others to meet the

same types of targets as industrialized nations.

An additional concern however, is that as countries such as China, India

and Brazil grow in prosperity, there will be large populations with

purchasing power, consuming more goods and services, thus making more

demands on the planet.

Indeed, many environmentalists have constantly noted that if such

countries were to follow the style of development that the rich countries

used and emulate them, then our planet may not be able to cope much

longer.

Yet, as also noted in this site’s population section, researchers have found

that depending. These ranges are ridiculously wide: from 2 billion to 147

billion people! Why such variance? It depends on how efficiently resources

are used and for what purpose (i.e. economics).

There are concerns, however, that many developing countries are

pursuing the same path to development that the current industrialized

countries have, which involved many environmentally damaging practices.

Ironically much of the advice and encouragement to follow this path

comes from the western economic schools of thought. There is therefore

an urgent need to focus on cleaner technologies and an alternative path to

a more sustainable form of development.

Journalist Diplip Hiro captures this quite well, when interviewed by Amy

Goodman for the radio/TV broadcast of the Democracy Now! Show:

2 out of 5 human beings are Indians and Chinese … 2.4 billion people. Last

year, China’s oil consumption went up by 15%. That means they’re

doubling oil consumption every five years, quadrupling it every ten years.

And … India … 8%.

… In the USA, there are 800 vehicles … for 1,000 American men, women

and children. In India, there are 8 vehicles for 1,000 Indians, men, women

and children. Now, suppose India progresses economically, and you

change that figure from 8 to 18 or 80, can you imagine how much oil will

be required? And that is something which one has to face up to.

… And at that time [that oil peaks in production and starts its decline, in]

India and China, the demand will rise. So what will happen? The price of

oil will go up to … $200 a barrel.

And, you see … the internal combustion engine, can be fueled by natural

gas, by hydrogen cells and by solar panels. And that’s already happening.

You know, Toyota actually has hundreds of cars running on hydrogen cells.

They have supplies of them in Tokyo. And I would say in ten to fifteen

years time, a high proportion of cars will be run by fuel other than

petroleum product. And that is the only way we can actually save

ourselves from a catastrophe, which will come if we go on the present

path.

Follow-Ups on Natural Disaster Recovery

During the immediate aftermath of the Asian tsunami, much was reported

on the aid and generosity from around the world. Many countries offered

large sums of money for aid. Yet, almost a year on, there has hardly been

anything in the mainstream news broadcasts on the amount actually

delivered, rather than initially pledged, or how it has been used.

Issues such as the quality of the aid, or the conditions associated with the

aid, or what countries may sacrifice when receiving such aid is hardly

mentioned, certainly not as prime time news headlines.

To be fair, while they may not make headline news, they may still get

covered, though in less prime time situations, as the Red Cross also notes:

“Forgotten” disasters are often chronic and diffuse, changing little day by

day. Unlikely to qualify as news, such crises may feature as current affairs

stories – especially on the websites of news organizations.

As the Red Cross added, “Principles of aid demand that disaster response

should build on local capacities” and yet they reported examples of where

this did not happen (e.g. Sri Lanka receiving air-freighted bottled water).

Why is building on local capacities important? It encourages and supports

the local economy, especially at a time of disaster. Furthermore, local

supplies are cheaper, and do not involve additional costs such as

transportation. (This is a general issue of aid, even in non-emergency

situations, whereby much aid effectiveness is reduced by tying it to

purchases from the donor. A lot of aid money never leaves a donor

country, and, in effect, helps boost sales of donor country’s companies. See

this site’s section on foreign aid for more details.)

But just a few headlines on the aid delivery would not only allow the

public to see how their governments have responded to their outpouring

of generosity, but also allow the public to keep up the pressure, and,

without a lot of public having to dig around to find this information.

Massive Extinctions From Human Activity

Despite knowing about biodiversity’s importance for a long time,

human activity has been causing massive extinctions. As the

Environment New Service, reported back in August 1999 (previous

link): “the current extinction rate is now approaching 1,000 times

the background rate and may climb to 10,000 times the background

rate during the next century, if present trends continue [resulting in]

a loss that would easily equal those of past extinctions.” (Emphasis

added)

A major report, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, released in

March 2005 highlighted a substantial and largely irreversible loss in

the diversity of life on Earth, with some 10-30% of the mammal, bird

and amphibian species threatened with extinction, due to human

actions. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) added that Earth is

unable to keep up in the struggle to regenerate from the demands we

place on it.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) notes in a

video that many species are threatened with extinction. In addition,

At threat of extinction are

1 out of 8 birds

1 out of 4 mammals

1 out of 4 conifers

1 out of 3 amphibians

6 out of 7 marine turtles

75% of genetic diversity of agricultural crops has been lost

75% of the world’s fisheries are fully or over exploited

Up to 70% of the world’s known species risk extinction if the global

temperatures rise by more than 3.5°C

1/3rd of reef-building corals around the world are threatened with

extinction

Over 350 million people suffer from severe water scarcity

In different parts of the world, species face different levels and types of

threats. But overall patterns show a downward trend in most cases.

Proportion of all assessed species in different threat categories of extinction risk on the IUCN Red List, based on data from 47,677 species.

Source: IUCN, pie chart compiled by Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2010) Global Biodiversity Outlook 3, May 2010

As explained in the UN’s 3rd Global Biodiversity Outlook, the rate of

biodiversity loss has not been reduced because the 5 principle pressures

on biodiversity are persistent, even intensifying:

1. Habitat loss and degradation

2. Climate change

3. Excessive nutrient load and other forms of pollution

4. Over-exploitation and unsustainable use

5. Invasive alien species

Most governments report to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity

that these pressures are affecting biodiversity in their country (see p. 55

of the report).

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) maintains

the Red List to assess the conservation status of species, subspecies,

varieties, and even selected subpopulations on a global scale.

Slogan about Environment

Poster about Environment

People’s Behavior toward WasteBehavior is a key cultural aspect that is embedded in people’s way of life.

Studying a community’s behavior and introducing new ones requires intensive, long-term, and creative social marketing. This can be done by studying the demographic and cultural fiber of the community through

immersions and capacity building activities.

The Resources, Environment and Economics Center for Studies, Inc.’s

(REECS) 2002 study on household waste management systems and the

attitudes and behavior of the communities in two barangays in Metro

Manila ( Bennagen, Nepomuceno, Covar, 2002) showed that:

1. Waste management is still perceived by many as the responsibility of

government.

2. Public participation in waste management, especially in segregation at

source, remains limited.

3. More extensive awareness- raising activities and training on ecological

waste management are needed, together with stricter enforcement of

the Law and local

ordinances must be observed.

4. There is lack of community empowerment and political will to resolve

the problem.

Recognizing the importance of the environment’s immediate recovery

and effects of improper waste management to the Philippines, there is a

need for understanding and reformation of attitudes and concern towards

the protection of environment. The impending garbage crisis can be

prevented if we only practice waste segregation at source, recycling, and

composting as what the law requires. An intensive social marketing

program has to be established on a long-term scale within a barangay –

the smallest unit of the local government.

Environmental Resources and Potential Impacts of Development

Land Resources:

     Loss of Plant Species and Communities: Direct impacts result from: disturbances that cause changes in temperature, light, moisture, and nutrient levels; removal activities (e.g., clear cutting, bulldozing); impacts resulting from air and water pollution (e.g., turbidity, eutrophication). Indirect impacts result from changes in natural community processes (e.g., fire) or invasion of non-native plant species. Loss of plant communities also results in decreased water quality (e.g., loss of filter function associated with plant communities), increased erosion as a result of unstable soil, nutrient imbalances in the soil, and/or compaction of soil.     Loss of Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat: Like plant communities, wildlife habitat may be impacted both from direct and indirect activities associated with development. Alteration, fragmentation, or destruction of wildlife habitat can result in the direct loss or displacement of species and the ability of the ecosystem to support other biological resources such as the plant communities upon which the wildlife relied for survival.      Loss of Other Natural Resources: Loss of natural resources such as quality water supply, clean air, forests, mineral resources, wetlands, farmland, game species, rare species and recreation opportunities can impact a community’s ability to sustain itself over the long term.      Soil Erosion: Construction activities are of particular concern. Soil erosion is an important problem both at its source and downstream of the development site. Lost soil will be deposited somewhere, and the location of the deposition could alter downstream hydrology and increase flooding. It may also pose a water quality issue directly as a result of siltation and indirectly from contaminants carried with or attached to soil particles. 

Water Resources

     Surface and Groundwater Hydrology: Changes in surface hydrology alter the flow of water through the landscape. Construction of impervious surfaces

such as parking lots, roads, and buildings increase the volume and rate of runoff, resulting in habitat destruction, increased pollutant loads, and flooding. Built or paved areas and changes in the shape of the land also influence groundwater hydrology (i.e., recharge rates, flow, conditions). 

     Water Quality: Development activities (e.g., construction, industrial or residential development) as well as the spillover effects of development such as increased demand for drinking water and increased auto use can impact water quality by contributing sediment, nutrients, and other pollutants to limited water supplies, increasing the temperature of the water, and increasing the rate and volume of runoff.      Aquatic Species and Communities: Changes in surface hydrology and water quality can have adverse impacts on aquatic species such as fish, plants, and microbes. Increased turbidity, temperature, velocity of flow, and pollutant loads can have direct impacts on the species and their habitat. 

Air Resources: Air pollution has direct and potentially hazardous impacts on human health. Air pollution includes two types: gas emissions, and particulate emissions. Non-hazardous, yet undesirable air pollution includes odors produced from certain manufacturers and fast food restaurants, etc. 

Noise: Noise pollution can have a significant impact on both human health and quality of life for the residents of a community. Such pollution is most commonly associated with airports, highway and interstate traffic, large industrial facilities, and high volumes of truck and auto traffic on city streets.

The Greenhouse Effect

As the sun's energy warms up the Earth, our planet radiates some of this heat

back out towards space. Certain gases in the atmosphere act like the glass in a

greenhouse, allowing the sun's energy in but preventing heat from escaping.

Some greenhouse gases, such as water vapor - the most abundant greenhouse

gas - are naturally present in the atmosphere; without them, the Earth's

average temperature would be an unbearably cold -18ºC instead of the 15ºC it

is today.

However, human activities are releasing immense additional amounts of

greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and this is enhancing the greenhouse

effect.

Feeling the heat

The consensus among the world's leading climate scientists is that there is no

doubt the climate system is warming, and that it is extremely likely that

emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities are the dominant cause.

The global average temperature has raised 0.85º C since the late 19th century

and each of the past three decades has been warmer than any preceding

decade since records began in 1850. Since the middle of the 20th century

concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased, the atmosphere and ocean

have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished and sea level has

risen.

Need to keep warming below 2°C

The latest scientific evidence suggests that, if little or no action is taken to

reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, by the end of this century global

warming is likely to exceed 2°C above the average temperature in 1850-1900

and could be as much as 5°C.

An increase of 2°C compared to the temperature in pre-industrial times is seen

by scientists as the threshold beyond which there is a much higher risk that

dangerous and possibly catastrophic changes in the global environment will

occur. For this reason the international community has recognized the need to

keep warming below 2°C.

CO2 emissions risingThe greenhouse gas most commonly produced by human activities is carbon

dioxide (CO2). It is responsible for some 63% of man-made global warming. One

of the main sources of CO2 in the atmosphere is the combustion of fossil fuels -

coal, oil and gas.

Over the past two and a half centuries, our societies have burnt increasing

amounts of fossil fuels to power machines, generate electricity, heat buildings

and transport people and goods. Since the Industrial Revolution in 1750 the

concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased by around 40%, and it

continues to rise.

Deforestation: a double blow for the climate

Trees help to regulate the climate by taking up CO2 from the atmosphere, and

immense amounts of carbon are stored in the world's forests. When forests are

cut down, the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere as CO2,

adding to the greenhouse effect. On top of that, when a forest is destroyed, it

can no longer absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.

Other greenhouse gasesOther greenhouse gases are emitted in smaller quantities than CO2. However,

they all trap heat far more effectively than CO2 does, in some cases by a factor

of thousands of times, making them also powerful contributors to global

warming.

In addition to CO2, six other gases are controlled by the Kyoto Protocol, the

international treaty which sets limitations on greenhouse gas emissions from

developed countries. These gases are:

Methane. The most common greenhouse gas after CO2, methane is responsible for some 19% of global warming from human activities. One reason for rising methane emissions is

the expansion of livestock farming due to the growing consumption of meat and dairy products. The bacteria that

help cattle and sheep digest their food produces methane gas, which the animals belch back into the atmosphere.

Nitrous oxide. Emission sources include nitrogen fertilizers, the combustion of fossil fuels, and some industrial processes, including nylon production. Nitrous oxide is responsible for around 6% of man-made global warming.

Fluorinated gases. Certain industrial gases which have been found to deplete the Earth's protective ozone layer account for around 12% of global warming. They are being phased out, but in some cases they are being substituted by so-called fluorinated gases which can be even more powerful greenhouse gases. Four types of fluorinated gases are controlled by the Kyoto Protocol: hydro fluorocarbons, per fluorocarbons, sulphur hexafluoride and (for the second Kyoto period only) nitrogen trifluoride. They are used in a variety of industrial applications.

Environment

AnnouncementWhat: Tree planting

Why: To avoid flood & landslide

When: On December 10, 2013

Who: the entire student

Where: Kawa-kawa

About the Philippines Natural Resources

Our country is rich in various and unique forms of plants and animals that can be only found in the Philippines. Let me share the following information about the Philippines natural resources.

Our seas produce different fish, sea products, shells, and pearls. We have the famous fishes that Filipinos can be proud of like bangus, talakitok, lapu-lapu,banak. The smallest freshwater fish in the world, Pandaca Pygmea (dwarf- pygmy goby) is found in Camarines Sur, Philippines. This smallest vertebrate may now be extinct due to the pollution of its habitat.

The smallest and one of the biggest clams in the world, the pisidium and tridacna gigas, are found in Philippines seas. Conus Gloria Maris, a rare shell can only be found in the Philippines. We have rare animals and birds species like the world’s smallest primates, the tarsier which is found in Bohol; the tamaraw, an extraordinary animal that looks like a carabao in Mindoro; the mouse deer found in Balabac Islands, Palawan; the country’s most beautiful bird, the Paboreal; the Philippine Eagle, our national bird; Lawin, known as the smallest falcon; the Philippines biggest bird, the sharpe’s crane. The Philippines is also blessed with a lot of mineral resources such as steel, gold, asphalt, manganese, carbon, sulphur, oil, feldspar, phosphate, nickel, marble, limestone. Few years ago, oil was also discovered in Palawan. Types of bamboo can be seen in different parts of the Philippines. These bamboos were exported in other countries, and used for materials

in the house, making furniture and many more. Our forests are abundant in trees like mahogany, molave, apitong, yakal, ipil, etc. Those trees are used for making furniture and house. The country’s narra tree is also popular for its strength and durability. The Philippine is famous for its rope known as Abaca. This rope is known worldwide for its strength and durability. The Philippines is widely known for the production of tropical fruits like pineapple, mango, and banana. We also export coconut in different countries. The Philippines has different varieties of palms. The coconut tree (cocos nucifera) is found in almost regions of the Philippines.

The first consequences of climate change can already be seen in Europe and worldwide, and these impacts are predicted to intensify in the coming decades. Temperatures are rising, rainfall patterns are shifting, glaciers are melting, sea levels are getting higher and extreme weather resulting in hazards such as floods and droughts is becoming more common.

These changes pose a serious threat to human lives, to economic development and to the natural world on which much of our prosperity depends. Society therefore needs to take measures to adapt to these unavoidable impacts while taking action to cut the greenhouse gas emissions that are almost certainly causing climate change.

Melting ice and rising seas

The warming of the world's oceans is expanding their volume, while polar ice sheets have started to melt and glaciers around the world are shrinking. The combination of these changes is increasing sea levels, which in time will threaten low-lying land areas and islands.

Extreme weather, shifting rainfall

As the climate changes, extreme weather events like heat waves, droughts, heavy rain and snow, storms and floods are becoming more frequent or more intense. Southern and central Europe have seen more frequent heat waves, forest fires and droughts.  

Rainfall patterns are also changing. In Europe the Mediterranean area is becoming drier, making it even more vulnerable to drought and wildfires. Northern Europe, meanwhile, is getting significantly wetter, and winter floods could become common. Climate change is expected to cause significant changes in the quality and availability of water resources.

Vulnerable regions

Vulnerability to climate change varies widely across regions. Many poor developing countries are among the most vulnerable to climate change but also have the least resources to cope with it.

All EU countries are exposed to climate change, but some regions are more at risk than others. The Mediterranean basin, mountain areas, densely populated floodplains, coastal zones, outermost regions and the Arctic are particularly vulnerable.

In addition, three quarters of the population of Europe live in urban areas, which are often ill-equipped for adapting to climate change and are exposed to heat waves, flooding or rising sea levels.

Consequences for human health, the economy and wildlife

Extreme weather events pose a direct risk to the health and safety of people, with the very young, the elderly, the disabled and low-income households particularly vulnerable.

Damage to property and infrastructure imposes heavy costs on society and the economy. Flooding in the EU killed more than 2 500 people and affected more than 5.5 million over the period 1980-2011, causing direct economic losses of more than €90 billion.

Sectors that rely strongly on certain temperatures and precipitation levels, such as agriculture, forestry, energy and tourism, will be particularly affected by climate change.

Climate change is happening so fast that many plant and animal species will struggle to cope. Warming of 1.5º C-2.5º C beyond today's levels would put as many as 20-30% of plant and animal species at increased risk of extinction.

Trend towards perpetual resourcesAs radical new technology impacts the materials and minerals world more and more

powerfully, the materials used are more and more likely to have perpetual

resources. There are already more and more materials that have perpetual

resources and less and less materials that have nonrenewable resources or are

strategic and critical materials. Some materials that have perpetual resources such

as salt,stone, magnesium, and common clay were mentioned previously. Thanks to

new technology, synthetic diamonds were added to the list of perpetual resources,

since they can be easily made from a lump of carbon. Another form of carbon,

synthetic graphite, is made in large quantities (graphite electrodes, graphite fiber)

from carbon precursors such as petroleum coke or a textile fiber. A firm named

Liquidmetal Technologies, Inc. is utilizing the removal of dislocations in a material

with a technique that overcomes performance limitations caused by inherent

weaknesses in the crystal atomic structure. It makes amorphous metal alloys, which

retain a random atomic structure when the hot metal solidifies, rather than the

crystalline atomic structure (with dislocations) that normally forms when hot metal

solidifies. These amorphous alloys have much better performance properties than

usual; for example, their zirconium-titanium Liquidmetal alloys are 250% stronger

than a standard titanium alloy. The Liquidmetal alloys can supplant many high

performance alloys.

Exploration of the ocean bottom in the last fifty years revealed manganese nodules

and phosphate nodules in many locations. More recently, polymetallic sulfide

deposits have been discovered and polymetallic sulfide "black muds" are being

presently deposited from "black smokers" The cobalt scarcity situation of 1978 has

a new option now: recover it from manganese nodules. A Korean firm plans to start

developing a manganese nodule recovery operation in 2010; the manganese

nodules recovered would average 27% to 30%manganese, 1.25% to 1.5% nickel,

1% to 1.4% copper, and 0.2% to 0.25% cobalt (commercial grade)  Nautilus

Minerals Ltd. is planning to recover commercial grade material averaging 29.9%

zinc, 2.3% lead, and 0.5% copper from massive ocean-bottom polymetallic sulfide

deposits using an underwater vacuum cleaner-like device that combines some

current technologies in a new way. Partnering with Nautilus are Tech Cominco Ltd.

and Anglo-American Ltd., world-leading international firms.

There are also other robot mining techniques that could be applied under the ocean.

Rio Tinto is using satellite links to allow workers 1500 kilometers away to operate

drilling rigs, load cargo, dig out ore and dump it on conveyor belts, and place

explosives to subsequently blast rock and earth. The firm can keep workers out of

danger this way, and also use fewer workers. Such technology reduces costs and

offsets declines in metal content of ore reserves.] Thus a variety of minerals and

metals are obtainable from unconventional sources with resources available in huge

quantities.

Finally, what is a perpetual resource? The ASTM definition for a perpetual resource

is "one that is virtually inexhaustible on a human time-scale". Examples given

include solar energy, tidal energy, and wind energy, to which should be added salt,

stone, magnesium, diamonds, and other materials mentioned above. A study on the

biogeophysical aspects of sustainability came up with a rule of prudent practice that

a resource stock should last 700 years to achieve sustainability or become a

perpetual resource, or for a worse case, 350 years.

If a resource lasting 700 or more years is perpetual, one that lasts 350 to 700 years

can be called an abundant resource, and is so defined here. How long the material

can be recovered from its resource depends on human need and changes in

technology from extraction through the life cycle of the product to final disposal, plus

recyclability of the material and availability of satisfactory substitutes. Specifically,

this shows that exhaustibility does not occur until these factors weaken and play

out: the availability of substitutes, the extent of recycling and its feasibility, more

efficient manufacturing of the final consumer product, more durable and longer-

lasting consumer products, and even a number of other factors.

The most recent resource information and guidance on the kinds of resources that

must be considered is covered on the Resource Guide-Update

The Forest Ecosystem

Forest Ecosystems are responsible for much of our Climate Physiology. The Ecosystem is a core function of a working Forest. Forest trees begin emitting Oxygen soon after planting.

However, simply planting trees will not create a working Forest Ecosystem. To accomplish that you must have virtually all the plant species that Nature provides from the smallest Flowers through woody shrubs and understory trees.

Then you add the Birds, Animals and Insects. Only then will the synergy of these elements begin a working Forest Ecosystem ….

The working Forest Ecosystem is a virtual clean climate machine. It cleans the air removing particulate matter, it cools the air and adds moisture. The Forests absorb existing air separating the elements, freeing and releasing the Oxygen, disposing of the minor elements and using the CO2 for food to grow.

Even the pollutant nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is absorbed by the enzyme rich soil and released as harmless nitrogen. Forests release water vapor which rises and forms the clouds ...The working Forest Ecosystem, when restored, will correct climate change....

OUR OCEAN ECOSYSTEMS

The World’s Oceans produce the other 50% of the Oxygen in our atmosphere through Marine Phytoplankton and suns light. The 50/50 equation for oxygen production is always in a state of flux and is never exactly 50/50. For instance, Forest fires destroyed over 8,000,000 acres of our forests in 2012 which had a huge impact on our atmosphere.

When the Artic sea ice began to melt a huge layer of marine phytoplankton was discovered beneath it along with record amounts in the Northern Atlantic and Indian Oceans. We see this as Natures way of keeping the balance.

Compilation of Pictures and Articles about Environment

Francis Mark Bonde