Finite Resources: Renewable vs. Non-Renewable
All resources are finite, meaning they have limits to their availability.
They can be classified into renewable and non-renewable resources, based on their ability to regenerate.
Renewable Resources
- These resources can regenerate naturally at a rate equal to or faster than they are consumed.
- However, overexploitation can make them unsustainable.
- Food Crops & Timber: Can be replenished through natural growth and reproduction.
- Freshwater: Renewed through the water cycle but can become scarce due to overuse or pollution.
- Ozone Layer: Naturally replenished by sunlight-driven chemical reactions, but ODSs (ozone-depleting substances) disrupt the balance.
The Aral Sea in Central Asia was once a major freshwater resource, but excessive water extraction for irrigation led to severe desertification and ecosystem collapse.
Non-Renewable Resources
- These resources do not regenerate (or regenerate too slowly) to keep up with human consumption, making them unsustainable in the long term.
- Fossil Fuels (coal, oil, natural gas): Formed over millions of years, but are depleted rapidly.
- Metals & Minerals (gold, copper, rare earth elements): Extracted from the Earth’s crust and are not replaced naturally.
- Nuclear Fuels (uranium, thorium): Used in nuclear power, but finite and difficult to replenish.
The depletion of fossil fuel reserves has driven a global shift towards renewable energy, such as solar and wind power.
When Renewable Becomes Non-Renewable
- If a renewable resource is used faster than it can regenerate, it effectively becomes non-renewable.
- Overfishing: Global fish stocks are declining, pushing some species (e.g., Atlantic cod) to near extinction.
- Deforestation: Forests take decades to regenerate, but rampant logging exceeds this rate, leading to desertification and biodiversity loss.
- Groundwater Depletion: Aquifers take thousands of years to recharge, but overuse in agriculture dries up water sources permanently.
The Amazon Rainforest is being cleared so rapidly that parts of it are turning into savanna, reducing its ability to act as a carbon sink.
Ensuring Sustainability
To keep resources renewable and sustainable, we must:
- Regulate Consumption: Implement laws to prevent overexploitation (e.g., sustainable fishing quotas).
- Adopt Renewable Energy: Shift from fossil fuels to solar, wind, and hydro power.
- Reforestation & Conservation: Protect forests, oceans, and freshwater sources to preserve ecosystem balance.
- Improve Technology: Invest in circular economy models, where waste is minimized and resources are reused efficiently.
The Value of Natural Capital: A Multidimensional Perspective
Natural capital is the stock of natural resources that provides goods and services essential for life.
Its value extends beyond economic terms, encompassing aesthetic, cultural, environmental, health, intrinsic, social, spiritual, and technological dimensions.
Understanding these diverse values helps us appreciate the full significance of natural capital and guides sustainable management.
Aesthetic Value: Beauty and Inspiration
Aesthetic value of natural capital
Aesthetic value refers to the beauty and visual appeal of natural landscapes, which inspire art, photography, and personal reflection.
- Aesthetic value is often subjective, varying from person to person.
- What one finds beautiful, another might overlook.
Cultural Value: Heritage and Identity
Cultural value of natural capital
Cultural value encompasses the tangible and intangible aspects of nature that shape traditions, languages, and knowledge systems.
Cultural value is often specific to a particular group or region, reflecting unique historical and social contexts.
Economic Value: Goods and Services
Economic value of natural capital
Economic value refers to the monetary worth of natural resources and the ecosystem services they provide.
- Don't confuse economic value with intrinsic value.
- Economic value is based on human use, while intrinsic value recognizes nature's worth independent of human needs.
Environmental Value: Life-Support Systems
- Environmental value highlights the role of ecosystems in maintaining life-supporting processes.
Environmental value is often overlooked because these services are not directly visible or easily monetized.
Health Value: Physical and Mental Well-being
Health value of natural capital
Health value refers to the benefits nature provides for human health, both physically and mentally.
- Health value varies based on individual needs and perspectives.
- For example, someone with asthma may place higher value on clean air.
Intrinsic Value: Nature's Inherent Worth
- Intrinsic value recognizes that nature has worth independent of human use or benefit.
The existence of a Siberian tiger or a coral reef is valuable, regardless of its utility to humans.
Social Value: Community and Connection
- Social value reflects the role of nature in fostering relationships and community bonds.
- Avoid assuming that social value is the same for everyone.
- It can vary widely based on cultural and personal factors.
Spiritual Value: Connection to the Sacred
- Spiritual value encompasses the ways in which nature connects people to their spirituality or religious beliefs.
Spiritual value is deeply personal and can be influenced by cultural or religious beliefs.
Technological Value: Innovation and Knowledge
Technological value of natural capital
Technological value refers to the potential of natural resources to inspire innovations and advancements.
Technological value often depends on scientific research and innovation, highlighting the importance of preserving biodiversity.
Designing a Survey to Investigate Ecosystem Service Values
To understand how people value different ecosystem services, you can design a survey for your school community.
- Define Your Objective
- Goal: Determine which ecosystem services are most valued by the community.
- Focus: Aesthetic, cultural, economic, environmental, health, intrinsic, social, spiritual, and technological values.
- Select Ecosystem Services
- Choose 10 services to evaluate, such as:
- Clean air
- Freshwater availability
- Biodiversity
- Recreational spaces
- Carbon sequestration
- Design the Survey Questions
- Use a Likert scale to measure importance:
- 1: Not important
- 2: Slightly important
- 3: Important
- 4: Essential
- Use a Likert scale to measure importance:
The Dynamic Value of Natural Capital
The value of natural capital is not fixed, it changes over time due to various economic, technological, environmental, and societal factors.
Reasons for Changes in the Value of Natural Capital
Increase in Value Due to:
- Scarcity: As resources become rarer, their price and demand rise (e.g., rare earth metals).
- Technological Advancements: New uses for a resource increase its demand (e.g., lithium for batteries).
- Policy & Environmental Awareness: Conservation efforts and sustainability goals can make some resources more valuable (e.g., carbon credits).
Decrease in Value Due to:
- Resource Substitution: If a better alternative is found, demand drops (e.g., whale oil replaced by petroleum).
- Environmental Regulations: Restrictions on harmful resources reduce their use (e.g., coal phase-out).
- Depletion or Degradation: Overuse can make a resource less available and, therefore, less useful (e.g., overfished species).
Two Named Examples of Value Changes Over Time
Whale Oil (Decrease in Value)
- 19th Century: Whale oil was highly valuable as a fuel for lamps and lubricants.
- 20th Century: The discovery of petroleum-based alternatives (e.g., kerosene) made whale oil obsolete.
- Modern Times: Whaling bans and conservation efforts have further reduced demand.
Lithium (Increase in Value)
- Past: Used in small-scale applications (e.g., pharmaceuticals, glass production).
- Present & Future: Demand has skyrocketed due to its use in electric vehicle (EV) batteries and renewable energy storage.
- Challenge: The environmental impact of lithium mining is raising concerns about sustainability.
- Coal (Decrease in Value): Once the backbone of industry, but declining due to renewable energy and climate policies.
- Cobalt (Increase in Value): Crucial for batteries and electronics, but supply concerns (e.g., unethical mining in the DRC) are affecting stability.
- Cork (Decrease in Value): Replaced by synthetic and screw-top wine bottle stoppers, reducing demand.
Managing Natural Capital for Sustainability
Sustainability requires that natural capital is used wisely—resources should not be extracted faster than they can regenerate, and waste should not accumulate faster than it can be absorbed by the environment.
Consequences of Mismanaging Natural Capital
Overharvesting of Resources → Ecosystem Collapse & Societal Damage
Deforestation in the Amazon
- Harm to Ecosystems: Loss of biodiversity, habitat destruction, disrupted carbon and water cycles.
- Harm to Society: Increased floods, soil erosion, loss of indigenous lands, and reduced oxygen production.
Overfishing in the Atlantic
- Harm to Ecosystems: Disrupts food chains, leading to species decline or collapse (e.g., cod populations).
- Harm to Society: Loss of fisheries, unemployment, and food insecurity in coastal communities.
Excess Waste & Pollution → Environmental & Human Health Crises
Plastic Waste in the Ocean
- Harm to Ecosystems: Marine life entanglement, ingestion of microplastics, and habitat destruction (e.g., Great Pacific Garbage Patch).
- Harm to Society: Contaminated seafood, economic losses in fisheries and tourism, and public health risks.
Air Pollution from Fossil Fuels
- Harm to Ecosystems: Acid rain damages forests, water bodies, and soil, global warming worsens climate impacts.
- Harm to Society: Increases respiratory diseases, reduces life expectancy, and causes economic losses from healthcare costs.
Sustainable Resource Management Strategies
- Forest Conservation: Sustainable logging, reforestation, and indigenous-led protection.
- Sustainable Fisheries: Quotas, marine protected areas, and bycatch reduction.
- Circular Economy: Recycling, reducing waste, and designing eco-friendly products.
- Clean Energy Transition: Replacing fossil fuels with renewables like solar, wind, and hydropower.
How do cultural perspectives influence the way societies value and manage natural resources?
