Transcript Chapter 14
An Introduction to Human Geography The Cultural Landscape, 8e James M. Rubenstein Chapter 14 Resource Issues PPT by Abe Goldman Resource Depletion • Energy resources – Fossil fuel supply – Distribution of fossil fuels – World petroleum control – Nonrenewable substitutes • Mineral resources – Nonmetallic minerals – Metallic minerals U.S. Energy Consumption 1850–2000 Fig. 14-1: The main energy sources in the U.S. have changed over time as total energy use has increased. Growth was particularly rapid in the 1950s and 1960s. Coal Production Fig. 14-2a: China and the U.S. are the world’s largest coal producers. Little coal is produced in most of Africa and some of Latin America. Coal Reserves Fig. 14-2b: The U.S., Russia, China, and India have the largest reserves of coal. Petroleum Production Fig. 14-3a: Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the U.S. are the world’s largest petroleum producers. Petroleum Reserves Fig. 14-3b: Two-thirds of the world’s known petroleum reserves are in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia alone has over one-quarter of world reserves. Natural Gas Production Fig. 14-4a: Russia, the U.S., and Canada are the world’s largest natural gas producers. Natural Gas Reserves Fig. 14-4b: Russia has the world’s largest natural gas reserves. Iran and other MidEastern countries have large reserves, but the U.S. has relatively little. Per Capita Energy Consumption Fig. 14-5a: Energy consumption per person in MDCs is far larger than in LDCs. World Energy Consumption Fig. 14-5b: The U.S., with about 5% of world population, consumes about 25% of world energy. U.S. Oil Imports, 1973 and 2003 Fig. 14-6: U.S. oil imports increased from about one-quarter to over one-half of consumption between 1973 and 2003. Total consumption also increased from 4.5 to 6.1 billion barrels. Nuclear Power Production Fig. 14-7: Nuclear power as a percent of total electricity. A number of European countries as well as Japan and South Korea rely most heavily on nuclear power. Nuclear Power in the U.S. Fig. 14-8: Location of current nuclear power plants in the U.S. and nuclear power as a percent of total electricity in U.S. states. Elements in the Earth’s Crust Fig. 14-9: Oxygen and silicon are the most abundant elements in the Earth’s crust. Ferrous Metal Production Fig. 14-10: Iron ore is the most important ferrous metal. Brazil, Australia, and China account for one-half of world production. Nonferrous Metal Production Fig. 14-11: Australia is the leading producer of bauxite, the source of aluminum. Copper, lead, zinc, and the precious metals (gold, silver, and platinum) are the other main nonferrous metals. Pollution • Air pollution – Global scale air pollution – Regional scale air pollution – Local scale air pollution • Water pollution – Water pollution sources – Impact on aquatic life – Wastewater and disease • Land pollution – Solid waste disposal – Toxic pollutants Global Temperatures, 1880–2000 Fig. 14-12: Annual mean temperatures have increased more than 0.5°C since 1880. The graph shows deviations from the mean temperature for 1951–1980. Acid Deposition Fig. 14-13: Due to prevailing winds, the highest sulfate deposit levels in North America lie east of the emission sources. Deposit levels in Germany are higher than in the U.S. Aral Sea, 1975 and 1996 Figs. 14-1-1 and 14-1-2: The Aral Sea in the former Soviet Union has shrunk dramatically in area and volume due to extensive diversion of water for irrigation. Change in Aral Sea, 1995–96 Figs. 14-1-3 and 14-1-4: The image on the left shows the Aral Sea in 1995. Overlaying this with the 1996 image in the previous slide makes it possible to depict the change in lake levels (right). Solid Waste Sources, before and after recycling Fig. 14-14: Paper products are the largest part of U.S. solid waste, followed by food and yard waste. Recycling can reduce solid waste considerably. Renewing and Recycling Resources • Renewing resources – Solar energy – Other energy sources – Uses for renewable energy • Recycling resources – – – – Recycling collection Other pollution reduction strategies Using all reduction strategies at a coking plant Comparing pollution reduction strategies Pollution Reduction at a Coking Plant Fig. 14-15: A coking plant illustrates alternatives for reducing pollution, including: recycling discharges, reducing waste discharges, and increasing environmental capacity. Resource Conservation • Sustainable development – Sustainability and economic growth – Critics of sustainability • Biodiversity – Biological and geographic biodiversity – Biodiversity in the tropics Pollution and National Wealth Fig. 14-16: Sulfur emissions in relation to national income suggest that discharges increase and then decline as development and wealth increase.