Nature

and society: harmony, crisis and impact

S. Summaries
1. The relationship between nature and society

• Today's rate of exploitation of natural resources is not sustainable. Also, resources used for energy,
food and products need to be transformed. This has a major impact on the planet.
• Developed countries consume huge quantities of natural resources. This consumption is
unsustainable and the following factors need to be considered:
o Overexploitation. Renewable resources are used at a faster rate than they can be replaced.
o Non-renewable resources, such as fossil fuels, cannot be replaced.
o Pollution. Human activity generates harmful gases and accumulates waste.
o Sustainability improves quality of life without damaging that of future generations.

2. The unequal use of the planet's resources

• The economic inequality between different countries in the world is affected by:
o The availability of natural resources.
o The availability of adequate technology and economic resources for effective exploitation.
o Political control. MEDCs have the power to access resources at the expense of LEDCs.
• Large companies from MEDCs often exploit the resources of LEDCs.

3. Environmental impact: water 1

• The effect of human activity on the world's natural resources is called environmental impact.
Examples are the overexploitation of natural resources and pollution.
• Water is the natural resource most commonly overexploited due to high levels of consumption in
agricultural activity, industry and domestic usage.
• Water is considered polluted or undrinkable when the amount of toxins it contains makes it
dangerous to humans. The pollution of fresh water can be caused by a variety of factors:
o Human activity: water from activities like bathing, housework, etc.
o Farming: water that is polluted by fertilizers, pesticides or the waste from farm animals.
o Sewage: human and animal waste mixed with water.
o Industrial activity: water mixed with toxic waste from industrial processes.
• Seas and oceans are polluted by the uncontrolled disposal of urban and industrial waste. To solve
this problem, water purification plants are built which remove the pollutants.
• The Mediterranean Sea is one of the most polluted seas, due to commercial shipping, urban,
industrial and agricultural pollution and the effects of tourism.

4. Environmental impact: air and vegetation

• Air pollution is caused by toxic gases released into the atmosphere. It causes problems, such as acid
rain, the depletion of the ozone layer and the greenhouse effect.
• Deforestation is the large-scale destruction of trees. It is caused by the clearing of trees for
farmland, living space, or timber. The environmental consequences of deforestation are:
o Soil erosion and flooding.
o The loss of biodiversity.
o An increase in the greenhouse effect.
o Sustainability improves quality of life without damaging that of future generations.
• The effects of deforestation can be partially offset by:
 o Reforestation. Replannting trees inn deforested
d areas.
o Limiting th
he amount of farmlan nd. Reducin ng the numb ber of trees ccut down.
o Keeping woods
w well maintained
m d to avoid thhe risk of forest fires.

5. Sustainabl
S le develop
pment and
d waste m anagemen
nt

• Sustainable develoopment is ab bout using nnatural resou urces in a ra

ational wayy. The needds of peoplee
today hhave to be saatisfied, whiile guaranteeeing the neeeds of futurre generatioons.
• Increasiing consummption generrates huge q quantities of
o waste. To o prevent thhis, we mustt raise
awareneess of the thhree Rs: Reduce, Reu use, Recyclee.
• Consum ming respoonsibly is also importannt in the typ pe and quanttity of the pproducts we buy.

i. Introdu
I uction

By being ecoologically awarea and employingg sustainablle developm ment methhods, we can protect our
enviironment. H High levelss of producction and coonsumption n in society ment. Acid rain
y pollute thhe environm
desttroys vegetaation and reeduces the quality
q of thee soil. 2
Oveer the last feew decades,, technology y has advannced so mucch that we arre now ablee to obtain detailed
d imaages
of th
he Earth viaa satellites. This enablees us to see the impact humans havve made on the Earth's natural
reso
ources.

We are increasingly awaree that the un ncontrolled exploitation

n of natural resources iis putting prressure on thhe
Eartth. Some naatural resourrces are nott renewable and therefo
ore conservaation of thesse resources is needed to
achiieve sustainnable develoopment.

Susttainable devvelopment involves

i usiing our natuural resources in a moree rational w
way, in orderr to avoid
exhausting all ssupplies.

1. The rellationsh
hip betw
ween naature an
nd socieety
1.1. The relatiionship beetween naature and society

Throuughout history, human beings havve used the Earth's

E natuural
resouurces to serv
ve their need
ds. The wayys that we have
h used thhese
naturral resources and the technology eemployed to o exploit theem
have changed ov ver time.

Depeendence on n nature
until the 19 h century, an
Up un th
nd even intoo the 20th ceentury in som
me
placees, commun nities had a very
v close rrelationship with the
naturral world beecause people dependedd on it to su urvive.
Industrial activity.

Society basically lived on agriculture and livestock farming. There was limited technology and heavy work
was carried out by humans and animals.

Mineral resources were scarce and difficult to extract. The most commonly used minerals were iron, copper,
tin and silver.

Nature as an inexhaustible source of wealth

During the Industrial Revolution, the use of coal and oil made machines more powerful and efficient.

With these machines, work became simpler for humans and resources could be obtained more easily and
quickly.

These resources were transformed into numerous products. The belief that natural resources were
inexhaustible meant that there was no concern about their conservation.

Unsustainable growth

The Earth's resources are not infinite. Experts warn that the current rate of exploitation of natural resources
is not sustainable.

Furthermore, to generate energy, produce food and make products, resources need to be transformed. This
process can have a major impact on nature, endangering life on the planet.

Agricultural activity.
Dumping of waste water.

1.2. Ecological awareness and sustainable

development

The exploitation of oil.

The relationship between nature and society
Oil spills
Oil spills are caused when large amounts of petroleum are
accidentally released into the environment. The ecological damage
that oil spills cause is severe and extremely hard to reverse.

In Spain, the worst oil spill took place when the Prestige oil tanker
had an accident off the coast of Galicia in 2002. Some 77000 tonnes
of oil spilled into the sea.

In the United States, the worst ecological disaster was when the
Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico
in 2010. The accident caused 800000 tonnes of oil to be released into
the sea.

The damage caused to the local ecosystem was enormous. Hundreds of species of animals were
threatened and the fishing and tourist industries were seriously affected.

2. The unequal use of the planet's resources

2.1. Economic inequality between countries

Water supplies are becoming increasingly scarce in some areas.

The economic inequality that exists between different countries in the world is 4
affected by:

• The availability of natural resources. Natural resources (water, wood, fertile

land, minerals) are not equally distributed around the planet.
• The availability of adequate technology and sufficient economic resources
to exploit the natural resources effectively.
• Political control. MEDCs have the political power to access natural
resources, often at the expense of LEDCs.

MEDCs control the majority of the world's resources

Large companies from MEDCs often exploit the resources of LEDCs.

Today, the power of multinational companies is very great and they control a lot of
the world's resources. One example is banana cultivation.
 The Deterioration of water: a global problem

The overexploitation of rivers and aquifers causes major

changes to ecosystems, serious conflicts between states and
health problems for the population. Some examples are:
In the Bay of Bengal, indiscriminate deforestation, floods
and overexploitation have changed the ecosystem of the
River Ganges.
The United States accuses Mexico of polluting the Rio
Grande and threatening agriculture in Texas. The Mexicans
denounce the Americans for the abusive exploitation of the
Colorado river, through the use of dams and canals that
reduce the river's flow.
In Haiti, a few months after the earthquake that shook the island, the polluted water from a river caused a
cholera epidemic that led to the deaths of hundreds of people.

3. Environmental impact: water

3.1. Overexploitation and pollution of natural resources

The Ebro Delta ecosystem.

The impact of human activity on the natural

world has led to the deterioration of its
natural resources. This is called 5
environmental impact.

The most serious examples of environmental

impact are caused by the overexploitation of
natural resources and pollution from the
accumulation of waste.

The natural resources most endangered by

this environmental impact are water, air and
vegetation.

3.2. The overexploitation of water

Water is the natural resource that is most commonly overexploited due to the high levels of consumption.
Water consumption in the world has increased by four times in the last 50 years.

Agricultural activity uses the most water. Industry uses a lower percentage of water. Domestic usage
accounts for the smallest percentage of the world's water consumption. However, households can still reduce
their consumption of water.

Using water from rivers and aquifers below ground can also have a major environmental impact when:

• The natural course of a river is redirected through the construction of canals and dams.
• More water from aquifers is extracted than can be replaced naturally. In coastal areas, this allows sea
water to penetrate the bedrock and contaminate the fresh water and soil. In inland areas, the
overexploitation of groundwater causes desertification.
3. Environmental impact: water
An example of the overexploitation of water

The Ebro Delta has a surface area of 320 square kilometres. It is the second largest wetland area in
the western Mediterranean after the French Camargue.

The Delta is home to many different species of migrating birds. Some 300 species of birds can be
seen in the Delta wetland.

The Delta has many natural habitats that are not common in the rest of Catalonia: large lakes of salt
water, kilometres of beaches with sand dunes and salt pans. It is a unique landscape with very
diverse ecosystems and flora and fauna. In 1983, the Delta was declared a natural park.

However, if the construction of dams and the redirection of rivers continues, the Ebro Delta could be
in danger of disappearing.

3.3. Fresh water pollution

World population with access to drinking water in 2008.

Population without drinking water in 2009.

Water is considered polluted or undrinkable when the amount of toxins it contains makes it dangerous to
humans.

The pollution of fresh water can be caused by a variety of factors:

• Human activity: water that comes from activities like bathing, housework, etc.
• Farming: water that is polluted by fertilizers, pesticides or the waste from farm animals.
• Sewage: human and animal waste consisting of faecal matter mixed with water.
• Industrial activity: water mixed with waste from industrial processes containing toxic materials,
such as heavy metals (mercury, lead, etc.).

3.4. Marine pollution

The seas and oceans can be polluted by the uncontrolled disposal of urban and industrial waste.

In order to solve this problem, water purification plants are built which remove the pollutants from the
water before it is disposed of.

The Mediterranean Sea, like all seas enclosed by land, is one of the most polluted. This is due to:

• Commercial shipping.
 • Urban, industrial and agricultural pollution.
• The effects of tourism, especially in summer.

4. Environmental impact: air and vegetation

4.1. Atmospheric pollution

Industrial and economic growth depend on the constant consumption of fossil fuels. Unfortunately, the
burning of fossil fuels severely pollutes the environment. They are also non-renewable sources.

Air pollution is caused by toxic gases released into the atmosphere, provoking serious environmental
problems, such as:

• Acid rain. Polluting gases in the atmosphere become mixed with rainwater and destroy vegetation.
• Depletion of the ozone layer. Some gases can destroy ozone, which is a gas in the atmosphere that
protects living beings against the effects of the Sun's ultraviolet rays.
• The greenhouse effect. Industrial activity increases the amount of gases released into the
atmosphere, causing temperatures to rise. The greenhouse effect contributes to climate change.

Renewable resources pollute less and will be available long after fossil fuels have been used up.

4.2. Deforestation

Deforestation is the destruction of trees on a

large scale.

One of the causes of deforestation is the clearing 7

of trees by humans to create farmland, living
space or to obtain wood for commercial purposes.

Forest fires and acid rain also cause the

destruction of trees and forests.

Consequences of deforestation

The environmental consequences of deforestation

include:

• Soil erosion and flooding. Vegetation stops soil being washed away. In a deforested area, soil
erosion is more common and the consequent flooding can be even more devastating.
• The loss of biodiversity. The clearing of trees causes the disappearance of numerous animal and
plant species.
• An increase in the greenhouse effect. The disappearance of forests means that carbon dioxide
levels in the atmosphere increase.

Solutions for deforestation

The effects of deforestation can be partially offset by:

• Reforestation. Replanting trees in deforested areas.

• Limiting the amount of farmland, so as not to cut down more trees.
• Keeping woods well maintained to avoid the risk of forest fires.
Policies of investment and protection are needed to control the exploitation of woods and forests.

Did you know...?

Climate change is characterised by a rise in global temperatures and an alteration of winds and
precipitation. It includes the melting of polar ice and glaciers, which causes a rise in sea levels,
endangering coastal life.

To limit the effects of climate change, it is necessary to reduce the amount of polluting gases in the
atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide. These gases are produced by industry, transport and heating
systems.

o How can we help to avoid climate change? 8

Examples of deforestation

In the peninsula of Indochina, deforestation (in brown) has happened at a very fast rate.

On the peninsula of Indochina, millions of hectares of forest have been destroyed for timber, which is used
to make furniture.

In the Caribbean and the Amazon jungle, the deforested area represents a third of the world's total. Trade in
timber exports has been the main cause of the overexploitation of these forests.
In Africa, the deforested area also represents a third of the world's total. Trees are cleared for farmland and
firewood.

5. Sustainable development and waste management

5.1. Sustainable development

Reusing is more difficult in consumer societies.

Sustainable development consists of using natural resources in

a rational way.

The objective of sustainable development is to satisfy the basic

needs of the population today while guaranteeing the needs of
future generations, without endangering the environment.

5.2. Waste management

In today's economic system there is more and

more production. This means that increasing
quantities of resources and raw materials are
being consumed.

The increase in production and general

consumption generates huge quantities of waste.
This situation is not sustainable. To prevent this
happening, we must raise awareness of the three 9
Rs:

• Reduce costs, production and the

exploitation of resources and raw materials.
• Reuse. Consume products that can be
used more than once rather than disposable
products.
• Recycle. Recycling helps us to control
dangerous and problematic waste and is a source
of new raw materials (paper, plastic, glass).

It is also important to consume responsibly. To

do this we must think about the type and quantity
of the products we buy.

Find out about...

Sorting rubbish helps the recycling of
waste and reduces the impact on the
environment.

International environmental policy

In the 2010 Cancun conference, countries agreed to reduce CO2 emissions by between 25% and
40%, as well as invest in new green technology and sustainable environmental projects.

To deal with the problems of the environment and climate change on an international level, there are
meetings and summits between the world's countries.

The first conference took place in Stockholm (1972). There have been other meetings since then. 10

In the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (1992) , 178 countries participated. The conclusions were
compiled in the Agenda 21 document.

The measures agreed on included finding a balance between economic development and the
management of resources, protecting the environment, good waste management and the rigorous
control of pollution.

In Kyoto (1997), one of the most important conferences took place to analyse the issue of climate
change. The result was the Kyoto Protocol an agreement to reduce CO2 emissions.

In the Bali (2007) and Copenhagen (2009) conferences, no new countries approved the Kyoto
Protocol and so it could not be renewed beyond 2012. This was because:

o In MEDCs, large companies put pressure on their governments, because reducing carbon
dioxide emissions made production more expensive.
o LEDCs felt that measures taken to protect the environment would inhibit economic
development.

At the Cancun conference (2010), 193 countries agreed to keep and to extend the Kyoto Protocol
(including the United States, China and Japan, who did not sign in 1997). A final decision on how
long the Protocol would be extended for was not taken at the time.