Excessive exploitation of natural

resources and consumerism

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union

The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which
reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information
contained therein.
Table of contents
 Exploitation of natural resources
 Why resources are under pressure
 Consequences of exploitation of resources
 Effects on local communities
 Consumerism
 Exploitation in Romania
Exploitation of natural resources
 The exploitation of natural resources is the use
of natural resources for economic growth, sometimes with
a negative connotation of accompanying environmental
degradation. It started to emerge on an industrial scale in
the 19th century as the extraction and processing of raw
materials (such as in mining, steam power, and machinery)
developed much further than it had in preindustrial areas.
During the 20th century, energy consumption rapidly
increased. Today, about 80% of the world's energy
consumption is sustained by the extraction of fossil fuels,
which consists of oil, coal and natural gas.
Exploitation of natural resources
 Another non-renewable resource that is exploited by
humans is subsoil minerals such as precious metals that are
mainly used in the production of
industrial commodities. Intensive agriculture is an example
of a mode of production that hinders many aspects of
the natural environment, for example
the degradation of forests in a terrestrial
ecosystem and water pollution in an aquatic ecosystem. As
the world population rises and economic growth occurs,
the depletion of natural resources influenced by the
unsustainable extraction of raw materials becomes an
increasing concern.
Why resources are under pressure
 Increase in the sophistication of technology enabling natural resources to be
extracted quickly and efficiently. E.g., in the past, it could take long hours just
to cut down one tree only using saws. Due to increased technology, rates
of deforestation have greatly increased.
 The number of humans is increasing. According to the UN, the world
population was 7.6 billion in 2017. This number is expected to rise to about 10
billion in 2050 and about 11 billion in 2100.
 Cultures of consumerism. Materialistic views lead to the mining
of gold and diamonds to produce jewelery, unnecessary commodities for
human life or advancement. Consumerism also leads to extraction of resources
for the production of commodities necessary for human life but in amounts
excessive of what is needed, because people consume more than is necessary or
waste what they have.
 Excessive demand often leads to conflicts due to intense competition.
Organizations such as Global Witness and the United Nations have
documented the connection.
 Lack of awareness among the population is striking. People are not aware of
ways to reduce depletion and exploitation of materials.
Consequences of exploitation of resources

 Natural resources are not limitless, and the following consequences can
arise from the careless and excessive consumption of these resources:
 Deforestation
 Desertification
 Extinction of species
 Forced migration
 Soil erosion
 Oil depletion
 Ozone depletion
 Greenhouse gas increase
 Extreme energy
 Water gaseification
 Natural hazard/Natural disaster
 Metals and minerals depletion
Effects on local communities

 The effects of the exploitation of natural resources in the local

community of a developing country are exhibited in the impacts from
the Ok Tedi Mine. After BHP entered into Papua New Guinea to exploit
copper and gold, the economy of the indigenous peoples boomed.
Although their quality of life has improved, initially disputes were
common among the locals in terms of land rights and who should be
getting the benefits from the mining project. The consequences of
the Ok Tedi environmental disaster illustrate the potential negative
effects from the exploitation of natural resources. The resulting mining
pollution includes toxic contamination of the natural water supply for
communities along the Ok Tedi River, causing widespread killing of
aquatic life. When a mining company ends a project after extracting
the raw materials from an area of a developing country, the local people
are left to manage with the environmental damage done to their
community and the long run sustainability of the economic benefits
stimulated by the mining company's presence becomes a concern.
Consumerism
 Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and
services in ever-increasing amounts. With the Industrial Revolution, but particularly in the
20th century, mass production led to overproduction. In 1899, a book on consumerism
published by Thorstein Veblen, called The Theory of the Leisure Class. examined the
widespread values and economic institutions emerging along with the widespread "leisure
time" at the beginning of the 20th century. In it, Veblen "views the activities and spending
habits of this leisure class in terms of conspicuous and vicarious consumption and waste. Both
relate to the display of status and not to functionality or usefulness."
 In economics, consumerism may refer to economic policies that emphasise consumption. In an
abstract sense, it is the consideration that the free choice of consumers should strongly orient
the choice by manufacturers of what is produced and how, and therefore orient the economic
organization of a society.
 Consumerism has been widely criticized by both individuals who choose other ways of
participating in the economy (i.e. choosing simple living or slow living) and experts evaluating
the effects of modern capitalism on the world. Experts often assert that consumerism has
physical limits such as growth imperative and overconsumption, which have larger impacts on
the environment, including direct effects like overexploitation of natural resources or large
amounts of waste from disposable goods, and larger effects like climate change. Similarly, some
research and criticism focuses on the sociological effects of consumerism, such as
reinforcement of class barriers and creation of inequalities.
Origins of Consumerism
 The consumer society emerged in the late 17th century and intensified
throughout the 18th century. While some claim that change was propelled by
the growing middle-class who embraced new ideas about luxury consumption
and about the growing importance of fashion as an arbiter for purchasing
rather than necessity, many critics argue that consumerism was a political and
economic necessity for the reproduction of capitalist competition for markets
and profits, while others point to the increasing political strength of
international working-class organizations during a rapid increase in
technological productivity and decline in necessary scarcity as a catalyst to
develop a consumer culture based on therapeutic entertainments, home-
ownership and debt. The "middle-class" view argues that this revolution
encompassed the growth in construction of vast country estates specifically
designed to cater for comfort and the increased availability of luxury
goods aimed at a growing market. Such luxury goods
included sugar, tobacco, tea and coffee; these were increasingly grown on vast
plantations (historically by slave labor) in the Caribbean as demand steadily
rose. In particular, sugar consumption in Britain during the course of the 18th
century increased by a factor of 20.
Exploitation in Romania
 The 2017-2035 Mining Industry Strategy of the Romanian
Government (Mining Strategy) lists the following primary
mineral resources and their production potential:
 Coal: more than 3800 million tonnes.
 Salt: reserves of 4,390 million tonnes.
 Gold and silver: reserves of 760 tonnes.
 Cupriferous ore: reserves of 443 million tonnes.
Răzvan Nicolescu: The Romanian state loses hundreds of millions
annually from uncollected taxes
 "Romania has some resources, it still has some fields that are not yet
explored, but every day of delay reduces the chances that these
resources will ever be capitalized," Răzvan Nicolescu, former energy
minister, commented to Digi24. "It simply came to our notice then. The
resources in the Black Sea, the most important ones, those in the
Neptune block, should have already been in production when we talk
and complain that natural gas prices are very high ", says the expert.
"The Romanian state loses hundreds of millions annually from
uncollected taxes, which could have been collected. Romanians are
happily connecting to new gas plants and domestic production is
declining and we are importing more from the Russian Federation. So,
you can see very clearly who wins and who loses ", said Răzvan
Nicolescu. "It simply came to our notice then. We are in the hands of
the good God, who has been very generous with this country, not to
have a hard winter. Or if God is not good, we are in the hands of the
Russians to give us gas and they will give us the price they want,
because we are not able to exploit our own resources ", the former
energy minister pointed out.
Thank you for your attention!