GLOBAL PROBLEMS

I. Scarcity of raw materials

 The basic economic problem that arises because
people have unlimited wants but resources are
limited.
 Because of scarcity, various economic decisions
must be made to allocate resources efficiently
 1. Energy problem

a/ Increased Energy Demand

 Worldwide energy use has been increasing and

is projected to keep on increasing as shown in

the graph below, especially the demand for oil
 What are the reasons?
 One reason is that our per capita energy
use has been increasing.
 Another reason is the growth of the
world's human population.
 As more of the developing world
becomes more industrialized, the more
energy humans will need.
 2. Exploitation
- unwise or careless utilization of previously unused natural
resources for commercial purposes
3. Conservation
 Conservation of natural resources is the
conception of conserving the earth itself by
protecting its capacity for self-renewal

Natural Reserves
 4.Recycling
• It takes significantly less energy
Take office paper, for example. Recycling 1 ton
of it is 43 percent less energy intensive than
starting from scratch
• environmental
Benefits
• Conserves natural
resources
II. Ecological problems
1. Air pollution
2. Global Warming
How Global Warming Works

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas)

Effects of Global Warming
Rising Sea Level Increased Temperature

Habitat Damage and Changes in Water Supply

3. Ozone depletion
Legend for Ozone animation. 'DU' stands
for Dobson Units, a standard unit for
measuring ozone concentrations.
 4. Acid rain
The emission of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides to
the atmosphere by human activities has led to the
acidification of rain and freshwater aquatic systems.
5. Deforestation - the clearing or thinning of
forests, the cause of which is normally implied to be
human activity
6. Desertification - the process by which natural
or human causes reduce the biological productivity
of dry lands (arid and semiarid lands).