Sustainable Resource Use Quiz

Sustainable Resource Use

• The tragedy of the commons describes a situation where individuals prioritize their own self-interest, overusing shared resources which leads to environmental degradation and resource depletion.
• Specific Examples
  • Overfishing: Global fish populations are often over-exploited, impacting marine ecosystems.
  • Deforestation: The Amazon rainforest faces deforestation due to loggers and farmers seeking short-term profits, ignoring long-term biodiversity and climate implications.
  • Groundwater Depletion: Shared aquifers are often overused for agriculture/urban water needs, causing water scarcity and land subsidence.
• Environmental Impacts: Loss of biodiversity as species struggle to survive in depleted ecosystems.

Impacts of Commercial Fishing and Aquaculture

• Overfishing: Depletes fish populations, leading to biodiversity loss and socioeconomic repercussions.
• Examples:
  • Cod Fishery Collapse: The Atlantic cod population drastically decreased due to overfishing, impacting North American fishing industries and marine biodiversity.
  • Bluefin Tuna: High demand in sushi markets has led to a dramatic decline in bluefin tuna stocks, prompting international fishing restrictions and conservation efforts.
• Environmental Impacts: Loss of species impacts entire aquatic ecosystems and bycatch (unintended capture of species). Fishing methods like trawling, gillnets, and dredging negatively affect communities and individuals dependent on fishing.
• Possible Solutions: Implementing sustainable fishing practices like catch limits, seasonal bans, and selective fishing gears.

Impacts of Aquaculture

• Aquaculture is a potential sustainable fish production method but has risks.
• Rapid expansion due to efficiency, low space requirements, and minimal fuel consumption.
• Examples:
  • Salmon Farms: Farmed salmon operations in Norway and British Columbia are major suppliers but face challenges like disease and pollution.
  • Shrimp Farming: Coastal shrimp farms in Southeast Asia contribute to seafood production but have caused mangrove deforestation and habitat loss.
• Environmental Impacts: Contaminated wastewater, escaped farmed fish disrupting wild populations, high fish density leading to outbreaks of disease in fish.
• Possible Solutions: Improved waste management, integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) combining species in a single system.

Impacts of Clearcutting

• Clearcutting, while advantageous for timber production, has significant environmental impacts.
• While offering immediate financial gains, it has ecological downsides.
• Ecological Downside:
  • Leads to soil erosion as roots holding the soil are removed.
  • Increases soil/stream temperatures from loss of canopy cover.
  • Disrupts natural water drainage, leading to flooding.
  • Burning trees releases stored carbon dioxide (CO2) which contributes to the greenhouse effect.

Sustainable Forestry

• Sustainable forestry practices help preserve forest ecosystems and combat deforestation.
• Examples:
  • Reforestation by planting trees in deforested areas.
  • Ecologically sustainable forestry techniques that ensure minimal impact, such as selective logging.
  • Recycling wood products.
  • IPM (Integrated Pest Management) using biological, cultural, and chemical methods to control pest populations.
  • Addressing diseased trees promptly.
  • Using prescribed and controlled burns.

Impacts of Mining

• Depletion of Accessible Ores: As easily accessible ores are mined out, companies utilize lower-grade ores requiring more resources to extract.
• Examples:
  • Gold mining shifts to low-grade ores.
  • Copper mining extracts lower-grade deposits, increasing waste.
• Environmental Impacts: Increased energy use, higher greenhouse gas emissions, soil and water pollution from mining waste.
• Possible Solutions: Improved recycling methods to recover metals, efficient extraction technologies to minimize waste.

Impacts of Mining (cont.)

• Mining Wastes: Surface mining (strip mining) removes large volumes of soil and rock to access ore deposits.
  • Examples: Strip mining for coal in the Appalachian region removes large areas of vegetation and soil.
• Open-pit Mining: Open-pit mining for copper exposes large tracts of land, altering ecosystems.
  • Environmental Impacts: Habitat destruction, loss of biodiversity, increased erosion/sedimentation in waterways.
• Subsurface Mining: As surface coal resources dwindle, mining companies transition to subsurface mining, which is more capital-intensive.
  • Examples: Transition from surface mining to subsurface mining for metals.
  • Environmental Impacts: Increased subsidence risk (ground caving), increased energy use, more carbon emissions.
  • Possible Solutions: Encouraging sustainable mining practices, implementing stricter regulations, promoting alternative energy and circular economy policies.

Impacts of Urbanization

• Urban Sprawl: A shift from densely populated areas to low-density suburban development, often encroaching on rural lands.
  • Examples: Cities expanding into agricultural/natural areas, leading to habitat loss and fragmentation.
• Environmental Impacts: Increased reliance on automobiles, resulting in higher carbon emissions and pollution; loss of biodiversity and farmland; conversion of land.
• Possible Solutions: Smart growth initiatives to encourage denser urban development, zoning regulations, and public transportation networks.
• Impact on the Carbon Cycle: Urbanization contributes to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels from fossil fuel combustion and waste.
  • Examples: Transportation, heating, electricity, and landfills rely on fossil fuels releasing greenhouse gases.
• Environmental Impacts: Enhanced greenhouse effect, climate change, air pollution affecting human and ecosystem health.
• Possible Solutions: Promoting renewable energy sources, waste reduction and recycling, incentivizing public transport.

Depletion of Resources and Saltwater Intrusion

• Water depletion due to Saltwater Intrusion: Rapid population growth and over-extraction of groundwater strain freshwater resources, leading to saltwater intrusion, especially in coastal areas.
  • Environmental Impacts: Decreased freshwater availability for ecosystems and communities, potential harm to drinking water supplies and agriculture.
• Possible Solutions: Implementing water conservation measures, watershed management, and water quality enhancement policies. Desalination can also provide alternative water sources.

Impervious Surfaces and Flooding

• Impervious Surfaces: Prevent water from infiltrating the soil, contributing to urban flooding and disrupting natural water cycles.
  • Examples: Parking lots, roads, and rooftops preventing rainwater absorption.
• Environmental Impacts: Increased runoff, soil erosion, water pollution, and flooding during heavy precipitation events; reduced aquifer recharge.
• Possible Solutions: Implementing green infrastructure (e.g., green roofs, rain gardens), promoting permeable pavements, adopting urban forestry and transportation policies, minimizing impervious surface creation in urban planning.