3.3 Resource Stewardship

Question 1

what is Neo-Malthusian?

Answer 1

~In 1798 the Revrended Thomas Malthus produced An essay on the Princible of Population Growth. He belived that population growth would potentionally outstrip the growth of food production, leading to a decliine in the standard of living and to ‘war, famine and disease’.

Question 2

what is the growth modle?

Answer 2

This study, aslo refered to as the Club of Rome model, expamined the five basic factors that detrmine and therefore untilimatly limit growth on the planet:
-populaton
- agrucltural production.
- natural reasorces
- industial production
- pollution

Question 3

what does the growth modle suggest?

Answer 3

That food output and popualtion grow expodentionally until the rapidly diminishing reasorces nase forces a slow down in industrial growth.

Question 4

why does the growth model suggest what it suggestes?

Answer 4

Bceause of delays in the system, both opulation and pollution continue to increas e for some time after the peak of industilialisation. Populatin growth is finally halted by a rise in the death rate due to decreased food production.

Question 5

what are some conclusions drawn from the growth modle?

Answer 5

If present trends continue, the limits to growth would be reached in 2070, probably resulting in a sudden and uncontrollable decline in population and industrial production.

it is possible to alter these growth trends and establish a condition of environmental and economic stability that is sustainable.

Question 6

what are some criticisms and limitations of the growth model?

Answer 6

It is a world model and does not distinguish between different parts of the world.

It ignores the spatial distribution of population and resources, of agricultural and individual activity, and pollution.

The model emphasises exponential growth and not the rate of discovery of new resources or technologies.

Question 7

there was a revised model of the growth model, what were some of the new features?

Answer 7

deliberate constraints on population growth.

trade-offs between population size and levels of material well-being.

The use of renewable resources does not exceed the rate at which sensible renewable resources are developed.

Question 8

what is a second part other than than the growth model what has a Neo- Malthusian view?

Answer 8

Paul Ehrlich

Question 9

talk about Paul Ehrlich?

Answer 9

He is an American biologist who wrote ‘The population bomb’ (1995). He is a neo-Malthusian who believes that population control, an increase in the food supply, and the redistribution of wealth are needed in order to address the world’s population problem.

Question 10

what did Paul Ehrlich agrue?

Answer 10

That population growth was outstripping the growth of food and resources. In 1980 he was a wager with the economist Julian Simon which Ehrlich argued that the cost of raw materials would increase in the future, whereas Simon argued they would come down. They wagered over five raw materials. The wager started in 1980 and ended in 1990. Ehrlich lost the wager as all of the five commodities fell in price.

However, had they chosen different commodities Ehrlich would have won. Thus, it is possible to reach very different conclusions based on different resources and timescales.

Question 11

what is your contrasting view of population and reasorces to Neo-Mal?

Answer 11

Esther Boserup’s theory of popualtion

Question 12

talk about Esther Boserups’ theory of population?

Answer 12

She believed that people have the resources to increase food production, namely knowledge and technology. When a need arises, someone will find a solution.

Whereas Malthus thought that food supply limited population size, Boserup suggests that an increase in population stimulated a change in agricultural techniques so that more food could be produced.
Population growth has thus enabled agricultural development to occur.

Question 13

ho did Esther Boserup come to her conclusion?

Answer 13

She examined different land use systems, which varied in terms of intensity and production. At one extreme was the forest fallow association with shifting cultivation; at the other extreme was the multi-cropping system, which had more than one harvest a year.

Boserups’ theory was based on the idea that people knew the techniques required by a more intensive system and adapted them as the popualtion grew. If that knowledge was not available, the agricultural system would limit the population size of an given area.

Question 14

what is optimum population?

Answer 14

It is the number of people who, when working with all the available resources, will produce the highest per-capital economic return. It is the highest standard of living and quality of life. If the size of the population increases 9or decreases from the optimum, the standard of living will fall.

Question 15

what is over popualtion?

Answer 15

It occurs when there are too many people, relative to the resources and technology locally available, to mention an adequate standard of living, for example South Sudan and Somalia.

Question 16

what is underpopulation?

Answer 16

It occurs when there are far more resources in an area than can be used by the people living there. countries such as Canada can export their surplus food, energy and mineral resources.

Question 17

what is resource stewardship?

Answer 17

Resource Stewardship suggests that humans can use resources in such a way that they will be available to future generations. It suggests that there will be not only environmental sustainability but also social equity over access to resources.

Question 18

what are the global commons?

Answer 18

They refer to areas that lie outside the political reach of any nation-state: the high seas, Antarctica, the atmosphere and outer space.

The global commons require management and protection. renewable resources such as fish need not be depleted, provided the rate of use does not exceed the maximum sustainable yield. If resources become over-exploited, depletion and degradation will lead to scarcity.

Question 19

what is the tragedy of the commons?

Answer 19

Garett Hardin, an American ecologist, used the term ¨the tragedy of the commons¨to explain the lack of control over the way common resources are used and how the selfish acts of a few countries/individuals can destroy the resources for others.

Question 20

can you give an example of the tragedy of the cmmons?

Answer 20

In any given ocean many nations may be fishing. Apart from the seas close to land, where there is an exclusive economic zone (EEZ), no country owns the oceans or the resources they contain.

If one country takes more fish from the oceans, their profits increase. The ‘Tragedy’ is that other countries feel compelled to increase their catch inoder to match the scale of the country that initiated the increase.

Thus, the rate of use may exceed the maximum sustainable yeild and resources may become depeleted.

Question 21

what is the circular economy?

Answer 21

A circular economy is one that preserves natural capacity, optimizes resource use and reduces loss through managing finite stocks and renewable flows.

It is an economy that restores and regenerates resources, and keeps products, materials and components at their highest utility and value always.

Question 22

what is the aim of the circular economy?

Answer 22

It aims to rebuild capita, whether it is financial, manufactured, natural, social or human. In a completely circular economy, consumption only occurs in bio-cycles, in which resources can be recovered and restored.

Question 23

there are three principals behind the circular economy, what are they?

Answer 23

1) Preserve and enhance natural resources by controlling non-renewable resources and balancing renewable resources.

2) optimise resource yields by recycling and remanufacturing products, materials and components.

3) Improved effectiveness by eliminating negative externalities such as pollution and climate change.

Question 24

how does the circular economy achieve its aims?

Answer 24

In the circular economy, waste is minimized by biological materials. Artificial materials are designed for repeated use. Systems are designed to run on renewable energy. For example, agriculture could be run on solar energy.

Question 25

what is your case study for this sub-unit?

Answer 25

RESOURCE USE: MOBLIE PHONES

Question 26

Give your RESOURCE USE: MOBLIE PHONES case study?

Answer 26

In most HICs, many people change their phones every few years. In 2010 the volume of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in the EU was 750,000 tonnes.

Although mobile phones are light (less than 160g), their materials and components have considerable economic value, since they contain resources such as gold, silver and rare earth.

In the EU, some 160 million mobile phones are discarded annually, representing a loss of materials of US$500 million a year. Only about 15% of phones are currently collected and recycled. Collecting reusable components and remanufacturing could be made easier if the design of certain parts of a phone were standardised.

The main parts that could be remanufactured include the charger, battery, camera and display. recycling of phones would generally occur close to the market and result in reduced imports of phones, which are mainly produced outside the EU.

Question 27

what are the SDG?

Answer 27

The 17 SDGs were introduced by by the UN in 015, and are set to exist until 2030. They replaced the Millennium development goals that existed between 2000 and 2015.

Question 28

give a slight run down of what each SDG tackles?

Answer 28

1- poverty
2- end hunger and malnutrition
3- disease
4- education
5- gender quality
6- water
7-affordable and clean energy
8- sustainable economic growth
9- infrastructural development
10- reduce inequality in countries
11- sustainable cities and communities
12- responsible consumption and production
13- climate action
14- life below water
15- life on land
16- peace, justice and strong institution.
17- partnership of the goals.

Question 29

what are your two case studies for this sub-unit?

Answer 29

The role of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and progress made toward meeting them

Circular economy

Question 30

give your ‘The role of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and progress made toward meeting them’ case study?

Answer 30

While only 12 percent of SDGs are on track to be achieved globally by 2030, in contrast, progress in Thailand has been much more robust, especially compared to many other nations in Southeast Asia.

Over 40 per cent of the indicators are on course. A third needs acceleration and a quarter are regressing, including crucially SDG 13 which focuses on climate action, so there is clearly more work to do.

In the context of Thailand, the Government’s policy framework sets this as a priority in line with the country’s Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economic policy agenda.

Question 31

give your circular economy case study?

Answer 31

Scotland is committed to reaching Net Zero – balancing the amount of greenhouse gases they emit into the atmosphere with those they take out – by 2045.

With the help of Zero Waste Scotland, Beauty Kitchen from Glasgow, Scotland are breaking down barriers.

Progressing from selling beauty products in repurposed plastic packaging, to pioneering the launch of a new bottle return scheme.
Return. Refill. Repeat.

Customers can send back stainless-steel packaging from body wash bottles to shampoo containers.
Packaging is posted back to be cleaned and reused time and time again, keeping products in circulation for longer and reducing plastic consumption in Scotland.