Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
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Natural Resources
Manufactured Resources
Human Resources
Goods and Services
Figure 18-2
Three types of resources are used to produce goods and services.
of the environment that depend heavily on the earth's
irreplaceable natural resources (Figure 18-3). They
point out that there are no substitutes for many natural
resources, such as air, water, fertile soil, and biodiver-
sity. They also believe that conventional economic
growth eventually will become unsustainable because
it can deplete or degrade many of the natural resources
on which economic systems depend.
Taking the middle ground in this debate are
en-
vironmental economists.
They generally agree with eco-
logical economists that some forms of economic
growth are not sustainable. At the same time, they be-
lieve we can modify the principles of neoclassical eco-
nomics and reform current economic systems, rather
than having to redesign them to provide more envi-
ronmentally sustainable economic development.
Sun
EARTH
Heat
Economic
Systems
Depletion of nonrenewable
resources
Production
Natural
Capital
Air, water, land, soil,
biodiversity, minerals,
raw materials, energy
resources, and dilution,
decomposition,
and recycling services
Degradation and depletion of
renewable resources used faster
than replenished
Consumption
Pollution and waste from
overloading nature's waste
disposal and recycling systems
g
Active Figure 18-3
Solutions:
ecological economists
see all economies as human subsystems that depend
on resources and services provided by the sun and the earth's natural resources.
