Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Under these hypothetical conditions, therefore, “Country A” would realize comparatively little in-
comeorwealthfromitsnaturalresources,while“CountryB”(whichperhapsisresource-poor)would
realize a great deal. Incidentally, a law in Indonesia prohibits exportation of raw logs. What may
sound like a silly edict is in fact an effective means of helping that country to realize the full income
potential of its forest resources.
Though this example concerns trees, other natural resources — mineral ores and crude oil, for ex-
ample — may exhibit similar outcomes. Formerly, Persian Gulf oil was drilled by foreign-owned
companies that set the prices, employed relatively few locals, and sent crude oil home for process-
ing and refining, resulting in a finished product worth substantially more than what came out of the
ground in the first place. Now, however, the producing countries have a much greater stake (if not
outright ownership) in production and processing, and are realizing close to the full economic poten-
tial of their resource base.
Differing Life Spans: Which Resources Are Here
Today or Gone Tomorrow
Resources have different life spans. Some exist in finite quantity; so when they are used up, they're
gone forever. Others can be replenished, as when seedlings are planted to replace a forest that was
cut down. And some are virtually eternal (the sun, for example), meaning they'll always be with us
regardless of how humans use the environment. Consideration of energy resources that fall into the
following categories provides insight into resource geography, the crux of the current energy situ-
ation, and the need for future planning.
Non-renewable resources
Non-renewable resources exist in finite (or fixed) quantity. You can think of them as coins in a global
piggy bank from which money can only be extracted, not added. Once they have been used up, they
are gone and cannot be renewed.
Perhaps the most important energy-related fact of life is that the United States and other deve-
loped countries are overwhelmingly dependent on non-renewable fuel sources. That includes
petroleum, coal, and natural gas. These are sometimes called fossil fuels inasmuch as scientists
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