Global Resource Management

8 Key excerpts on "Global Resource Management"

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  eBook - ePub

  The Art And Science Of Geography

  U.s. And Soviet Perspectives

  • Vladimir V. Annenkov, George J Demko(Authors)
  • 2019(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  Rodoman (USSR): If preventing war, world resource-economic crises, and the impoverishment of many developing countries can be considered global problems, then geography is closely related to the two latter issues and provides much concrete material for their understanding. What is needed is concrete knowledge of lands, rather than prognostic thinking. The classical geographer's erudition is capable of evaluating, reminding, and warning. The greater the hope for an agreement on arms limitation, the more threatening seems another hazard, an ecological crisis. And, ecology is now a field for all geographical sciences. It is said, however, that no civilization perished as a result of foreseeable events. This may console one and raise hopes that certain global problems are transient. On the other hand, it is frightening. Some decades ago it was impossible to foresee the AIDS pandemic or the outbreak, on an international scale, of Islamic fundamentalism. Is the source of future storms similarly unexpected? Does this mean that the sky over our heads will never be cloudless? Global problems require that people be broadly educated as never before, that they be capable of original thinking and of working easily with diverse material "ranging from geography to ideology." What other field of the humanities is more trained for this? I would place geography second after philosophy.

  What can geographers suggest for the preservation and more rational use of the natural resources of the earth?

  Soviet and American geographers, addressing the question of more rational use of natural resources on the earth, agree that their research and views can be very useful and productive. They suggest that geography's man-environment research traditions, sensitivity to the interdependence of regional systems at all scales, and geographers' spatial data systems are invaluable inputs for resource study and planning at international levels. Soviet colleagues describe a number of specific research areas relating to energy and other resources for geographers.

  Brunn (USA):

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  Resource Management Information Systems

  Remote Sensing, GIS and Modelling, Second Edition

  • Keith R. McCloy(Author)
  • 2005(Publication Date)
  • CRC Press

    (Publisher)

  The title of this book was chosen to convey its dominant theme: to understand the role of, as well as to develop and use, spatial information systems for the proper management of physical resources . There are a number of critical components to such Resource Management Systems including remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), modelling resource management and decision sup-port. This text covers the principles and practices associated with these components as well as their integration into a system so as to emphasise the holistic way in which the management of resources is going to evolve, if we are to achieve the twin goals of maximising productivity and maintaining the resource base. In some way these physical resources may be managed adequately using current tools and tech-niques; however, this is rarely the case if the second criterion of resource maintenance is adopted. How much does resource degradation have to do with resource management? Does our method of man-agement, the quality of that management, the nature of the resource management tools and how they are used to influence the level of resource degradation? This chapter explores some of these issues: • Exploring the status of physical resources, specifically, “Is there a reason to be concerned?” • Moving on to the reasons why this situation exists, or “What is the nature of this concern?” • Considering which types of these concerns can be addressed by the use of better manage-ment tools or techniques, or “How can better tools and techniques help deal with these issues?” • Addressing the question of how can resource management use these tools and techniques, or “What are the characteristics of resource management that may be part of the problem and how can these tools and techniques address some of these imitations?” The chapter then moves on to consider the nature of the information that is required for good resource management, and how geographic information fits into this role.

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  Ecorestoration for Sustainability

  • Arnab Banerjee, Manoj Kumar Jhariya, Surendra Singh Bargali, Debnath Palit(Authors)
  • 2023(Publication Date)
  • Wiley-Scrivener

    (Publisher)

  Resource Management for Sustainability 425 visitors from different background and interests. Implementing rules and laws in sustainable tourism to the diversified visitors is very challenging. Therefore, the government should conduct more studies and provide solu- tions to a more balanced and sustainable management actions that will not jeopardize both economic and ecologic aspects. 13.5 Policy and Legal Framework for Sustainable Management of Natural Resources: A Review on United Nation (UN) 50 Years of Sustainable Development Policy Since decades ago, the rapid growth of the population is placing increas- ing pressure on our natural resources, and it is important that every coun- try apply more sustainable management techniques to avoid running out of resources. As the access and supply of natural resources become more restricted, capital is diverted to extracting more of them, which will leave less money for investment in industrial production. One of the conse- quences is the economy will experience industrial decline, followed by the service and agricultural sectors. This was reported by an article in 2002— Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update which concluded that the Earth was in a dangerous state where resources are being used beyond their capacity, leading to ecological overshoot [28]. The population is estimated to peak around 2030, but then it will start to decrease as the death rate increase due to shortage of food and health services available. Effective sustainable management is the best mechanism to offset the finite resources in our world. Sustainable development is a way of living that helps us to protect our environment and our communities while still making economic progress. In 2015, The United Nations created the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to find the best possible way to sustain natural resources. The SDGs provide guidance to all in order to protect the natural resources globally.

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  Resources for our Future

  Key Issues and Best Practices in Resource Efficiency

  • Rob Weterings, Ton Bastein, Arnold Tukker, Michel Rademaker, Marjolein de Ridder, Rob Weterings, Ton Bastein, Arnold Tukker, Michel Rademaker, Marjolein de Ridder(Authors)
  • 2013(Publication Date)
  • Amsterdam University Press

    (Publisher)

  58 THE GEOPOLITICS OF RESOURCES ness cases that contribute positively to people and the environment, a model known as the ‘People, Planet and Profit’ approach (de Ridder, 2011c). The World Business Coun-cil for Sustainable Development, for example, is a group of forward-thinking companies that aims to drive debate and policy change in favour of sustainable development solu-tions for business, society and the environment. Social challenges Sustainable resource management can catalyse economic growth and exports for re-source-rich developing countries and contribute to poverty reduction. In June 2012, the UN Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), also referred to as the Rio+20 conference, focused on the management of resources in the context of sustain-able development and poverty eradication. Unfortunately, the resource-rich countries have generally performed worse than those with no resources, due to the so called ‘re-source curse’ (Stiglitz, 2012). In weak or failed states the potential economic growth is of-ten not realized due to corruption, conflict, violence, human rights abuses and the lack of good governance. Many minerals used in consumer electronics, such as mobile phones and computers, are mined under dire social circumstances and working conditions or in areas controlled by warlords and militias. In the DR Congo, for example, the mining of gold, tin, tantalum and tungsten is controlled by warring factions, and the minerals are smuggled out of the country and traded illicitly. Money earned from the sale of these minerals is used for the personal profit of the militia leaders. The mining of these ‘con-flict minerals’ contributes to the dire human rights situation and the protraction of the conflict. Many countries have developed policies or support international policy initiatives aimed at banning the trade in conflict minerals and to increase good governance, trans-parency and sustainability in the extractive industries.

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  The SAGE Handbook of Political Geography

  • Kevin R Cox, Murray Low, Jennifer Robinson, Kevin R Cox, Murray Low, Jennifer Robinson(Authors)
  • 2007(Publication Date)
  • SAGE Publications Ltd

    (Publisher)

  In the fourth section, we argue that our concep-tualization of regulation shares much in common with concepts of environmental governance and eco-governmentality (although we explain how these terms are not of a piece) in their focus on the relationship between multi-scalar ‘commu-nities of rule’ and resources (Watts, 2004). We identify what these terms have to offer an account of regulation and, drawing both from these per-spectives and from work on the production of nature, we develop a reading of regulation as 220 RE-NATURING POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY the processes by which resources are performed (against alternative claims) and through which the metabolism of dynamic resource landscapes (which can resist their enrolling as resources) is negotiated. The fifth section illustrates this approach in a brief case study. In the concluding section of the chapter we reflect on this more expan-sive approach to regulation. We sketch the outlines of this approach as the basis for a revived resource geography, discuss its implications for what ‘doing resource geography’ entails and, returning to our opening theme, contrast this reading of resource regulation with contemporary work on ‘resource politics’. RESOURCE REGULATION AS ‘RESOURCE MANAGEMENT’ For much of the twentieth century, ‘resource reg-ulation’ has been equated with the role of the administrative state in managing natural resources such as soil, water, forests, wildlife and minerals. The state’s extensive involvement with the man-agement of resources is expressed today in the familiar panoply of acronym-inscribed agencies (the USFS, USGS and USFWS in the US, DEFRA and the EA in the UK, and DAFFA in Australia, for example). Yet the framing of regulation in terms of a science of resource management – and the conjoining of this science with the administrative authorities and capacities of the state – are his-torically distinctive moments associated with the growth and ‘modernization’ of national economies.

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  Sustainable Natural Resources Management

  • Abiud Kaswamila(Author)
  • 2012(Publication Date)
  • IntechOpen

    (Publisher)

  Part 3 Natural Resources Management and Poverty Alleviation 5 Sustainable Natural Resource Management, a Global Challenge of This Century Esmail Karamidehkordi Agricultural Extension and Education Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zanjan University, Zanjan, Iran 1. Introduction Food security, environment management and poverty alleviation are main factors contributing the complexity of natural resource management. This chapter intends to show the scope of these challenges in the worldwide and to propose some strategies for managing these challenges or complexities. In definition, food security exists when all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life (FAO, 2011a). The world must feed 9.8 billions people by 2050. The challenge of food security is not a new story, but it is still one of the main crises of the world. The food crisis and famine in the Horn of Africa, especially Somalia, has just happened in 2011. Millions of people in Africa and Asia are under threat of famine. This may not be because of only food shortage, but due to lack of capability of some areas to provide food to their people. The President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in the World Food Day 2011 pointed out that As long as there is even one person dying of hunger we must do everything within our power to prevent it. The latest crisis in the Horn of Africa shows the terrible human cost of neglect, both of agriculture and rural areas. Droughts are not preventable but famines are” (FAO, 2011b). Agriculture and natural resources are viewed to be not only the context of food production, but they are the main resources of small-scale rural livelihoods. National resources are viewed as natural capitals of rural households and communities’ livelihoods in the framework of Sustainable Rural Livelihood (Fabricius, Koch, Magome, & Rurner, 2004).

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  China's Sustainable Use of Natural Resources

  • China Development Research Foundation(Author)
  • 2020(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  Meanwhile, as more participants join in global resource governance and as levels of activity increase, new resources and energy will be brought to the process but complexities and difficulties will also increase. The conventional resource governance systems could be divided into two parts, domestic and international. As globalization has deepened, however, resource-related interests have increasingly formed alliances across borders in the areas of international trade and investment, as well as alliances within a country. In the past, governance at the global level was primarily a matter for governments. In the future, however, multinational corporations, nongovernmental organizations, and even individuals will participate in large numbers in global governance and will play an important role. This means that traditional rules and regulations regarding resource governance will be confronting new challenges. The unequal allocation of benefits among different countries and within a country poses problems when it comes to forming a stable and consistent resource-allocation system. In the past 20 years or more, the income disparity between developing and developed countries has been widening. Social fairness and the sustainability of resources and the environment are closely connected. If a country’s economic and social situation is inequitable, that influences resource rights and interests and environmental pollution and vice versa. It triggers conflict and turns confrontation into a constant state of affairs. Consensus dissolves, which can lead to political confrontation and even to unstable governments. It can shake the foundations of global resource governance. Unequal allocation of resources between and among countries stirs up antagonisms and makes coordinated action on an international scale much more difficult.

  At the present time, the global resource governance system still suffers from a lack of cohesion and integration. It is characterized by too many administrative levels, too much complexity, and a loose and fragmented approach. The world’s countries have already formed a variety of platforms and mechanisms that relate to resources, including energy, water, forests, oceans, and climate change. The systems of rules and regulations that these platforms and mechanisms depend on all have different emphases but are mutually related. In addition to governmental platforms, multinational corporations and industry organizations also have coordinating mechanisms that have to do with resource governance and they also have formed governance mechanisms with the government bodies, corporations, social organizations, and consumers within a given country. All these multitudinous entities have varying administrative levels with various kinds of status. They influence one another and together make up the highly complex global resource governance system.

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  Multifunctional Rural Land Management

  Economics and Policies

  • Floor Brouwer, C. Martijn van der Heide, Floor Brouwer, C. Martijn van der Heide(Authors)
  • 2012(Publication Date)
  • Taylor & Francis

    (Publisher)

  1

  Natural Resource Management:Globalization and RegionalIntegration

  Floor Brouwer and C. Martijn van der Heide

  Introduction

  Management of rural land currently attracts a considerable and almost obsessive popular interest, and dominates both the scientific and policy agendas. In the first half of 2008, many newspapers carried alarming headlines using pejorative terms, such as ‘skyrocketing food prices’, ‘world hunger’, ‘pasta strikes’ and ‘food insecurity’. All of these ‘threats’ are but one side of the coin whose other side bears the stamp of changing rural land use. And this change in land use, as we could read in the media, has occurred for various reasons, including the demand for biofuels, the growing populations in China and India that have developed Western tastes as their economies grow, climate change resulting in high temperatures and severe drought with loss of harvest in some major productive regions.

  The intense and agitated attention on rural land use changes and the worldwide threats they entail evoked heated and sometimes emotional reactions. High food prices, for example, heated up the debate about the conversion of agricultural land into nature areas and fuelled concerns about agricultural land being used to produce biofuels. The issue of soaring food prices and the satisfaction of the world's seemingly insatiable appetite is, however, just one example of the challenges that rural areas are facing. In fact, due to the multiple functions of rural areas (to which we shall return hereafter) and the various actors – such as farmers, nature conservationists, tourists and inhabitants – involved, collisions between human demands and the capacity of rural areas to satisfy them are becoming daily events. These collisions are further complicated by the fact that land use in rural areas is characterized by a multifaceted interaction between ecological processes and socio-economic activities. The development of many rural areas has resulted in environmental degradation, and from an anthropocentric perspective, less productive, but more fragile ecosystems. Food production, for example, is affected, and is already being constrained by processes of soil degradation, water shortages and the effects of climate change.

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