The exploitation of natural resources describes using
natural resources, often non-renewable or limited, for
economic growth[1] or development[2].
Environmental degradation, human insecurity, and
social conflict frequently accompany natural resource exploitation. The impacts of the
depletion of natural resources include the decline of
economic growth in local areas; however, the abundance of natural resources does not always correlate with a country's material prosperity. Many resource-rich countries, especially in the
Global South, face distributional conflicts, where local
bureaucracies mismanage or disagree on how resources should be utilized. Foreign industries also contribute to resource exploitation, where raw materials are outsourced from
developing countries, with the local communities receiving little profit from the exchange.[3]
The exploitation of natural resources started to emerge on an
industrial scale in the 19th century as the extraction and processing of
raw materials (such as in
mining,
steam power, and
machinery) expanded much further than it had in pre-industrial areas. During the 20th century,
energy consumption rapidly increased. Today, about 80% of the
world's energy consumption is sustained by the extraction of
fossil fuels, which consists of
oil,
coal and
natural gas.[4]
Advancing technology: Increasing
technology sophistication enables faster rates of natural resource extraction. For example, in the past, it could take a long time to log a small amount of trees using only saws. Due to better technology, the rates of
deforestation have greatly increased.[7] Development of new technologies, such as electric vehicles and portable technologies, i.e, Smartphones, also heavily rely on cobalt mining, often leading to loss of green cover and detrimental health impacts for surrounding communities, often in developing countries like the
D.R. of Congo where mining occurs.[8]
Population rise: The
human population is increasing. According to the UN, the world population was 7.6 billion in 2017. This number is expected to rise to about 10 billion in 2050 and about 11 billion in 2100 due to shifting fertility and mortality rates around the world.[9] This results in higher demand for natural resource extraction to sustain more life.
Consumerism: Unsustainable consumption, driven by both population growth and materialistic ideologies, increases the demand for production and, thereby, the extraction of the natural resources needed to supply this demand.[10] For instance, the consumption of fine jewelry leads to increased mining of
gold and
diamonds. The extraction of precious metals like gold has degradation effects on the environment, such as loss of forestry during construction of the mining facilities, increased exposure to toxic materials, and disturbance of the nearby ecosystem.[11]
Management thinking: In relation to the previous point, companies have adopted the idea according to which the rarer the resource, the more it contributes to the company's competitive advantage. When it comes to natural resources, such an idea leads to natural resource exhaustion.[12]
Natural resources are not limitless, and the following consequences can arise from the careless and excessive consumption of these resources:
Deforestation: Removal of trees for use as resources, such as in agriculture or industry, can lead to large-scale destruction of forests. Around 40% of the Earth's original forest cover has been lost in the last 8000 years.[14]
Desertification: Human-led changes in land management practices lead to changes in the ecological characteristics of a region. Land mismanagement and climate change can lead to a loss of ecosystem services, such as through degradation of soil.[15] Together, these losses can result in desertification seen in arid and dry areas.
Decrease in natural resources: When resources are exploited faster than they can be replenished, it results in an overall decrease in natural resources in an area.[16]
Extinction of species: Processes involved in resource exploitation can directly or indirectly lead to the extinction of species.[17] Animals used for resources can be directly hunted, while destruction of environments, such as through harvesting timber, can also cause extinctions.
When a
mining company enters a
developing country in the
global south to extract raw materials, advocating the advantages of the industry's presence and minimizing the potential negative effects gain the cooperation of the local people. Advantageous factors are primarily in
economic development establishments, such as health centers, police departments, and schools, that the government may not provide.[19] However, these advantages are not always distributed evenly among local populations, and the income generated from extracting natural resources can result in internal conflict within the developing country.[20] In addition to
unequal distribution, the adaption of
consumerist values also results in conflict over resources within
local communities.[21]
Despite being rich in
natural resources, the
Democratic Republic of Congo is one country in the global south suffering from the effects of the
resource curse. Its valuable copper and cobalt mineral deposits make Congo vulnerable to local and international conflict over the distribution of resources. These conflicts, along with the environmental degradation effects of mining, exacerbate high poverty rates, which approximately 64% of the Congolese population live under.[3] Natural resource extraction and climate change are intertwined in Congo, as mining for copper and cobalt creates a
biodiversity loss as green covers are cleared for constructing artisanal mines and roadways.[22] Conflict over resources, poverty, and environmental degradation leaves a large number of the Congolese population vulnerable to
internal displacement, lacking resources to adapt to climate change. Beyond climate impacts, mineral mining has also been linked with adverse health impacts, such as high levels of cobalt in urine and blood samples in populations located on or near industrial mines. Mining ores pose health risks long after mining has ceased, as wastelands generate toxic metal-rich dust.[23] The injustice perpetrated by unsafe mining ores is not exclusive to the adult and child laborers. Instead, it impacts the whole country as low wages for high-risk mining worsen poverty rates, exacerbating negative social impacts such as conflict, higher crime rates, and
child mortality.
The effects of the exploitation of natural resources in the
local community of a
developing country are also exhibited in the impacts from the
Ok Tedi Mine. After
BHP entered into
Papua New Guinea to exploit copper and gold, the economy of the
indigenous peoples boomed. Although their quality of life has improved, initially disputes were common among the locals in terms of
land rights and who should be getting the benefits from the mining project.[24] The consequences of the
Ok Tedi environmental disaster illustrate the potential negative effects from the exploitation of natural resources. The resulting mining pollution includes toxic contamination of the natural water supply for communities along the
Ok Tedi River, causing widespread killing of aquatic life. When a mining company ends a project after extracting the raw materials from an area of a
developing country, the local people are left to manage with the environmental damage done to their community and the long run sustainability of the economic benefits stimulated by the mining company's presence becomes a concern.[25]
^
abMcNicoll, Geoffrey (2007).
"Population and Sustainability"(PDF). Handbook of Sustainable Development. Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 125–39. Archived from
the original(PDF) on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
^Shvidenko, A. (2008-01-01),
"Deforestation", in Jørgensen, Sven Erik; Fath, Brian D. (eds.), Encyclopedia of Ecology, Oxford: Academic Press, pp. 853–859,
ISBN978-0-08-045405-4, retrieved 2023-02-08