Introduction Flashcards
What does use/ demand of earth resources depend on?
Human population
What supply rpoblem is associated with the trend in population?
Net increase at a rate which supply might not be able to meet increasing consumerist demand
What is the trend with life expectancy?
net increase
What are some examples of areas with low and high life exectancy?
Sub-sahran Africa low ~50yrs
Scandinavia ~80+
What was average life expectancy in 2020?
72.63yrs
What is the trend with living standard and why is it the case?
Rapidly increasing
Due to: technological advance,
What happens with the increased surplas of high level tech produced but no longer keep up with consumerism of newest model?
Transported to less developed areas
What is the mojority of demand driven by?
Urbanisation
How many worldwide internet users were there in july 2024?
5.45 billion (67.1% of population)
What is the resource context behind there being so many interent users?
Need interet infrastructure
Suitable hardware
Many users have multiple devices
Lifetime before obsolete
What problem is there with avaliability of resources for tech?
HOarding of old devices means recyling is limited driving exploitation
What is the highest rising catergory for resource use?
Construction materials
What is oil peak?
theorised point of maximum oil production
What is the current maximum oil peak with most economic use?
2047
What does the market forces model 2008 show?
Buyers market - when oil is cheap to extract and cheap to buy (conventional methods)
Sellers market - oil is expensive to extract and expensive to buy (unconventional methods)
What is the genereal consensus about the production of conventional oil?
It has reached it peak and that oil prices are being kept stable by increased unconventioanl extraction
What are soe examples of events that have led to fluctuations in oil price?
US led invasion of Iraq (people focused on survival instead of working in oil production)
2008 financial crisis
How did OPEC affect oil prices?
To combat unconventional sources driving prices too high they greatly reduced the price of conventional oi
How was oil prices affected by covid on a particular day?
DUe to their being no production or demand on a one day it actually cost money to store oil (-$37.73)
What are resources?
Naturally occuring concentrations of substances from which economic extraction occurs now or in the future (price controlled)
What are reserves?
Quantatities of resources that can be extracted proditably and legally under existing conditions
What are renewable resources?
those materials replenished on short time scales of months to years
What are non-renewable resources?
Those materials of which earth contains a fixed quantity and which are not replenished by natural processes operating on short timescales
What is an ore?
Resource of metals that can be profitable and legally extracted under existing conditions