Geography - future resources
Extracts from this document...
Introduction
Are there going to be enough resources to Support Future Generations? Many people believe that resources will run out for a number of different reasons some of these include Malthus' theory, The 'Club of ROMs' theory, deforestation and desertification. However there are also people that believe there will be resources in the future because of reasons such as: Bose up's view, sustainable development (with such as recycling) and future improvements in agriculture. Improvements in agriculture could be very important in the future so that there is enough food produced for the growing population of the earth. One improvement of agriculture could be the use of GM foods; these are foods that have been genetically modified so that they grow in a certain way, for example a gene normally found in soil was put into the potato so that it old naturally repels bugs and insects that would normally eat it. This can also be used to make crops and foods more nutritious, so that less of them I required to be eaten to have a healthy diet. Bose up was somebody that believed that this was possible. ...read more.
Middle
This is because rainforests imparticular are major ecosystems that house around 40-75% of all the world living organisms and supply 28% of the world's oxygen. Therefore cutting them down would not only destroy a vast percentage of the worlds living organisms but would also see a sharp increase in greenhouse gases such as CO2. Deforestation can also lead to desertification which then makes the land practically unusable. Desertification could be a major problem in the future as it limits the amount of resources that can be produced due to desert land being virtually unusable. This can be bought on by many factors, one being deforestation of rainforests. This is because rainforests experience a large amount of rain (over 1750mm a year). This therefore means that if the trees and shrubs are cleared out this rain falls on bare land forcing the soil to be washed away which creates a desert. Desertification can also occur because of climate change. This could affect thing such as winds which carry rain, so therefore different areas get less rainfall than normal or none at all, which in the long run will turn into desert. ...read more.
Conclusion
These methods could also be adopted in China. In China, due to the sat population it is becoming increasingly difficult to feed everyone. This is because despite having 20% of the world's population China only has 7% of the world's agricultural land. China is therefore trying to adopt methods such as GM farming and the increasing of crop yield. However despite all this the Chinese government admits that it will be increasingly difficult to provide all the wheat and rice needed in the future. This could end up in a long term crisis for China which is what many experts such as Malthus and 'The Club of Rome' feel will eventually happen to the rest of the world. I conclude that I feel there is a definite possibility of there becoming a too large world population for the resources available. However I do not believe that it will be as extreme as 'The Club of Rome's' prediction. I believe that it will become a necessity to work hard to grow sustainably and that things such as GM farming and fertilisers that can improve crop yields will become vital to the survival of many throughout the world. ?? ?? ?? ?? Robin Lewis 26th JANUARY 2009 ...read more.
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