Natural Resources and Agricultural Spaces Worldwide
Distribution of Natural Resources in the World
Energy Resources
The distribution of resources on the Earth’s surface is very uneven, as it is the result of a long period of geological processes in determining sites. Some regions have many resources, while others have very few. The larger the extension of a country, the more deposits it will have. Russia, Canada, the United States, and Australia have mineral reserves, and mineral resources have not half the fuel of the world. China and Brazil do not have much, despite their enormous extension.
Minerals include the availability of energy reserves of oil, natural gas, and coal. These minerals are called fossil fuels.
Industrialized countries such as Germany, China, and Japan can import the missing resources, while less developed countries do not have this possibility because of their economy. If an underdeveloped country is a major producer of fossil fuels, it does not mean it is a developed country. For example, Nigeria is a major producer of oil and an underdeveloped country.
Oil
After extracting oil from the ground, it has to be refined. Hydrocarbon compounds are separated in the form of wax and tar to produce lubricants, plastics, and asphalt, as well as various fuels. Environmental problems are caused by its use, such as mining and transport via pipelines or ships. Burning causes the greenhouse effect.
Coal
Coal, being a fossil fuel, is abundant. The ecological problems are caused by acid rain because its combustion expels various greenhouse gases. The largest coal deposits are in China, the USA, India, Australia, and Russia.
Natural Gas
Natural gas is formed by methane, a very fuel-efficient. Compared to oil and coal, it is far less polluting, but it also causes the greenhouse effect. Most natural gas is used to generate electricity or fuel for engines, plastics, and synthetic fibers. Two areas in the world concentrate two-thirds of known natural gas reserves: the Middle East and Eurasia. The third part is divided between Africa and Asia.
Uranium
Uranium is not considered an energy fuel, but it produces energy after undergoing some processes. This resource is required for the operation of nuclear plants to produce electricity. Its use to generate electricity has the advantage of not releasing CO2 into the atmosphere during the process, but the waste has a half-life of thousands of years, which implies a serious risk of pollution, both at present and in the future. China, Russia, and India consider this as one of the renewable energies of the future. In late 2007, 28 nuclear reactors were being built around the world, and China intended to implement a new reactor every year.
Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change
A serious problem is climate change. This change is characterized by an increase in the average temperature of the planet. Everything indicates that this increase is caused by the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect occurs when human beings, with their activities, release large amounts of atmospheric gases. The main default greenhouse gas is CO2 from the use of fossil fuels.
Since temperature records began in the mid-nineteenth century, the decade from 2000 to 2009 was the warmest of all, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The conference on climate change was held in Copenhagen in December 2009, where 189 Member States of the UN participated.
The World’s Land Spaces
Agricultural Areas in the World
Agricultural activities are those designed for the production of plants (agriculture) or animals (livestock). Farming works with living material and is therefore subject to biogeographic conditions, especially climate, water availability, the nature of the terrain, and soils.
At present, agricultural areas occupy 38% of the Earth’s surface (12% are cultivated lands, and 26% are intended for livestock), while forest areas occupy 32%.
Along with biogeographic factors, there are other factors that influence the development of agriculture and livestock: the types of land tenure (ownership, partnership), the availability of capital (for investment in farms), and the working mode (human labor).
There are two types of agricultural systems:
- Subsistence agricultural systems, typical of less developed countries, are based on family labor, with production for own consumption or for marketing in local markets. It is the main occupation of the societies in many countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
- Market agricultural systems are typical of developed countries that produce only for export, bringing production to marketing in national and international markets. Commercial farms are based on the intensive use of land or by applying capital.
Globally, there is a trend toward agricultural specialization. For example, Southeast Asia specializes in irrigated rice, while the United States has done so in cereals.