Natural Resources: Extraction, Exploitation, and Environmental Impact

Posted on Nov 28, 2024 in Geology

5. What is OPEC? Where and when was it founded? List member countries. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is an international economic organization based in Vienna. Created in August 1960 in response to lower official oil prices set unilaterally by large distribution companies, its purpose is the unification and coordination of member states’ petroleum policies. Founded in Baghdad in 1960, its member countries include: Angola, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Ecuador, United Arab Emirates, Libya, Nigeria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, and Venezuela.

6. Stages in Mineral Extraction. Differentiate ore and gangue.
Stages:

  1. Concentration (reducing volume through grinding or flotation)
  2. Leaching (extracting ore using a liquid medium)
  3. Roasting (heating finely ground ore with air)
  4. Reduction (e.g., MeO + C(s) → Me + CO or CO2)
  5. Smelting (treating ore to separate pure metal or alloy from flux)
  6. Refining (increasing metal purity, usually via electrolysis)

Ore: A mineral from which an element can be profitably extracted.
Gangue: Unwanted silicates or other minerals accompanying the ore.

7. Forest and Cultural Resources. Classification and Examples. Large forested areas produce atmospheric oxygen through photosynthesis (6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2). Natural resources include:

  • Cultural landscape resources: aesthetic, recreational, or environmental value
  • Socio-cultural resources: parks and gardens
  • Scientific resources: natural reserves or national parks

Parks offer aesthetic and recreational value and serve as educational tools for biodiversity and environmental awareness. National parks are protected areas for the development of animal or plant species with pharmacological and/or biological value.

9. Overexploitation of Resources. Definition, Consequences, and Examples. Overexploitation occurs when resource extraction and consumption rates exceed natural regeneration, leading to loss or damage. The greatest impact is irreversible resource extinction, with consequences including:

  • Environmental: degradation and species extinction, disrupting food chains
  • Socioeconomic: loss of income sources

Examples include overfishing (due to increased fishing capacity), deforestation (causing climate change, soil erosion, and habitat loss), intensive agriculture (high water consumption), and urbanization (producing wastewater). Fossil fuel and mineral depletion also pose a threat; while iron and magnesium are abundant, others like copper, lead, zinc, silver, tin, and platinum are scarcer.

11. Definition of Energy. Classification and Examples. Energy is a property stored in objects and substances, reflected in natural changes. Classifications include:

  • By association: gravitational potential, thermal, electrical, and nuclear energy
  • By form: primary (extracted from nature, e.g., fossil fuels, nuclear fuels) or secondary (derived from primary energy, easily transported and used, e.g., electrical and chemical energy)