The exploitation of natural resources

Soil, subsoil, water, energy... There are few resources that are not subject to intense exploitation by humans. This human pressure modifies the landscape and the way it is used, and it exacerbates inequalities...

The colonisation of land surfaces

The use of the earth's territories is the most visible human footprint: while 15 billion hectares of land area account for 29% of the globe's surface, almost half of this land has been altered by mankind ⁽¹⁾.

Agricultural land, pastures, cities, industries, represent approximately 20% of all available land ⁽¹⁾. However, misuse of the land (intensive agriculture...) impoverishes it, and 40% of the 1.5 billion hectares of arable land were considered to be degraded in 2000 ⁽²⁾.

Mankind therefore seeks to conquer new land for cultivation purposes. Agriculture and farming now rank alongside timber trade and mining as forest predators. As a result, more than half of all original forests have been destroyed by humans ⁽²⁾, mostly after 1950. Forests now cover only 30% of land areas (approximately 4 billion hectares) ⁽³⁾.

Fossil fuels: the end of an era

Up until the mid-18^th century, humans only exploited energies that were available on the surface of the earth: wood, wind, animal traction... Extraction activities were developed in the 19^th century, and then energy consumption exploded in the 20^th century: it was multiplied by 18 even though the population only multiplied by 4 ⁽⁴⁾. However, energy consumption is not evenly distributed: 20% of the population consumes 80% of the energy, and 2 to 3 billion people live without electricity ^{(4 ; 5)}.

Today, the three main fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas) cover 80% of the world's energy consumption. Renewable energies only account for 13.5% of the world's recorded energy ⁽⁶⁾. Furthermore, nearly half of them come from the burning of wood and waste whose renewability is highly questionable.

The shortage of fossil fuels has already been announced: it is estimated that the world only has less than 100 years of autonomy left, and barely 40 years of oil use left. Coal can provide us with approximately 200 years of autonomy ⁽⁶⁾, but it is currently the dirtiest fossil fuel available. Shortages and climate change require us to rethink tomorrow's energy. Meanwhile, there is no end in sight for the increasing political tensions related to both shortages and the securing of future supplies…

Riches under our feet

It isn't enough for mankind to simply extract fossil fuels from underground areas. Humans also extract many different minerals from the subsoil: stones and precious metals (diamonds, gold, silver...); minerals useful for industry (iron, copper, lithium, phosphate...)... Extraction is done through mining (precious or strategic materials) or through quarries (non-metallic or carboniferous minerals). As a result of these activities, the soil and subsoil are significantly altered.

Water: the core of inequalities

70% of the earth's surface is covered by water. However, 97.4% of the water on our "Blue Planet" is salty and 2% of it is in the form of ice. Only 0.6% of the water is soft and liquid ⁽⁵⁾.

Since 1950, global water consumption has doubled every 20 years. Agriculture accounts for 71% of the water that is used, industry 20% and domestic use 9%. However, although a U.S. resident will use 600 litres of water per day and a European between 250 and 300 litres, a Jordanian only consumes 40 and an African only 30 ⁽⁴⁾. At a great expense, developed nations are able to limit the pollution of lakes, rivers and groundwater, so as to limit water treatment costs. But in less developed countries, 1.5 billion people lack access to drinking water ⁽⁵⁾, and this is the source of many oftentimes fatal diseases.

In many countries, accounting for 90% of the world's population, water resources are shared with other nations ⁽⁴⁾. Water management therefore often causes local tensions, especially in drier areas (Middle East...), which are heavily dependent on the rivers that run through them.

Written by Florent Planas for "One year for the Planet" (translated by Anyword).

Find out more…

1. M. Vitousek et al., Human Domination of Earth's Ecosystems (Science, 25 juillet 1997)
2. WRI (World Resources Institute)
3. FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)
4. Michel Barnier, Atlas pour un monde durable (Acropole, 2007)
5. Fondation Nicolas Hulot, Ecologuide de A à Z (Le Cherche Midi, 2004)
6. IEA (International Energy Agency)