Depletion and Conservation of Natural Resources
Human activity on Earth has always altered the land. When populations were small enough, and productive and accessible land was abundant, people could abandon land that had been damaged by overuse and move on. While some countries still have excess land available, if population growth continues at the expected rate, virtually all arable (fit for cultivation) land will be in use.
The Economic Value of the World's Ecosystems—How Much Is Nature Worth?
Nature performs valuable, practical, measurable functions, without which the human economy could not exist. Many experts contend that, as human activity gradually consumes or destroys this natural capital, the monetary value of the ecosystem to the economy must be calculated and considered. Thirteen economists, ecologists, and geographers studied 16 different biomes (ecological areas such as lakes, urban areas, and grasslands) to estimate the economic value of 17 ecosystem services. To do this they assigned dollar values to services performed by nature that are considered necessary to the human economy. Their report, published in the journal Nature (May 1997), estimated that ecosystems perform at least $33 trillion worth of services annually. Marine systems contribute about 63 percent of the value, mainly from coastal systems ($10.6 trillion).
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