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Resource depletion is an economic term referring to the exhaustion of raw materials within a region. Resources are commonly divided between renewable resources and non-renewable resources. (See also Mineral resource classification.) Use of either of these forms of resources beyond their rate of replacement is considered to be resource depletion.
Resource depletion is most commonly used in reference to the farming, fishing, mining, and fossil fuels.
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Causes of resource depletion
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- Excessive or unnecessary use of resources
- Non-equitable distribution of resources
- Overpopulation
- Slash and burn agricultural practices, currently occurring in many developing countries
- Technological and industrial development
Historical instances
In Jared Diamond's book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, Diamond gives several examples of societies which collapsed because of resource depletion. An early Polynesian society on Rapa Nui failed entirely because of resource depletion, until only a small percentage of the original population survived, and their culture and technology was mostly forgotten. The Anasazi and Mayan societies failed due to a combination of resource depletion and climate change. Resource depletion was also a factor in the collapse of the Polynesians of Pitcairn Island and Norse settlers of Greenland.[1]
Up until recently, Nauru was a major source of phosphate rock, a key ingredient in fertiliser manufacture. By 2000, the island nation's phosphate reserves were virtually depleted, leading to economic decline and a slump in living standards for its people.
Modeling resource depletion
Jay Forrester created the discipline of System Dynamics, which facilitates modeling of resource depletion within larger economic systems.[2]
References
- ^ Diamond, J. (2005). Collapse: How societies choose to succeed or fail. Viking Press. ISBN 0143036556.
- ^ MIT SDEP: What is System Dynamics?
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