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environmental resources — English
In the strictest sense of the term, it refers to all goods and services we receive from the environment. This broad definition presents problems as it includes both the natural things and the people in the environment. Therefore, it includes both natural and human-made goods (see “economic valuation”). To simplify matters, we usually regard natural goods as environmental resources. These include the air, water, soil, vegetation, rocks, minerals, the natural beauty of landscapes, and even a beautiful view of the sea. To ascribe value to these resources is an extremely difficult process and various different approaches are used. Some are purely economical, while others take intangibles like natural beauty into account. Many of these resources are available for free, but to mine gold or diamonds requires a financial input from us. Similarly, a coastal property with a sea-view is worth more than one without. Environmental resource valuation is one of the very important concepts and processes in the fields of environmental management and environmental law (see “economic valuation”). When it comes to ownership, these resources present us with even bigger problems. Nobody or no country can claim ownership of the sky, or the rivers, or the sea or a mountain range. Nevertheless, we have developed various procedures and systems to define ownership of natural resources, because we need to resolve serious questions such as: “who owns the land?”, “who owns the minerals in the Earth’s crust?”, “may your neighbour (or neighbouring state) pollute the air or the water which blows or flows to you?”, “can we allow a mine to spoil nature right next to a nature reserve?”, “should the settling of the landless, poor and destitute in pristine natural areas be allowed?”. In each state (country), these matters are handled according to the country’s legal system and power (or will) of the authorities to enforce the law. In certain countries, regions or areas, one might – by law – under certain circumstances have “a right to” something like a sea-view and no-one can build a high structure in front of you to obscure the view. One type of environmental resources that needs extra mention is what we call the “commons”. These include the atmosphere, the oceans, the fresh water sources which border on or flow through different regions or countries, and the grazing lands in communal areas, and so forth. None of these “belongs” to any person or entity. They are there to be used by all. Since no-one “owns” them, no-one takes responsibility for the sustainability of their usage. Most of these resources have for hundreds of years been exploited (see “exploitation”) by all who used them to a point of unsustainability, irreversible degradation or even total collapse – it has truly become the “tragedy of the commons”. The Environmental Movement that sprang to life in the early 1960s (see “ecocentrism, “ecological citizenship”, “ecological niche” and “environmentalist”) is largely the child born of this tragedy. Environmentalism and environmental management, in their essence, strive towards the saving of the “commons” and to ensure that they are used sustainable.
