What are the benefits and losses of sustainable/unsustainable management of natural resources?

Question

What is the sustainable and unsustainable management of natural resources.

For example

Water: Sustainable (such as Water Harvesting)

Benefits:

Costs:

Unsustainable

Benefits

Costs

Soil: Sustainable

Benefits:

Costs:

Unsustainable

Benefits

Costs

Woodland: Sustainable

Benefits:

Costs:

Unsustainable

Benefits

Costs

Food production Sustainable

Benefits:

Costs:

Unsustainable

Benefits

Costs

Waste products Sustainable

Benefits:

Costs:

Unsustainable

Benefits

Costs

Answer 1

By definition, the unstainable use of natural resources means they will run out.

The sustainable use of resources, however, means that they won't run out.

Harleigh Kyson Jr.

Answer 2

You know I looked up the words sustainable development. this is what I got (that is different then how they are applying it)  sustain (to maintain, hold up) develope (means to make better, bigger, better, more useful)

now they are using that term to mean reduce development at a sustainable rate. think about it, they advocating less use of land resources, private property rights are to be reduced, less harvesting of metals, minerals, valuable timber, farming, less use of the parks for recreation (and for most that simply means camping, fishing swimming and hiking which uses it very minimally which also means less jobs and money coming into the system) and they intend to make 50 percent of the west off limits. now how is that making it bigger better or making it more useful? now if you mean sustainable development that means maintaining the making of things more bigger, better and more useful. the way they apply it is does not, it is a double speak.

more sustainable (maintaining or holding up) development (more useful) for whom? they are regulating private property to the point a person cannot improve the land making it more suitable for profit, animals or even biodiversity. all you have to do is look in areas where humans are not allowed to touch and look at the monocultures that have sprung up where very little animal or plant life, and little diversity, not to mention the increase in fire hazards. and setting these aside were because they wanted to preserve biodiversity. so this in itself shows their intentions are lies.

if you want to know what is sustainable you have to first of all define the goals.  in the agenda 21 paradigm man is to be curtailed for the sake of future generations, what they don't tell you they mean their future generations of corporate interests, not you or your grandkids average joe.

how do you determine whether something is not hurting the enviroment beyond reason? who determines how far is enough? who gets to decide you can go this far and no farther? do you want corporations or governments who are runned by bankers determining that? and who said we are running out of necessities? the water you drink today has been around for thousands of years, only recycled through the system over and over. as technology improves, if the big fat cats would allow it, we improve cleaning and filtering water for reuse. we produce better with less disturbance in the ecology, but fat cats won't point that out.

trees grow back, grass grows back, we aren't using these resources up fast enough to worry, a farmer or rancher is going to make sure he maintains his crop lands of grasses and such so that he can feed his cattle for years to come, corporations who only lease the lands for pennies just come in and strip, they care not about using that land sometime in the future. look at russia, the land is in commons, so as a result corporations come in for pennies for a permit and strip it, example is a large lake use for irrigation, sea of aral is almost gone, not due to global warming but irrigation for cotton. someone who had ownership of that sea would be sure to take care so he can harvest fish, water and other resources sustainably since he has a personal vested interest in it for generations to come.

another example is another lake that has, or I should say had beautiful gravel used in building and landscaping, many came in just stripping it and leaving behind dangerous erosion and ruining the water quality. so is that what they mean by sustainable?

private property should never be stolen for the sake of sustainability, some illusion they create to get people to back their agenda. the real agenda is locking up resources for use in the future by corporations. and prevent individuals from building wealth for themselves and their families.

but it never hurts to appreciate our resources none the less and the best way to take care of it is to not waste unecessarily, don't throw trash into lakes streams or ponds (poor animals can't deal with all that trash anyway) respect all life human and animal, don't leave the water running when you brush your teeth, don't wash the car unessarily, don't use a swimming pool in areas where water is scarce like deserts and don't expect other states to give them water so they can, they need to find their own way to deal with water and if people want pools they need to pay for it themselves via better water managment and recycling of water to do it.

also don't over use fertilizers and pesitcides on lawns and gardens, a little goes a long way and do it infrequently, if you have to water alot and fertilize and use alot of pesticides because you have a monoculture yard cause you want a manicured lawn maybe look into grasses that are easy care and need little extra attention or better yet allow a natural grass as many types of grasses and weeds and pest (like moles) will do for you better than all that ferilizing and pesticides. moles and voles eat worms, grubs of all kinds and eat weed seeds too.

you could also walk more if the market is just up the street (if your physically able enough)instead of driving since you save money, and you will get some exercise and fresh air without having to drive to a gym,thus saving more gas and membership fees. also less congestion on the roads.

if every body who drives would drive a mile or two less each month for example can you imagine how much gas use would drop and if it drops enough they will be forced to reduce the cost as their supplies will build up faster than they use them up.we have about 200,000,000 people driving, give or take a few thousand, imagine 200,000,000 gallons of gas not used in a year time, that only amounts to about 1/2 gallon or less a month. or if people car pool one day per month, wow can you imagine the drop in gas prices?

what if people use bicycles more often to do some of their errands if they can, that would reduce it even more. there are little ways to help the enviroment, yourself and the animals. oh yea by not using chemicals on your lawns and gardens or very minimal you allow natural predators and little cute crittors live with you. here I have tons of chipmunks, moles and voles, adn I seldom have to use any pesticides herbicides or anything except for a sudden outbreak in a vegie garden and even then I use natural products.

they work really well,  a farmer used to live up the street he used basic h on his crops, it fertilizes and is a safe natural pesticide. I used to spray my horse with it and it kept the flies and mosquitos off (at least until it sweated off)

RRRR

Answer 3

Water: Sustainable (such as Water Harvesting)

Benefits: reduce water demand from natural environment and increase environmental flows

Costs: excessive water use can result in salinity porblems and runn off of nutrient levels

Unsustainable aterial basin tapping

Benefits: short term water and income gain

Costs; lowering of ground water (envio-problems)

Soil: Sustainable compost

Benefits: cheep

Costs: transport costs

Unsustainable: soil cultivation

Benefits: agriculture

Costs: erosion

Woodland: Sustainable (sustainable harvest)

Benefits: income

Costs: less income than clear felling

Unsustainable (clear felling)

Benefits: lots of money

Costs: little natural revegitation

Food production Sustainable (native mixed crops)

Benefits:little environmental impact

Costs: less food produced

Unsustainable: broad acre cropping

Benefits lost of food in a good year

Costs: environmental degradation

Waste products Sustainable (recycling)

Benefits: less energy expenditure  than creating new product

Costs:process more tedious than mining new product

Unsustainable: landfill

Benefits: quick cheep

Costs: soil contamination.