How we as a society assess natural resources is
constantly evolving.
Two hundred years ago society's "need" for
natural gas was very small. As time has gone on, the industrial
revolution has created higher demands of certain natural resources because they
are used to "fuel" our society. If natural resources like
gasoline and natural gas went away tomorrow our society would be in utter
chaos. We are so reliant on these finite resources. There is an
environmental movement that has been going on the last decade that preaches
that we are a consumer society and that we should be ashamed by how we live and
that we should make changes to make our world a better more beautiful place to
live. I think this is an admiral idea and as a believer in the Word of God I
believe that we should be good stewards of what God has given to us, as stated
in 1 Corinthians 4:2 "Moreover
it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”(NIV)
I have some issues with this movement that
has largely become the overwhelming voice of our society though as
noble as I think the general idea is. Now since this is an opinion paper I am
going to write what I have heard and seen. This might come off as
painting our society with broad strokes, but I do believe it is the
overwhelming group of society that I speak about. One
respected observer estimates that humankind “has consumed more aluminum,
copper, iron and steel, phosphate rock, diamonds, sulfur, coal, oil, natural
gas, and even sand and gravel over the past century than over all earlier centuries
put together,” and goes on to write that “the pace continues to accelerate, so
that today the world annually produces and consumes nearly all mineral
commodities at record rates” (Tilton 2001, p. I-1). Although this is
true, this respected observer left out a huge part of the issue, which is: Even though the mining of tin, copper,
iron ore, lead, and zinc between 1950 and
2000 used up much more than the known 1950 reserves, the known supplies of these
minerals were greater in 2000 than in 1950. (Natural
Resources)
I believe that the "other-side" of
the story is not spoken about enough. The fact that we are continually
discovering more "finite" resources than we had known before or the
fact that our society is continually innovating ways to recycle waste, increase
gas mileage, etc.… When it comes down to it I believe that as people we should
have a conscience about how we live our lives, I do not think we need what we
have now which is "society's conscience". I believe that most
of these ideas are being pushed on us for someone’s profit. Take for
example gasoline. It is constantly stressed upon us that gasoline is a
finite resource and that is why big oil companies can charge so much for it.
Another example is recycling. I recycle, I believe in recycling,
but when I see that our society is shifting and there are more costs associated
with recycling and composting now, it makes me feel like
I am being manipulated.
Moving on to the role
of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in the economic development of our
society. I believe in small government. I am thankful for a
government to keep us safe, but when I read about how much land the government
is in control of and the fact that they are the ones regulating land and how it
is being used, yet they are also profiting from it, I feel like I am being
manipulated! (DOI:BMI: Energy) Who else is profiting from us stressing about
limited resources? Government. What is the matter with having a free
market where the government has regulations limited to safety? It appears
that with the way land management is set up now that we need someone regulating
the government. It does not seem like there involvement in regulating
land is always in citizen's best interests.
References
"1 Corinthians 4:2." The Holy Bible: New
International Version, Containing the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan Bible, 1978. N. pag. Print.
DOI: BLM: Energy." DOI: BLM: Energy. N.p., n.d.
Web. 29 July 2014.
"Natural Resources." : The Concise Encyclopedia
of Economics. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014.
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