Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Potential Collapse in Austrailia
Now, Australia, for those among us who think modern, white, English-speaking, Anglo-Saxon civilization is immune from the horrors of Rwanda, China and the ancient collapses.
In Collapse, Jared Diamond, begins his discussion of Australia by saying, “Mining in the literal sense –i.e. the mining of coal, iron and so on – is the key to Australia’s economy today, providing the largest share of its export earnings.” Mining is also a metaphor for Australia’s environmental history and current predicament.
Mining is about exploiting, removing and taking resources that do not renew themselves. Gold in the ground, or oil, or copper, doesn’t breed more gold, oil or copper, therefore, there’s no need to consider gold renewal rates. Miners extract the minerals as rapidly as is economically feasible, until the lode is exhausted, then walk away.
Mining minerals may thus be contrasted with exploiting renewable resources such as forests, fish and topsoil, that DO regenerate themselves by biological reproduction. Renewable resources can be exploited indefinitely, provided they are removed at a rate less than the rate at which they regenerate. If these are exploited at rates exceeding their renewal rates, these, too, will be depleted to extinction.
“Australia has been and still is ‘mining’ its renewable resources, as if they were minerals. They are being overexploited at rates faster than their renewal rates. At present rates, Australia’s forests and fisheries will disappear long before its coal and iron reserves, which is ironic in view of the fact that the former are renewable, but the latter aren’t.”
In Collapse, Jared Diamond, begins his discussion of Australia by saying, “Mining in the literal sense –i.e. the mining of coal, iron and so on – is the key to Australia’s economy today, providing the largest share of its export earnings.” Mining is also a metaphor for Australia’s environmental history and current predicament.
Mining is about exploiting, removing and taking resources that do not renew themselves. Gold in the ground, or oil, or copper, doesn’t breed more gold, oil or copper, therefore, there’s no need to consider gold renewal rates. Miners extract the minerals as rapidly as is economically feasible, until the lode is exhausted, then walk away.
Mining minerals may thus be contrasted with exploiting renewable resources such as forests, fish and topsoil, that DO regenerate themselves by biological reproduction. Renewable resources can be exploited indefinitely, provided they are removed at a rate less than the rate at which they regenerate. If these are exploited at rates exceeding their renewal rates, these, too, will be depleted to extinction.
“Australia has been and still is ‘mining’ its renewable resources, as if they were minerals. They are being overexploited at rates faster than their renewal rates. At present rates, Australia’s forests and fisheries will disappear long before its coal and iron reserves, which is ironic in view of the fact that the former are renewable, but the latter aren’t.”
