The Earth no doubt is an amazing place, littered with several natural resources at the bequest of man's creative mind to explore. Wood becomes furniture, stones build an edifice, crude oil powers the entire planet. The interesting part of the story is that the Earth regenerates its natural resources when we use them. However, there's a certain rate at which it can do so. It therefore becomes a challenge when our creative minds use up natural resources at a rate greater than the Earth can reproduce them. So, in order not to step out of course, it is imperative that we monitor our Material Footprint.
"Material footprint is an indicator for measuring and optimizing the resource consumption of products and their ingredients and the production processes along the whole value chain (Lettenmeier et al., 2012)."
In simple English, Material Footprint is the total amount of raw materials extracted from the Earth to meet the demands of consumption. It is a vital indicator of the pressures exerted on the planet to satisfy the material needs of people and support economic growth. It examines the link between the beginning and end of a production chain, that is, the source of raw materials and where a finished product or service is consumed.
We continue to unsustainably use our planet’s natural resources.
— UN Environment Programme (@UNEP) July 8, 2021
Humanity's global “material footprint” increased by 70% between 2000 and 2017.
Read more in @UNDESA’s #SDGreport 2021: https://t.co/Pp5vE0Vgto #GlobalGoals #HLPF pic.twitter.com/SWsU7GEP9j
Overdependency on Natural Resources
Natural resources are essential for human survival and development. They provide us with food, water, energy, and materials for everything from construction to manufacturing. However, overdependency on natural resources can have several negative consequences, including environmental degradation, economic instability, and conflict.
1. Environmental degradation: This is one of the most serious consequences of overdependency on natural resources. It occurs when natural resources are extracted or used at an unsustainable rate. This can lead to pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change.
2. Economic instability: This happens when a country's economy is based majorly on the extraction and export of natural resources. When our economies are highly dependent on natural resources, we are vulnerable to fluctuations in commodity prices, based on global demand and supply. When prices fall, it can lead to economic recession and job losses.
3. Conflict: This can happen when countries compete for control of natural resources. Because it is believed that natural resources can be a source of wealth and power.
Therefore, to meet the need and greed of the world's growing population, more natural resources are being exploited in unsustainable ways. Many natural resource-rich countries are characterized by natural resource dependency and lack of economic diversification.
Unsustainable use of Natural resources
Let's take at some of the resources that are constantly being exploited, especially in Nigeria.
• Land & Forests: Nigeria, with its fertile lands, possesses great forests. However, the excessive exploitation of this resource has depleted its quantity over the years. Currently, Nigeria has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world, annually losing 3.7% of its forest.
You do the maths. How much of our forest would be left in 10 years?
Yet, we have more to worry about because by losing our trees, Biodiversity is being lost, our lands are getting bare and prone to erosion and ultimately contributing to climate change.
• Fossil fuel: Oil as a resource cannot be left out of this conversation. As a Major producing country, the Nigerian oil industry milks this resource consistently, yet this has not been without huge environmental dangers. We gain energy but at the expense of oil spillage and pollution of our rivers.
• Animals: Furthermore, natural resources in the form of animal species are also being used in unsustainable means. Overfishing is putting the sea creature on the brink of extinction. Excessive and unregulated hunting greatly depletes the quantity of resources.
So, how do we cater to our needs without straining our natural resources?
While the answer is not a simple one, it is the only one: sustainable alternatives.
Exploring sustainable alternatives to natural resources
It is important to note that these alternatives are not without impact on nature, but they are more sustainable and will help reduce the strain our activities put on Nature.
Some of them include:
— Engaging in sustainable agricultural practices such as agroforestry, reforestation, and afforestation.
— Transitioning to green and renewable energy sources.
— Opting for sustainable fishing practices.
— Adopting technology to develop a better and more sustainable process of extracting natural resources such as oil, coal, etc.
— Using eco-friendly and sustainable materials in construction to reduce dependency on forest resources.
It is time we realise that our relationship with Nature is mutual; we depend on Nature to survive and Nature needs us to not put excessive strain on its capacity. Given enough time, Nature can replenish its lost capacity, but the question is, do we have that time?
— IyanuOluwa Grace
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