Question

2. Provide arguments for and against the assertion that natural resources are getting increasingly scarce over time. Include examples in your answer. Many regions of the world are undergoing deforestation. Is the optimal rate of deforestation zero? 3.

Answer 1

2.Yes it is true that natural resources are getting increasingly scarce over time. This is due to the intensive exploitation of natural resources by mankind. The industrial revolutions across countries and paradigm shift in the nature of production fron agriculture to industries has had used an immense amount of natural resources and they are depleting fast. Some of the examples are oil and natural gas resources. Also mining of iron ore, coal, bauxite and all such limited natural resources has led them to a scarcity like situation.

3. The optimal rate of deforestation can not be zero since the increasing population need to acquire more land which can only be obtained by deforestation. Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forest land due to urban sprawl or for other uses. The optimal rate of deforestation is one in which there is a possibility of sustainable use of forest area with an equivalent Afforestation to make up for the loss. Thus the optimal rate of deforestation is the rate at which forests become sustainable due to afforestation.