Strategic Resources

10/29/13

As previous blog posts have discusses as well as Klare throughout Blood and Oil, oil and natural gas are essentially finite energy sources. Meaning on a human timescale they are not able to be produced. However, there are other natural resources that fall under this category as well that don't have as big a focus. Another one of Klare's books, The Race for What's Left: The Global Scramble for the World's Last Resources does a great job bringing up these different resources.

Rare earth metals, minerals, food and even water are all strategic resources. The former have seen a steadily increased usage since the Industrial Age. Some of the most widespread uses for some of these rare earth metals or elements is in lasers, batteries, magnets and other widely used items. Computer companies like Apple as well are using rare earth metals in their laptops, phones and other products. As we continue to progress technologically speaking, we will continue to exacerbate the finite amount of these materials in order to manufacture our precious new toys. What will happen when these resources start to diminish to the point where only 20% or less is left of what was once there? Potential wars may be fought over these resources, and once collected, these resources will be at extraordinarily high prices due to supply and demand.

This large increase in prices brings us to the next, not so obvious strategic resource: food. Normally, food seems like a human right, but in reality it is becoming more and more of a commodity. As Monsanto and other companies focused on genetically modified organisms have been taking the food industry, specifically agriculture, by storm. Through combining both genetically modified organisms (GMO) with a special herbicide that the GMO seeds are resistant to, Monsanto has created a monopoly of sorts on certain crop growing, mainly corn. As a company, Monsanto's target audience is people who can pay them for their products. This is a serious problem for people with low incomes because food is becoming more of a commodity than a right.

This same problem is occurring within the pharmaceutical field, where medicines are being targeted for middle class peoples who can pay, instead of the lower class that arguably needs the medicine more  (For a variety of reasons including the inability to buy healthier foods because they are more expensive, worse living conditions, etc.).

One of the most important resources that recently has become a strategic resource is drinking water. Similar to food, water seems like a human right, and yet in some places it is becoming more scarce and more expensive than ever. This is happening for the same reasons as food and medicine: companies are targeting people who can pay, instead of the people who can't. Why would a company give away water, when it can instead sell it to people who will pay? Water in particular is also becoming a more scarce resource due to it being over used around the world, including in Texas and California where fracking has taken the majority of drinking water in the area.

Strategic resources are becoming even more scarce every day, causing prices to rise, poorer people to be unable to buy food or medicines, and causing turmoil in countries with unstable governments. This will continue until we can find more sustainable materials to use for our products, or if companies stop focusing on making money and instead and providing a quality product. As technology continues to advance, different resources will start to become strategic ones, providing different countries with the unpleasantness that follow, like local militant groups fighting over land. One thing is for sure; Strategic resources like oil, natural gas, water and food will all play important roles in the future to come.

"With so much evidence of depleting natural resources, toxic waste, climate change, irreparable harm to our food chain and rapidly increasing instances of natural disasters, why do we keep perpetuating the problem? Why do we continue marching to the same alarming beat." (Yehuda Berg)