Resource distribution is a concept that describes the geographical occurrence of resources. These resources are finite and limitless. If the distribution of these resources is not equal, it can lead into conflict. People rely on natural resources to provide food, fuel and shelter. Inequal distribution of these resources can lead to conflict and other human problems.
Humans are dependent on natural resources for food fuel, shelter, clothing, and fuel.
Natural resources are the raw materials or energy that humans use to meet their needs. These resources can include water, soils, fossil fuels plants and even air. These resources are used by humans to produce everything, from food to fuel to clothing. They also use these materials to build houses, produce electricity, and create raw materials for their industries.
The continuous inflow of natural resource is critical to the survival of our economy. These resources include forests and arable land. Although these resources can be regenerated, over-exploitation could lead to the depletion or loss of remaining stocks. This could impact the quality of life and future generations.
Natural resources have a finite supply
Natural resources are the factors of production that come from nature. These factors are generally shared and are free to use. Water, air, land, and other natural resources are all examples. But not all of them are free. Some of these, like rivers and forests, can be shared with everyone.
Natural resources can only be created and replenished in nature. Although there may be an increase or decrease in the number available, their effectiveness is not unaffected. Therefore, there will be a finite supply of any given resource at some point.
They are unstoppable
According to the "cheapest first" rule, deposits that have low extraction costs should always be exploited first. If the lowest cost deposits are exhausted, then the cost of extracting one unit of resource should rise. This rule predicts that the price of a resource will increase, in line with Hotelling's d-percent rule.
Harold Hotelling first proposed the theory of exhaustibility in 1931. He noticed that our increased dependence on finite resources has led to a decrease in stock. Before we can understand what he meant, let us first define the concept finiteness. A finite stock of natural resources can be defined by three factors: the extraction rate, the replenishment rate, and the total stock. An increasing rate at which a resource is being extracted will result in a decrease in its availability over a short period.
Uneven distributions of resources can cause conflict
The inequal distribution of natural resource has been a source for conflict over the years. Fairer trade would encourage a peaceful, sustainable world. Unfortunately, the current approaches to resource trade lack sufficient. These trade agreements do not address the underlying causes of conflict. The conflict potential is therefore high.
The complex relationship between inequalities and conflict is hard to identify. While some studies focus on inequalities among individuals, others examine inequalities among groups based upon religion, ethnicity or other differences. However, some forms of inequalities are more significant than others. Unequal distribution of resources can cause conflict in individual communities and between countries or cultural groups.