Natural Resources and the Environment Quick Check

Question

After investigating some examples of natural resource development, what can you conclude about the social, political, and environmental consequences?
The development and use of natural resources on a large scale always led to war and political or social oppression.
The development and use of natural resources drives a country’s economy and therefore has mostly good consequences for the people there.
The development and use of natural resources can have many positive and negative consequences for a country. ✅
The development and use of natural resources has mostly negative consequences for a country.

Why are natural resources good for autocratic governments in the DRC and Saudi Arabia?
The governments can provide good jobs for their citizens.
The governments gain power and money by controlling natural resources. ✅
The governments can use their natural resources to support democratization.
The governments use money from resources to control their citizens.

After investigating how the growth of multinationals, governments, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) has affected natural resource production, distribution, and consumption, which statement is the most accurate?
Multinationals may cause problems that can sometimes be solved by governments and NGOs. ✅
Multinationals are less powerful in natural resource development than governments and NGOS.
Multinationals work to develop the entire economy of different countries with the help of governments and NGOs.
Multinationals may refuse to work with governments and NGOs to develop natural resources.

Which of the following statements best summarizes the impact of an environmental issue on Syria?
Syria’s drought is threatening its people’s access to water, food, electricity, and medical care. ✅
Syria’s native species are under threat by introduced predators.
Syria’s melting glaciers could flood the nation and destroy entire cities.
Syria’s reliance on water lenses makes its freshwater access vulnerable.

Which of the following is the most reasonable critique of the U.S. response to the Centralia coal fire?
The U.S. is allowing its environment to be damaged without intervening. ✅
The U.S. is acting in a way that will eventually result in people being hurt.
The U.S. government is passing the problem along to be solved by people in the future.
The U.S. government is not acting to protect the citizens of Centralia.

Answer 1

Overall, the development and use of natural resources can have both positive and negative consequences on social, political, and environmental aspects. Autocratic governments like those in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Saudi Arabia benefit from controlling natural resources because it gives them power and money. Multinationals, governments, and NGOs all play a role in natural resource production, distribution, and consumption, with multinationals sometimes causing problems that can be addressed by governments and NGOs. Environmental issues like the Centralia coal fire can have negative impacts if not properly addressed, as seen with the U.S. response potentially allowing environmental damage to continue without intervention.