Environment And Natural Resources

DEFINITION

The Environment influences an organism's life in many ways. It is everything that surrounds an organism and it includes physical and biological components. The physical components of the environment are soil, water, air, light and temperature. These are termed as abiotic components. The biological components are plants and animals, collectively referred to as biotic components.
Air, water, soil, minerals, coal, petroleum, animals and plants are referred to as natural resources.
The growing human population manipulates these natural resources to satisfy its needs. The destruction of forests for agricultural and commercial reasons has upset the ecological balance.

TYPES OF NATURAL RESOURCES

There are two types of natural resources:

Inexhaustible Natural Resource
The inexhaustible natural resources are unlimited in nature, and they are not likely to be exhausted by human activities. Example are solar radiation, air, water, precipitation (rainfall, snow fall, etc.,) and atomic power.

Exhaustible Natural Resource
The exhaustible natural resources are limited in nature and are liable to be degraded in quantity and quality by human activities. Examples are forests, soil, wild animals, minerals, fossil fuels etc.

EPA TIMELINE

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was established in 1970 to consolidate in one agency a variety of federal research, monitoring, standard-setting and enforcement activities to ensure environmental protection. EPA's mission is to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment—air, water, and land—upon which life depends. For more than 30 years, the EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people.

1970s< - EPA is created. Congress passes modern environmental statutues, such as Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act. EPA sets early human health exposure levels. The Supreme Court affirms EPA's role in environmental protection enforcement.

1980s< - The Superfund law is passed to clean up old, abandoned waste sites. EPA and communities begin emergency response planning in the event of environmental accidents. State begin to run their own hazardous waste programs. Risk science begins to help EPA set priorities.

1990s - The Clean Air Act Amendments set the stage for further protections, such as dust and soot. Pollution prevention reduces pollution before it begins. EPA partners with companies to explore and test innovative, voluntary approaches to environmental protection.

2000s - Mercury emissions, visibility rules further improve air quality. EPA responds to 9/11. Clean diesel engines cut emissions from trucks, off-road equipment, and especially school buses.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES POLICIES/LEGISLATION

POLICIES/LEGISLATION IN ASIA
Communities, Livelihoods, and Natural Resources : Action Research and Policy Change in Asia
At the beginning of the 21st century, it is evident that that the destinies of our planet’s diverse peoples are closely intertwined. This realization has driven an unprecedented set of international commitments during the past decade. Nations of all political hues have committed to reforms on a broad range of global issues : trade policy, biodiversity conservation, land mines, greenhouse gas emissions, peacekeeping, security and others 4

POLICIES/LEGISLATION IN AFRICA
South Africa - Natural resource issues in environmental policy
This report presents a synthesis of 10 subject matter and zonal studies carried out by South Africans. The subject matter studies examine the policy climate pertinent to land, water, forestry and nature conservation, as well as the legal issues pertaining to these environmental resources. The zonal studies provide a starting point to gain a clearer understanding of developmental issues and prospects in diverse regions of South Africa 5

POLICIES/LEGISLATION IN THE USA
Summary of the National Environmental Policy Act
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was one of the first laws ever written that establishes the broad national framework for protecting our environment. NEPA's basic policy is to assure that all branches of government give proper consideration to the environment prior to undertaking any major federal action that significantly affects the environment.

POLICIES/LEGISLATION IN EUROPE
The sustainable management of natural resources is a key objective of the Göteborg Strategy in favour of Sustainable development. The heading “Sustainable Management and Protection of Natural Resources” is directly aimed at responding to this strategy. It has a budget of 301 billion euros, which represents the second most important budget after the heading “Sustainable Growth”.

The heading «sustainable management and protection of natural resources» is made up of three major EU policies and funding instruments:
• the Common agricultural policy,
• the Rural Development policy co-funded by the ERDF, European Regional Development Fund,
• the Common Fisheries policy co-funded by the European Fisheries Fund,
• the financial instrument for the environment, Life+.
The Rural Development Policy, the Common Fisheries Policy and the financial instrument for the environment are all potentially of interest to cultural operators.


ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES GROWTH

EUROPE
Focussing on the support for cohesion in regions and competitivity, the heading « Sustainable development » is a direct reference to the political priorities set out in the Göteborg and Lisbon treaties of the European Union. They can be sub-divided into two categories « Cohesion for Development and Employment » and « Competitivity for Growth and Employment ». This line has one of the best funded global budget of 382,139 billion euros.
Cohesion - The cohesion policy aims to favour the harmonious, just and sustainable development of the territories of the European Union. Co-funded by the structural funds – ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) and the ESF (European Social Fund), this policy has three major programmes known as « Objective Convergence », Objective Competitivity », « Objective Regional Competitivity and Employment » and « Objective Territorial Cooperation ». These programmes are potentially open to culture and cultural initiatives.

Competitiveness - « Competitiveness » aims to transform Europe into a dynamic economy founded on knowledge and geared towards growth and reinforced competitivity and innovation in a single market. It is divided into four programmes that cover areas such as research, technological development and innovation, education and life long training, employment and social affairs. This programme is potentially open to culture.

USA
US EPA Awards Nearly a Half Billion Dollar Grant to New York to Create Jobs and Protect Human Health and the Environment
In the single largest grant in its history, the EPA today awarded more than $430 million to the State of New York for wastewater infrastructure projects that will create thousands of jobs, jumpstart local economies and protect human health and the environment across the state.

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