Environment generally refers to the space around the man and the total influence and the strength outside that play critical role in human, that is to say that it is everything human beings face in daily life. Resource is involved in the material elements of the process of material production. It includes both natural and socio-economic resources, often focusing on natural resources most. Natural resources are often regarded as materials and energy that can be gained in the natural world and can be used in production and life, moreover it is related to the human and society's development. For a limited, specific person, it has clear aims, purposes function and certain or several specific and identified materials. It is the only driving force to progress of human civilization as well. Human's exploitation of resources, which supports also sustains other human activities, is an important part of human activities. The appropriate resources exploitation must correspond to the environment, and resource development and utilization also lead changes in the environment. Hence, changes in the environment result great impact on resources in turn. Therefore, clear understanding of the relationship between resources and the environment under the influence of human activities on how interaction and transformation is particularly important for solving environmental problems.
2.0 Introduction
Development can not exist without resources and environment. On the one hand, environment and natural resources provide the basic elements for people and all life on Earth system, on the other hand, it also provides necessary conditions for the city for industrial and agricultural development and urban construction. Economic development has greatly improved the survival condition of the human on Earth, and raise living standards and the ability of using natural resources, but economic development has greatly accelerated the speed of resource consumption, thus environmental quality has declined markedly. Practice finally led to the recognition that environmental protection and social development is an integral whole. If human activities are accordant to resources and the environment, the environment is in benign succession, but if human make irrational exploitation of the ecological environment, it will reverse succession and lead fragile environment. So, in this report, it will first analyze the relationship of environment protection and resource exploitation, including changes in the environment and the resource implications; current situation of environmental protection and resources exploitation; environmental protection measures and the relationship of environmental protection and resource exploitation; second, some conclusions are illustrated; finally, several recommendations will be given.
3.0 Environmental protection and resource exploitation
3.1 Changes in the environment and the resource implications
In general, if the environment has been destroyed, more or less influences will be put on the resources, especially in high-end resources for quantum ladder are more susceptibly affected by polluted environment(Antoci, 2009). Resources and environment reinforce each other, and environment deterioration are the results of irrational use of resources, resource destroying, resource damage, loss and contamination. In this aspect, environmental pollution means wasting of resources. Protecting the environment is a resource conservation. Environmental integrity performances are results of a variety of environmental factors and their mutual relationships which interact each other. This integrity determines that the environment exists as a system and evolution. the inherent nature of environmental system is the interaction and relationship of various environmental factors. In addition, the human irrational use and management of natural resources is accelerating resource depletion. Such resources include forests, fish, and other biological species and the environmental carrying capacity. Their updating is not purely natural process, human have the abilities of remaining the updating capacity under the natural regeneration capacity, or making it reach a certain level artificially. If the capacity utilization rate and updating capacity can not achieve a balance between the two, the "scarcity" inevitable. Taking the water use in China for example(Fig 1. Kang, 2008). From the figure, it can be seen that with increase of population, more water has been exploited and it surpasses the natural capacity, thus, it causes serous environmental problems and results unsustainable development.
Figure 1 population changes in Shiyang river Basin, upper, middle and lower reaches during the last 50 years, Gansu, china.(Kang, 2008)
3.2 current situation of environmental protection and resources exploitation
The exploitation and utilization of resources is a process that the materials and energy flow in the environment. Each resource should follow the track to the natural flow of its own according to its unique mechanism of decomposition and chemical combination, and resources will change over time. On the one hand, some types of the resources will disappear, and some new types would emerge (particularly in the performance of renewable resources); for example, forest degradation, even for the grassland desertification; the loss of vegetation cover, resulting higher temperature on surface, larger natural evaporation, increasing water loss. And soil will reduced soil corrosion resistance, surface soil loss, and elevate deposition of bed, more opportunities to increase flooding, leading to environmental degradation. On the other hand, there are also excellent quality of such change or deterioration. Accelerating the flow of resources makes the environmental point pollution expand from the partial to global pollution.
Moreover, the resources that are accompanied by the polluting substances in the flow process will pass through all environmental media. For example, air, water, soil organism's constant migration, transformation, accumulation, will make the pollution expand to global scope even in every corner, from the atmospheric level down to the ground, from urban to rural, from the mainland to the ocean, or even inaccessible depths of the South Arctic Ocean . Its characteristics are: First, small-scale will be developed into mid-sized and large-scale; second, the local area of damage extends to the global environmental destruction, and its impact on life and to resolve any difficulties are much higher than the first generation of environmental problems; third, the pollution in developed areas will spread to the backward areas, from developed countries to the whole world, including the intentional transfer of pollution. For example, the developed countries consume most of the world resources by the means of occupation, unequal trade and other ways , in the contrast, large number of pollutions are transferred to developing countries.
Superficially, Resources are distributed independently, but in fact, all resources interact, constraint, and constitute a whole system(Wu, and Niu, 2008). Resources and emissions show mobility and dispersed. From ways of utilization of resource, it is usually aims at a single resource, or even a part of individual resources. However, it is not possible to change a natural resource or ecological system or some components, but also its surroundings remain unchanged.
3.3 Environmental protection measures
Facing the serious problems, it is quite essential to promote the new production methods and production processes vigorously, improving resource use efficiency, and protecting the environment effectively(Zhang and Wen, 2008). Resources exploitation and environmental protection are mutually reinforcing, interactive. Through the rational development of resources used to promote environmental protection and ecological construction, ecological effects of a good economic, social benefits, thereby promoting the conservation of positive interaction is a necessary. First, we must vigorously develop the circular economy. Circular economy is a change from the traditional economic activities. The open material flow pattern of "Resource Consumption --- Products --- wastes" should be transferred into "Resource Consumption ---Products --- Recycle Use", which is a closed-loop type material flow pattern. The key technology is reducing resource consumption, reusing the resource and improving the use efficiency. Second, to achieve cleaner production. Clean production means continuously improving the design, using of clean energy and raw materials, the use of advanced technology and equipment, improving management, utilization and other measures, reduction of source pollution, improve resource use efficiency, reducing or avoiding manufacturing, service and product the process of production and emission of pollutants, to reduce or eliminate the threat to the human health and the environment(Caviglia-Harris, 2003). Cleaner Production is to make people the extent of utilization of resources and limit the extent of the environmental impact of renewable resources and environmental capacity under the permitted speed range, thus facilitating the sustainable use of resources and the environment(Fischer, 2005).
3.4 The relationship of environmental protection and resource exploitation
The relationship of environmental protection and resource exploitation should be considered in three aspects: First of all, there is a mutual interaction between the environment and resource exploitation. After all , human's activities are trying their best to exploit variety of natural resources to meet the needs of people's production and life. Resources are the foundation factor of human social existence, human beings would not exist without resources and development conditions, thus the environment is to meet human social existence and development of space, the aim of resource of exploitation and use of resources is also to further expand the living space of human society. Second, the relationship is a dynamic process(Gerber, 2009). In early human society, human's exploitation program of resources and the degree of impact on the environment does not exceed the total amount of resources and environmental regeneration rate of the license scope, resources and environmental issues have no directly a threat to the development of human society. With the development of the technology, economy and society or in many aspects, more influences are put on the resources and the environment by the human beings, resources and environmental issues become increasingly prominent, to some extent these issues limit the human and social development. Third, environment protection and resource exploitation are united in the process of sustainable development, and resources exploitation and environmental protection are two aspects of sustainable development. The purchasing objectives of human beings is that through economic construction, scientific, rational utilization of resources, the human will gain a good natural environment and social and environmental development of the ecological environment, realizing social, economic prosperity, ecological environment protection integration and coordination and sustainable development(Antoci, 2007).
The relationship of resource exploitation and environmental protection includes resource conservation and environmental protection. From the perspective of resources, natural resources can be divided into renewable resources and non-renewable resources. If the speed of the exploitation and utilization of renewable resources is faster than their regeneration capacity, then the renewable resources will be converted to non-renewable resources. With the development economy and society, particularly the rapid progress of science and technology, the exploitation and utilization of resources continue to increase the strength and depth of many renewable resources, thus many dangers appear. As with the vulnerability of the environment, restoration of the arduous and long-term social impact of human characteristics, the environmental protection has become a world economic and social development process in face of social problems, but the resources exploitation is inevitable.
4.0 Conclusion
If the environment has been destroyed, influences will be put on the resources, thus it will affect the human at last. Resources and environment reinforce each other, and environment deterioration are the results of irrational use of resources, resource destroying, resource damage, loss and contamination. And resources exploitation should be under the natural capability.
The improper exploitation and utilization of resources has caused many environmental problems. Polluting substances will pass through all the environmental media during the flow process. Resources are not distributed independently, thus it is not possible to change a natural resource or ecological system or some components, but also its surroundings remain unchanged.
In order to solve the environmental issues, measures should be taken. Resources exploitation and environmental protection are mutually reinforcing, interactive. So we must vigorously develop the circular economy and achieve cleaner production.
The relationship of environmental protection and resource exploitation should be considered in three aspects: First, there is a mutual interaction between the environment and resource exploitation. Second, the relationship is a dynamic process. Third, environment protection and resource exploitation are united in the process of sustainable development, and resources exploitation and environmental protection are two aspects of sustainable development.
5.0 Recommendations
Material resources are always limited. To resolve the contradiction between resources and the environment. New way should be exploited, such as creating new varieties of resources and energy, and the synthesis of new materials; expanding the amount of resources to improve the quality of resources to rebuild productivity and social productivity of natural resources for sustainable use of coordinated development of the system.
To deal with the issue of relations between environmental protection and resource exploitation, on the one hand, to controlling the exploitation speed, that are the number and size; on the other hand, the governance of environmental protection and resource exploitation should be linked to daily life, putting more attention to the environmental protection environmental capacity issues, enacting more measures.
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