by Carlos Hurworth

Created on: March 30, 2010   Last Updated: March 31, 2010

Mismanagement of resources and our environment over the course of history, has seen numerous struggles and fights occurring over resource dispersion, acquisition and use.  Almost invariably, the resulting inadequate access or unfair distribution leads to death, disaster or disease (or all three), along with the increased likelihood of the complete loss of the resource itself, often at the peril of a community, city or even a whole civilisation.

This happened in the most dramatic manner, when the former Polynesian-descended inhabitants of the remote Easter Island (more than 4000km’s west of Chile, and in excess of 2000km’s east of the nearest Polynesian islands in the Pacific ocean) slowly but surely felled all the timber on their land, leaving European settlers to discover a completely uninhabited and eerily bare landscape. 

Neglecting the fact that ultimately, we live in a world of finite resources, current societies could soon be realising a fate similar to those of the Easter Islanders, as well as the Mayans, Incas, Anasazi and many other ancient and more recent civilisations.

Worldwide, population growth has meant that our water supply is decreasing per-capita.  In parts of the world like Africa, the Middle East and India – generally hot and dry climates, and where this population growth has been greatest - the decrease in the water supply (along with poor agricultural, sanitation and disposal practices) is turning out dire consequences. 

World Bank reports state that up to 2 billion people are lacking in adequate water-sanitation facilities, and 1 billion lack access to clean water altogether.  Alarmingly so though, UN reports have found that 95% of the world's cities still dump raw sewage into their water supply.  It is no wonder that questions are being raised towards water access and sanitation.

Unfortunately, the developed world may even be guilty of practices of a far worse nature.  Consider the fact that 80% of the world's industrial waste is produced by the US and other industrial countries, while irresponsible practices of raising low-yield, high environmental-cost crops on unsuitable land flourish (take the cotton industry in Australia, for example) with a seemingly insatiable desire for economic growth, and surely there is a strong case in point for us in the developed world to be leading by example, for those developing countries who so often mimic our practice?

First and foremost –

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