The world natural resources are consumed at an ever-increased rate. What are the dangers of this situation? What should we do?

It is true that the world is experiencing the problem of the overconsumption of natural resources.

This

has resulted in serious consequences which should be addressed urgently.

This

unsustainable growth in the exploitation of natural resources has already had some damaging impacts, both on the environment and on communities. In environmental terms, contamination of land, air and water has reached alarming levels owing to dependence on fossil fuels to meet growing energy demands.

For instance

,

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,

coal is the main source of energy in China and Australia. The burning of coal and oil result in air pollution and global warming, through the release of greenhouse gases. In social terms, forest destruction results in a shortage of timber and commercial over-fishing devastates fish stocks. These environmental

problems

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problems, then

then

impact on local communities and fishing villages like Napflio in Greece,

for example

, threatening jobs and traditional ways of life. It is evident,

therefore

, that some immediate measures should be taken by governments to tackle

such

problems.

Firstly

, citizens must be encouraged to use renewable energy sources.

In particular

, governments need to increase investment in alternative

sources including

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sources, including

solar power and wind power to make them viable for public use in years to come.

Secondly

, governments should impose and enforce laws to protect and conserve natural resources. In

this

way, sustainable levels of the use of natural resources can be determined and those who exceed these limits or break these rules can be severely punished. Traditional fishing communities will be safeguarded and the timber industry can be controlled, so that there will always be a supply of wood for building houses in the future. In conclusion, the overconsumption of natural resources worldwide is already having major impacts and immediate measures are called for in order to mitigate the consequences.