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260 R.K. Rosenbaum et al.
10.16.2 Environmental Mechanism
With a focus on resource availability for current and future generations, the envi-
ronmental mechanism may look as shown in Fig. 10.28. It is assumed that resources
with easy and/or cheap access and with high concentration or quality are extracted
first. Consequently, today’s resource extraction will lead future generations to
extract lower concentration or lower value resources. This results in additional
efforts for the extraction of the same amount of resource which can be translated into
higher energy or costs. The endpoint of the impact pathway for resource use is often
assessed as the future consequences of resource extraction. Schneider et al. (2014)
went further in the pathway with the development of a new model for the assessment
of resource provision including economic aspects that influence the security of
supply and affect the availability of resources for human use.
Resource use
stock size
Decreased availability
regeneration rates,
recovery fractions
Regeneration Recovery
(natural growth) (urban & mining)
Damage to
availability of
resources for
human wealth
geological distribution,
technology
development
Future
availability &
effort needed
societal demand,
substitution
Future
provision of
needs
Damage to Damage to
human health ecosystems
(less food, less (less water, less
shelter,...) prev)
Fig. 10.28 Impact pathway for resource depletion [adapted from EC-JRC (2010b)]