Socio-Economic

• As the scarcity of resources increases, the prices of said resource increases (As energy sources are depleted, energy prices will increase)
  • This makes the gap between the poor and rich more evident
• Funding will be needed for research into alternative energy, and there are increased costs for exploration and extraction of existing energy sources.

Environmental

• Increased carbon emissions cause global warming which could lead to climate change and have many negative impacts on the environment such as
  • Acid rain
  • Habitat degradation
  • Land loss
    • Barren land
  • Acidified soil - can’t support crops
  • Reduced biodiversity
  • Rise in sea levels - ice caps melting
  • Loss of habitats
• Air pollution from factories could increase as countries industrialise and exploit resources. The economic miracle in China is exploiting resources at a rapid rate and making Chinese cities, such as Beijing, some of the most polluted in the world.
• Ecosystems such as rainforests are under threat from exploitation as countries (eg Brazil) exploit their resources for economic development. (Amazon rainforest)
• Extraction methods that are used can also be harmful both to the people and the environment and may lead to overexploitation of the resource. E.g.- Coal extraction may lead to Health hazard (Black lung), degradation of land - if not decommissioned appropriately, Pollution etc.. (Jharia case study)

Political Consequences

• Global agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement have been negotiated with the aim to reduce carbon emissions. Such agreements require high levels of international cooperation.
• Governments risk losing public support as domestic fuel bills and petrol prices rise. People are forced to change their lifestyle, which is unpopular.