Scarce Resources in Australia (Essay Sample)

SCARCE RESOURCES IN AUSTRALIA
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INTRODUCTION
Profile of the country Australia is the sixth –largest country in the world but it has the least population density globally. Its population is about 21 million people in its mainland with every four out of a possible ten being a migrant. Australians have a musical culture, and it boasts of the busiest opera company in Sydney while the capital city of Melbourne has a vibrant music scene. Although it is a small country, it has one of the most advanced technologies. It has four major renowned cities all over the world that include Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, and Adelaide1. The country boasts of the largest marine biodiversity with more than 4,000 fish species with other millions of other varieties of invertebrates and microorganisms. According to scientists, approximately 80% of these species cannot be found anywhere else in the world. There are many natural resources found which includes the Argyle Diamond Mine in northern West Australia leads natural diamonds production. It has the world’s largest and most complex living coral system1. However, the country has some scarce resources that put the country in jeopardy in terms of production. The discussion in this essay below will seek to evaluate the limited resources and the substitutes put in place to overcome these problems. DISCUSSION
In Australia, there is a shortage of skilled labor; very few people take up skillful professionals like nurses and tradesmen. There is a severe shortage of geoscientists with the universities not being able to meet the high level of demand of employers. The number of academic geoscientists is diminishing in the Australian universities2. The shortfall leads to a pessimistic future where no one will be available to train the future geoscientists that the country requires. Presently most of the departments that deal with geosciences are forced to shut down due to the reduced student turnover. The impact of geoscientists cannot be ignored in the country. They are needed to work on various ways to conserve the environment upon which the economy of Australia heavily relies. The minerals-energy exploration companies depend on the geologists and engineers2. The scarcity if this professional can be attributed to the demographic bulge in the average age of the professional workforce.What is Australia doing to resolve this problem? They are giving sponsorships to other students from other countries who are interested in learning the course. After the completion of their studies, the government goes ahead to offer them citizenship in the country. Apart from this measures more students are encouraged to take up the profession, and the government is being pushed to ensure that most curriculums especially the high school contains a minor part of geology. The other scarce resource in is water, although Australia’s longest river Murray-Darling has a large draining basin the water it carries is not enough. Every month the reports made by hydrologists are negative about the river3. Its flow seems to fall each dawning day. Farmers are even warned not to irrigate their crops in an effort to conserve water. This is a drastic measure presently because agriculture accounts for almost 40% of the economy of Australia, and irrigation is on the verge of ruin. The country has experienced drought for the last seven years, and the crisis seems to grow3. Urban areas population continues to grow, and so does the demand for water in the cities and the agricultural sector. The water crisis has lead to conflicts between city dwellers and farmers and environmentalists against politicians. Droughts have long plagued the Murray-Darling, at intervals of seven years the central Pacific Ocean’s water warms up and causes torrential rains to fall the coast of Peru but the Southern-eastern part is left in a drought3. Unfortunately, there are no substitutes available for water. Increasing water scarcity has forced the population to choose it among the competition wants. Australia has recognized that economics can help in managing the water crisis. The forces of demand and supply are effectively used. Water is being charged for in the country as it is developed. Prices help people to prioritize their water usage, and it does not necessarily lead to death. They are considering making water tradable. Water wastage is eliminated, and more water conserved. Farmers usually trade their water allocation for the year or even permanently4. The state has some codified rules of trading water between various users in the states. The consumers are observing their usage and the system is working out well. Technology is being taken a notch higher at the source to ensure that the supply is modernized. In order to receive this supply. Farmers are asked to pay for the maintenance of water channels and dams. Scientists are involved to calculate the maximum attributable allocation of water and states take caution to ensure that the usage of water does not exceed the figures given. The minimum environmental flows to keep the rivers in good health should also be considered in the same way as the water put in commercial use. New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia agreed to limit the amount of water they took from the river. They further decided to keep precise records of water-use rights4. Plans to red...