GLG 220 EDU Let's Do This /glg220edu.com GLG 220 EDU Let's Do This /glg220edu.com | Page 14

Prepare a response to Critical and Creative Thinking Questions 1–5 in
Ch. 15 of Visualizing Geology. Provide an explanation in your
responses.
Oil production in the United States satisfies only half of the country's
needs; the rest is imported. If imports were cut off, what changes
would you expect to occur in your lifestyle?
If you are interested in controversies, investigate how geophysicist M.
King Hubbert predicted in 1956 that annual U.S. oil production would
peak in the early 1970s (the actual peak occurred in 1971). Also,
investigate the debate over whether the same predictive technique can
be applied to world oil supplies. When do you think world oil
production will reach its peak—or has it done so already?
Can you offer an explanation for this remarkable concentration? If
you were part of a team of exploration geologists looking for large
copper deposits, where would you focus your search?
Given that we are now dependent on nonrenewable resources of
energy and minerals, and that the world's population continues to
increase, how do you think human societies will adjust in the future?
Do we have a resource problem or a population problem (or both)?
Some people think that sustainable development is not a useful
concept, because it may be impossible to implement—or even to
define—in the case of nonrenewable resources. Others think that it is
an extremely important concept, if only because it makes us think
about the needs of future generations in planning resource
management. What do you think?
===============================================