The Earth has enough resources to meet the needs of all but not enough to satisfy the greed of even one person.
– Mahatma Gandhi
What if there was enough food to feed everyone on the planet? Then, no one would ever starve. Right? Wrong. There is plenty of food produced each year to feed everyone on the planet, yet roughly nine million people die from hunger-related causes each year (more than malaria, AIDS, and tuberculosis combined). Additionally, about 9% of the global population suffers from chronic hunger, and 30% of people (almost one third of the world’s population) experience food insecurity. But why? Why isn’t food just doled out to all people of the world?
Well, the reality is that a relatively small portion of the world’s population controls global food production, and scarcity creates wealth. Nations or entities controlling global food supply chains wield immense economic and political influence. This is not just true with the means of production but the control of the natural resources upon which these depend.
While most of us take our access to natural resources for granted, historians and oligarchs understand clearly that these are the underpinnings of true wealth and power in human history. An economy may crash. An empire may crumble. But the land upon which they were built, and the river from which they drew their water, are forever valuable to the human race, a value that is independent of any contrived economic system. To control the natural resources of the planet is to control that which allows society to exist at all.
So, who has control of the natural resources in our nation? If we are a democratic nation, how will we make sure that the control of and access to our natural resources remains with the people?
Land
We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.
– Native American Proverb
Controlling land has always been the true game of thrones. The nation that controls land holds leverage over other nations. The nation that controls the resources that come from land is a wealthy and powerful nation. Freshwater reserves, fertile land, and rare minerals are the most valuable things in our world. But they are not monetarily valuable until there exists scarcity, which creates wealth for those who control access.
A fully democratic government would say that no one can own land, while a fully authoritarian government would say that the government owns all of the land. But what’s the difference? If individuals can’t own it, isn’t it controlled by whomever runs the state? It seems a mixture of public and private ownership of land is an effective approach. Especially since the ownership of land is a wealth creator. If this force is used well, then land ownership can create wealth for the people leading to a greater distribution of wealth across the nation. You can see this force at work in 20th century America. The primary factor that made so many middle class families in America become wealthier over the century was their ownership of their own home.
Beyond ownership of natural resources, there is control of access. Regardless of what you may think you own, the government can apply rules that govern how you use your land and its resources. The government can control who else has access to “your” land and resources, as well. This is generally a good thing because unregulated private ownership would just consolidate all of the natural resources into the hands of the wealthy and fuel the development of the plutocracy and the oligarchy. This would increase the amount of people who lack basic resources to survive. We would have a fat group of alphas and betas with a starving and emaciated pack of wolves. Sadly, this is our trajectory with all kinds of wealth in our nation. Eventually, even clean water will be only for the rich, unless we wake up and stop our progress towards total consolidation.
Water
If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.
– Loren Eiseley
There is no life without water. Fresh water is increasingly scarce on this planet and essential for human survival, agriculture, and industry. With the control of land comes the control of water. Nations with control over major rivers or large freshwater reserves have a significant geopolitical advantage.
Ownership of water in the United States is complex and depends on federal, state, and local laws, as well as the type of water and its use. Surface water like rivers, lakes, and streams are generally considered public resources, owned by the state or federal government. Groundwater is typically owned by the property owner. The water infrastructure (treatment plants, pipelines) is usually owned by Public Water Supplies, though they do not own the water itself.
Again, while ownership is one issue, control and access is the key issue. In the US, state governments control water rights through agencies that issue permits for agricultural, industrial, and residential use. Local governments and utilities operate the distribution infrastructure and enforce pricing, access, and conservation measures for residential and commercial users.
In some regions, private corporations provide water services under contract or own rights to certain water sources. Privatization of water rights has increased and concentrated. In some areas, water rights can be bought, sold, or leased, favoring those with the financial resources to do so, which can limit equitable access to water. The act of limiting access creates scarcity, which is in the interest of the owner as it drives wealth creation through inflated value and increased demand.
As a democratic nation, it is our charge to keep power distributed among the people. Is it not, therefore, our responsibility to guarantee access to fresh water to all? Each of us needs it to survive. “Thousands have lived without love,” wrote W.H. Auden, “not one without water.”
Precious Materials
Lithium is like a beautiful lady, very much sought and pursued.
– Evo Morales
Precious natural resources are used in our production of energy. We utilize not only the traditional energy resources like oil, natural gas, and coal, but more future-focused resources as well, like lithium, cobalt, and nickel for electric car battery production; uranium for nuclear energy production; silicon for semiconductors and solar panels; graphite for batteries; platinum for catalytic converters and hydrogen fuel cells; and copper for electrical wiring.
We will see geopolitical landscapes shift as the need for differing precious materials emerges. Which nations are built upon the lands that hold these resources? These nations will either become very powerful, or they will be controlled by other nations or even conquered and occupied.
An authoritarian government will seek to conquer or control other nations for the precious materials they harbor. A democratic government will protect the sovereignty of each nation to govern itself and will work to develop cooperative systems where the people of all nations benefit from those resources as shared resources.