The Manipulation of Natural Resources

894 Words2 Pages

There is an ongoing war between first and third-world countries. Countless numbers of resources were taken from the periphery, but these resources were never completely returned. As First World countries prosper, Third World countries are undergoing poverty and environmental degradation. Despite all the destruction, natural resources from the periphery fabricate new technology and advances in core countries (Africa: Resources). For example, smartphones are products of natural resource utilization, whereas deforestation is the result of natural resource exploitation in the peripheries. The manipulations of natural resources in Third World countries negatively impact the surrounding environment and people, and positively influence new aid in human technology.

From Sub-Saharan Africa to Mexico, people are living on an income of $2.50 per day. In these countries, the infant mortality rate is twice as high as the crude birth rate. Parents cannot provide food, shelter, or education for their children. The inability of parents to provide the essentials for their children results in children with malnutrition, diseases, and formation of gangs (Causes of Poverty). The production of cash crops for core countries is a major factor of poverty in the periphery. Cash crops are produced mainly for export, but the amount of money from cash crops is not substantial enough to feed the people. Unequal distribution of natural resources, such as cash crops, causes a huge gap between the rich and the poor. Africa has an abundance of oil, diamond, and many other minerals, unlike the fully industrialized countries such as Japan or America. First World countries exploit Africa’s natural resources; subsequently the government is unable to provide adequ...

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