Collective Resilience: Decreasing Vulnerability.
Paralleling an exponential growth in global population, increasing worldwide energy production and consumption generates vulnerabilities in human and environmental health. The global dependence on energy creates a demand for the production of various sources of energy. Though mostly in abundance, sources of coal, oil, nuclear and other forms of harnessing energy have impacts on environmental health, both in use and production. Whether it is gaseous emissions, or chemical exposures, these energy sources have taxing effects on the environment, which, in turn, creates vulnerabilities to human health. Similarly, differences in economic availabilities cause discrepancies in consumption, production and vulnerability. Areas of economic disarray have limitations on efficient and clean energy use, paving the way for disaster and health burdens. On the contrary, developed countries over-consume, and create their own vulnerabilities by structuring communities in unsafe areas out of economic angst. These burdens have significant impacts on these countries domestically, but they also create a collective, worldwide vulnerability. Community-wide organization and advocacy are essential to resilience. Harnessing clean sources of energy, properly managing land use and balancing consumption can minimize environmental impacts. Energy, as a worldwide commodity, is essential to growth. Differing energy production and consumption trends, economic plight and the ignorance of preventative actions have placed global, collective environmental health at risk. .
While developing countries across the globe consume less energy per capita, developing countries consume mass amounts. Though developed countries, such as the United States harnesses cleaner sources of energy, the rate of consumption has irreversible impacts on environmental health. Similarly, the increasing demand for energy in developed countries as opposed to underdeveloped countries creates an unfair imbalance in the energy market.
