NATURAL CAPITAL / ENVIRONMENT
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Social and Economic Progress has been achieved by the depletion and degradation of Natural Capital
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LAND
Natural
Essential habitat for all sorts of living organizms
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LAND
Agricultural
Huge land areas now used for agriculture
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LAND
Built up
Much land now built over with various types of economic development
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FRESH
AIR
Fresh air is very good for human health and longevity
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FRESH
WATER
Without water there is no life, and now becoming increasingly scarce
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OCEAN
WATER
A huge energy sink, and where all the world's garbage accumulates
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MINERAL RESOURCES
The raw materials for most of the useful products we use every day
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FOSSIL
FUELS
The sources of power that made the industrial revolution possible
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CLIMATE
SYSTEMS
The essential mechanisms that have kept the climate stable until now
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ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
The many mechanisms that serve to recycle everything in nature
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BIODIVERSITY - FAUNA
Animals, birds, fish, reptiles, insects and other life forms
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BIODIVERSITY - FLORA
Millions of species of plants that occupy a complex ecosystem
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Modern city skyscapes are impressive
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Quite good buildings, but poor communities
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New York City
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Buildings
Many modern buildings cater to the financial sector. Major industrial buildings have located in low wage low regulation countries. Housing optimizes for financial performance much more than social performance.
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Bridges are essential for transport networks
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Rail is very important for goods and passengers
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Infrastructure
A complete complex infrastructure is essential for a modern economy. Well developed economies have these infrastructures, while less developed economies do not. Degradation of infrastructure will most likely result in a degradation of the economy as a whole.
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Steel - very efficient but energy intensive
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Petro-chemicals - not good for the environment
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Cement - huge energy in the product
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Industrial Processes
A complete complex infrastructure is essential for a modern economy. Well developed economies have these infrastructures, while less developed economies do not. Degradation of infrastructure will most likely result in a degradation of the economy as a whole.
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Roads
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Passenger car
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Passenger bus
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Transport ... Road
Transport systems have been transformed over the past several decades and make modern mobility the norm. However, there is excessive congestion in a lot of places and not enough being done to mitigate the problem.
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Overland freight rail
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Passenger rail
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Transport ... Rail
Rail transport was foundational for modern industrialization, both freight and passenger.
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Container shipping makes modern trade possible
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Transport ... Sea
There is air transport for both passengers and freight.
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Medium size plane
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Jumbo jet plane
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Transport ... Air
There is air transport for both passengers and freight.
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Mining has very specialized vehicles
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Transport ... Special purpose industrial vehicles
Cargo ships have become very efficient. They have been transformed over the past several decades and makes modern global trade possible and cost effective
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Grain elevators
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Amazon warehouse
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In-Transit Inventory
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Inventory
Working capital is still vital to an efficient economic system, but major progress in systems like 'just-in-time' scheduling and e-commerce has changed everything, but there are no indications that the disruption is at an end.
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Einstein
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Cambridge University
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Sidney Sussex College
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Knowledge Capital
Knowledge is foundational for progress, but there are issues about how it should be managed. One view is that knowledge should be owned by a proprieter and another view is that knowledge is most useful when it is accessible by everyone.
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US Capital
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Heads of State
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Canadian parliament
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Institutional Capital
Institutions complement the individual in important and complex ways. The difficulties associated with the conflicts between the goals of an individual and the needs of a society are well documented through the ages.
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Dance
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Art
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Music
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Cultural Capital
Dance, art, music, tradition, ... all sorts of good things that make life worth living.
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Christianity
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Islam
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Bhudism
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Religion / Spiritual Capital
Religion has been a central part of society for thousands of years. The decline of religion and associated codes of behavior has enabled social destabilization
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