have access to it.Example:The map below indicates uranium production and consumption on a globalscale.The trends, as can be seen from the map, uranium is produced in areas whereit isn’t consumed. The wealthier nations with the money for nuclear electricitygeneration import their needed uranium. The producer/supplier nations do nothave the same needs for uranium so they export it.Political IssuesIn today’s unstable state of the world international and national conflict andaggression is a prevalent concern. So too is the world armament and defensivemeasures that exacerbate these concerns. Nuclear weaponry is a concern on aglobal scale because of it’s potential cataclysmic damage it could inflict on theworld. Measures have been taken to prevent this.The International Atomic Energy Agency was set up by the United Nations in1957 to help countries develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.Safeguards are in place to discourage the change of course of nuclear materialfrom peaceful use by increasing the risk of early detection...i.e. the principle ofprevention by stopping it at the source as opposed to the cure after a warheadhas been fired.When Australian uranium export was approved it was under the condition ofsafeguards which meant that countries importing Australian uranium did sounder the strict condition that is was used specifically for peaceful purposes,namely electricity generation and not for military purposes. The pie chart belowshows Australia’s uranium exportsOther forms of Political issues include government policy such as the “threemines” policy by the 1983 Hawke Labor government. By only operating 3mines this limits supply.ConclusionNatural resources are present in different categories : exhaustible, renewable,recyclable and continuous. On a global scale spatial and temporal variations onthe distribution and production and consumption rates and levels exist.Differences in production and con...
