ABSTRACT
The use of natural resources has been a driving force essential to make human life easier, but their exploitation is associated with many injustices and environmental problems. However, the situation is full of contradictions. On the one hand, nonfuel and fuel minerals are unevenly distributed on the Earth; on the other hand, many countries which are not among the main producers of the natural resources are in the top positions both in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) and, not surprisingly, environmental indexes. The situation is reversed for many countries from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Furthermore, the rapid technological evolution of the last decades has led to a growing generation of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), which has been exported from industrialised to developing countries, causing problems to local communities. In this chapter, the presentation of several detailed case studies on the exploitation of natural resources worldwide highlights pollution and the related health issues. As a consequence, even if it is that we have to use many of these natural resources, further efforts are needed to reduce the related environmental and health risks.
