Regional sustainability assessment of resource depletion using dynamic modelling

The depletion of abiotic resources is a critical issue for present and future generations. Resource depletion is governed by several factors including resource costs and elasticity of demand, which are dynamic. In this thesis, a dynamic resource depletion impact assessment methodology is proposed that takes into account the rate of depletion and the alternatives that are available to a country for substitution. The methodology is evaluated for two regional case studies considering natural gas as the depleting resource. The first case study evaluates the importance of natural gas to New Zealand, a developed economy. The second case study examines the significance of natural gas to India, a developing economy with growing energy needs in a manner that has relatively low environmental burdens.