Secondary Economic Sector: Industry, Construction, and Global Impact
The Secondary Economic Sector
The secondary sector encompasses two primary activities: industry and construction. Construction is an economic activity dedicated to creating buildings and infrastructure. Industry is the main component of secondary sector activities. It involves the transformation of raw materials into manufactured products. This process typically utilizes machinery, with each worker performing specialized tasks within a factory setting, ensuring efficiency and specialization in specific sectors.
Core Components of Industry
Raw Materials
- Animal sources: Leather, wool, milk
- Vegetable sources: Rubber, cotton, linen, wood
- Mineral sources: Iron, bauxite, copper, phosphate, oil, coal, uranium
- Artificial materials: Semi-finished products for the chemical industry, such as rayon, nylon, plastic, PVC
Power Sources
Power sources are natural resources that provide the energy to transform raw materials, move machinery, and facilitate the movement of people and goods.
- Non-renewable energies: These are finite resources that can be exhausted, including coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear energy.
- Renewable energies: These are inexhaustible resources, such as hydropower, solar energy, wind energy, wave energy, geothermal energy, and biomass.
Human Resources
Human resources are essential for the industrial process, providing the skilled labor and expertise required for production.
Capital
Capital, necessary for investment and operations, may be provided by private companies, state enterprises, or joint ventures.
Types of Industries
Heavy Industries
Heavy industries transform raw materials into intermediate products. Their main features include:
- Requiring high investment
- Being highly polluting
- Needing large spaces for operations
Metal Industry
This industry is dedicated to the manufacture of metal products. When it produces iron and steel, it is specifically called the steel industry.
Heavy Chemical Industry
The heavy chemical industry develops essential products for modern industry, such as sulfuric acid, nitrogen, phosphates, and soda.
Capital Goods Industries
These industries transform semi-finished products into industrial goods and finished products used by other industries.
Light Industries (Consumer Goods)
Light industries produce goods for direct consumption. Their characteristics are:
- Using fewer raw materials and energy sources
- Being less polluting
- Often located near cities
- Varying widely in size
Industrial Spaces and Location
The location of industries in a specific area is conditioned by a number of factors:
- Proximity to raw materials and energy sources
- Existence of potential consumers
- Availability of transport infrastructure
- Existence of skilled human resources
- The economic conditions of the region
- Availability and price of land
- Application of policies that favor industrialization
Evolution of Industrial Production
Significant changes in industrial production include:
- The appearance of new materials and the increased use of recycled materials
- Innovations in production processes
- The growing importance of Research, Development, and Innovation (R&D+i)
Major Global Industrial Regions
- America: United States, Canada, and Latin America
- Europe: European Union and Russian Federation
- Oceania: Australia and New Zealand
- Asia: Japan, China, Newly Industrialized Economies (NIEs), India
- Africa: South Africa, Central Africa, North Africa
Environmental Impact and Sustainability
Negative Effects
Industrial activities can lead to several negative environmental consequences:
- Significant alteration of the natural environment
- Discharge of waste into rivers and seas
- Atmospheric pollution with suspended particles
- Noise pollution
- Depletion of natural resources
Corrective Actions
To mitigate these impacts, various corrective actions are proposed and implemented:
- Promotion of sustainable development policies
- Implementation of environmental policies that encourage less resource consumption and increased recycling
- Emergence of environmental advocacy movements
- More rational utilization of natural resources
- Emphasis on energy saving initiatives