Environmental Science Concepts

Front

What are finite resources?

Back

Non-renewable resources that cannot be created or produced once depleted; used up at a greater rate than nature can replenish.

Front

Give examples of finite resources.

Back

Minerals, fossil fuels, fish resources, forests.

Front

What are minerals?

Back

Mined inorganic substances with definite chemical composition and distinct physical properties.

Front

What are the social benefits of mining materials?

Back

Local employment.

Front

What are the social costs of mining materials?

Back

Loss of the cultural value of ancestral lands; locals do not have a share of profit.

Front

What are the economic benefits of mining materials?

Back

Additional revenues; maintains national reserves.

Front

What are the environmental costs of mining materials?

Back

Loss of biodiversity; animal migration; heavy metal/groundwater/soil pollution; soil erosion; ecological imbalance; deforestation; displacement of indigenous people.

Front

What are fossil fuels made from?

Back

Decomposing plants and animals.

Front

What are examples of fossil fuels?

Back

Coal, crude oil, natural gas.

Front

What factors affect the price of fossil fuels?

Back

News cycles, policy changes, supply, consumer demand, politics, reports.