Nonrenewable Resources

Nonrenewable Resources

Middle School

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Learning Objectives

• Define non-renewable resources and give examples like fossil fuels and uranium.

• Describe how fossil fuels form and name the three main types.

• Explain nuclear fission and why nuclear energy is a non-renewable resource.

• Analyze the environmental impacts of using different non-renewable resources.

• Compare the pros and cons of using fossil fuels and nuclear energy.

Key Vocabulary

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Non-renewable Resource

A natural resource that cannot be replenished as quickly as it is consumed.

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Fossil Fuels

Mixtures of hydrocarbons from ancient dead organisms that are used for energy.

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Petroleum

A thick, black liquid fossil fuel, also known as crude oil, found in rock reservoirs.

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Nuclear Fission

The process of splitting the nuclei of atoms, like uranium, to release immense energy.

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Acid Rain

Rain that is acidic due to pollutants like sulfur dioxide from burning fossil fuels.

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What Are Non-Renewable Resources?

• A natural resource is anything from nature that people can use.

• The most crucial of these are energy resources that power our world.

• A non-renewable resource cannot be replaced quickly once it has been used.

• Fossil fuels and uranium are examples of non-renewable resources used for energy.

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Multiple Choice

Which of the following best defines a non-renewable resource?

• A resource that is limited in supply and cannot be quickly replenished.

• A resource that can be replaced within a human lifespan.

• A resource that comes from nature and is unlimited.

• Any resource that provides energy.

How Are Fossil Fuels Formed?

• Fossil fuels formed from dead organisms buried millions of years ago.

• Heat and pressure transformed them into coal, petroleum, and natural gas.

• Their energy came from the Sun via photosynthesis, so fossil fuels store solar energy.

Multiple Choice

What were the key ingredients for the formation of fossil fuels over millions of years?

• Sunlight, water, and wind.

• Hydrocarbons, oxygen, and nitrogen.

• Remains of dead organisms, heat, and pressure.

• Volcanic ash, sand, and clay.

Types of Fossil Fuels

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Coal

• A solid, black rock made from fossilized carbon material.

• It is recovered from the ground by mining coal beds.

• It is burned to produce heat or electricity for power.

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Oil (Petroleum)

• A thick, black liquid mixture of hydrogen and carbon atoms.

• It is extracted from underground rock reservoirs by drilling wells.

• It is refined into different fuels like gasoline and diesel.

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Natural Gas

• A flammable gas that is colorless and has no odor.

• It is primarily made of a chemical called methane.

• It is extracted by drilling deep into the earth’s surface.

Multiple Choice

Which type of fossil fuel is a thick, black liquid extracted by drilling into rock reservoirs?

• Natural Gas

• Oil (Petroleum)

• Coal

• Methane

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Environmental Impact of Fossil Fuels

• Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide (CO₂), which contributes to global climate change.

• ​They release sulfur dioxide (SO₂), which causes acid rain that harms living things.

• Pollutants like nitrogen oxides cause smog, and tiny particulates harm human health.

• Oil spills harm wildlife, but natural gas is cleaner than coal.

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Multiple Choice

The burning of fossil fuels releases sulfur dioxide, which leads to what environmental problem?

• Acid rain

• Oil spills

• Smog

• Global climate change

Advantages & Disadvantages of Fossil Fuels

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Coal

• ​It is inexpensive and is found in very large amounts.

• ​​It is the largest producer of harmful greenhouse gases when burned.

• ​The process of mining for it can damage the local environment.

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Oil

• ​It creates a lot of energy and is easy to transport.

• ​​Burning oil releases harmful emissions that pollute the air.

• ​Accidental spills can cause severe damage to oceans and marine life.

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Natural Gas

• ​It burns much cleaner than other fossil fuels like coal and oil.

• ​​Dangerous gas leaks can happen and are a major safety risk.

• ​The infrastructure needed to transport it is very expensive to build.

Multiple Choice

What is a major advantage of natural gas compared to coal and oil?

• It has no environmental impact.

• It is a renewable resource.

• It is the most abundant resource on Earth.

• It burns cleaner and causes less damage to the environment.

​Nuclear Energy

• ​Nuclear energy is generated by splitting the nuclei of uranium atoms.

• This process, called nuclear fission, releases a tremendous amount of energy.

• Uranium is a non-renewable resource because its supply on Earth is limited.

Multiple Choice

Why is nuclear energy considered a non-renewable resource?

• Because it is too expensive to produce.

• Because it produces air pollution.

• Because it relies on uranium, which is limited in supply.

• Because it uses a process called nuclear fission.

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Advantages & Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy

Advantages

• Nuclear power plants do not produce harmful air pollution or carbon dioxide.

• They provide a very reliable and steady supply of electricity for our communities.

• It is a low-cost way to generate a very large amount of electrical power.

Disadvantages

• It produces dangerous radioactive waste that must be stored safely for thousands of years.

• There is a risk of accidents that could release harmful radiation into the environment.

• Building new nuclear power plants is a very expensive and time-consuming process.

Multiple Choice

What is the main disadvantage of using nuclear energy for electricity?

• It generates dangerous radioactive wastes that are hard to store.

• It produces large amounts of carbon dioxide.

• It is an unreliable source of power.

• It uses a limited resource called uranium.

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Common Misconceptions About Energy

Misconception	Correction
Natural gas is a "clean" energy source.	It is a fossil fuel that releases greenhouse gases when burned.
Nuclear energy is a renewable resource.	It relies on uranium, a non-renewable metal mined from the Earth.
All fossil fuel pollution is invisible gas.	Burning fossil fuels also releases tiny, harmful solid particles called soot.

Multiple Choice

Why is the energy from fossil fuels considered to have originally come from the sun?

• Because fossil fuels are hot and burn like the sun.

• Because ancient plants stored the sun's energy through photosynthesis, which was then trapped in their remains.

• Because drilling for oil happens during the daytime.

• Because the sun's heat and pressure created the fossil fuels.

Multiple Choice

What is the primary reason coal is considered more environmentally harmful than natural gas?

• Natural gas is odorless and colorless.

• Coal mining is more expensive than drilling for gas.

• Coal is a solid, which makes it harder to transport.

• Coal releases significantly more carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulates when burned.

Multiple Choice

A country decides to build new power plants to meet its growing energy needs. Considering only the information on pollution and waste, what is the most significant trade-off between building a coal-fired power plant versus a nuclear power plant?

• The coal plant is cheaper to build, but the nuclear plant is cheaper to fuel.

• The coal plant produces more jobs, but the nuclear plant is more reliable.

• The coal plant produces CO₂ and acid rain pollutants, while the nuclear plant produces long-lasting radioactive waste.

• The coal plant uses a limited resource, while the nuclear plant uses a renewable resource.

Multiple Choice

What is the primary reason that fossil fuels are classified as non-renewable resources?

• They form quickly but are used up slowly, so they are non-renewable.

• The process takes millions of years, so they cannot be replenished on a human timescale, making them non-renewable.

• They are classified as non-renewable because they cause pollution.

• They are found deep in the Earth, making them difficult to access and therefore non-renewable.

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Summary

• Non-renewable resources like fossil fuels are our main energy source but are finite.

• Burning fossil fuels releases CO₂, causing climate change, acid rain, and smog.

• Natural gas is the cleanest fossil fuel, while coal is the most polluting.

• Nuclear energy creates no air pollution but produces dangerous radioactive waste.

Poll

On a scale of 1-4, how confident are you about the concepts covered in today's review?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4