Natural Resources

Natural Resources

High School

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Learning Objectives

• Define natural, renewable, nonrenewable, and perpetual resources and provide examples of each.

• Explain how human activity can cause a renewable resource to become nonrenewable.

• Compare and contrast energy resources, including fossil fuels, solar energy, and wind energy.

• Describe how humans use natural resources for energy, food, and construction.

Key Vocabulary

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Natural Resource

Any useful material found in the natural environment that was not produced by any human.

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Renewable Resource

A resource that can be regenerated or replenished by natural biochemical cycles in a short time.

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Nonrenewable Resource

A finite resource that cannot be regenerated and is considered gone forever once completely used up.

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Perpetual Resource

A form of naturally recurring energy such as solar or wind that is beyond human management.

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Fossil Fuels

Nonrenewable fuels from the fossilized remains of dead plants and animals exposed to heat and pressure.

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What Are Natural Resources?

• Natural resources are useful materials from nature that are not man-made.

• They can be living, like plants, or nonliving, like rocks and minerals.

• Examples include water, air, soil, animals, and fossil fuels like coal.

• We use them for energy, food, and construction materials like wood.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following lists contains only examples of natural resources as described in the text?

• Sunlight, wind, electricity, and water

• Plants, animals, rocks, and minerals

• Coal, oil, natural gas, and houses

• Wood, plastic, limestone, and sand

Types of Natural Resources

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Renewable Resources

• ​These resources can regenerate or be replenished by various biochemical cycles.

• ​​They are able to renew themselves in a relatively short amount of time.

• ​Examples include water, sunlight, plants, animals, and the wind.

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Nonrenewable Resources

• ​These resources cannot be regenerated or replenished through any natural processes.

• ​​There is a finite amount, and once they are used up, they are gone.

• ​Examples include fossil fuels like coal and oil, and also some minerals.

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Perpetual Resources

• ​These are recurring energy forms that are beyond any human management.

• ​​They are constantly available and will not run out with human use.

• ​Examples are the sun, wind, falling water, geothermal energy, and tides.

Multiple Choice

A resource, such as coal or iron ore, that exists in a finite amount and cannot be replenished by natural processes is called what?

• A nonrenewable resource

• A renewable resource

• A perpetual resource

• A living resource

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When Renewable Becomes Nonrenewable

• A renewable resource can become nonrenewable if used faster than it’s replaced.

• If the resource runs out completely, it cannot be regenerated.

• For example, a forest can disappear if trees are cut down too quickly.

• This highlights the need for sound management to protect these resources.

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Solved Example 1
A forest has 1,000,000 trees. If 50,000 trees are cut down annually, but only 40,000 new trees are planted each year, how many years will it take for the forest to be completely depleted?

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Step 1: Analyze and Sketch the Problem

• Goal: Calculate the number of years until the forest is depleted.

• Knowns: Initial number of trees = 1,000,000; Trees cut per year = 50,000; Trees planted per year = 40,000.

• Unknown: Number of years until depletion.

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Solved Example 1
A forest has 1,000,000 trees. If 50,000 trees are cut down annually, but only 40,000 new trees are planted each year, how many years will it take for the forest to be completely depleted?

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Step 2: Solve for the Unknown

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Solved Example 1

A forest has 1,000,000 trees. If 50,000 trees are cut down annually, but only 40,000 new trees are planted each year, how many years will it take for the forest to be completely depleted?

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Step 3: Evaluate the Answer

• In 100 years, the total number of trees lost will be 100 years * 10,000 trees/year = 1,000,000 trees.

• This matches the initial number of trees in the forest. The answer is reasonable.

Multiple Choice

Under what condition can a renewable resource, like a forest, become a nonrenewable resource?

• When it is consumed faster than it can be naturally replenished.

• When it is used for construction instead of fuel.

• When it is carefully replanted and allowed to grow.

• When it is home to many different organisms.

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What Are Fossil Fuels?

• Fossil fuels are nonrenewable resources from the fossilized remains of ancient organisms.

• ​They formed over millions of years from intense heat and pressure underground.

• They provide about 86 percent of the world’s energy for human activities.

• Burning them releases pollutants like CO₂, CH₄, and NO₂ into the air.

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Multiple Choice

According to the text, what is the primary negative consequence of burning fossil fuels for energy?

• They are a major contributor to air pollution.

• They take millions of years to form.

• They are difficult to extract from the earth's crust.

• They provide the majority of the world's energy.

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Focus On: Solar & Wind Energy

Solar Energy

• ​Energy from the sun's heat and light is harnessed.

• ​​It is a perpetual resource, meaning it will not run out.

• ​Solar panels are used to convert sunlight into electricity and heat.

Wind Energy

• ​Energy is generated by the uneven heating of the Earth's atmosphere.

• ​​It is also a perpetual resource that powers windmills and turbines.

• ​This method does not produce greenhouse gases, protecting our atmosphere.

Multiple Choice

What is a key characteristic shared by both solar and wind energy based on the information provided?

• They are both considered perpetual resources that cannot be used up.

• They both require turbines to generate electricity.

• They both can cause problems for animals.

• Their intensity varies with the seasons and time of day.

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Common Misconceptions About Natural Resources

Misconception	Correction
Renewable resources can never run out.	They can be depleted if used faster than they regenerate.
All 'natural' resources are clean.	Burning some resources, like fossil fuels, causes significant air pollution.
Renewable resources are always available.	Pollution can make renewable resources like water unsafe and unusable.

Multiple Choice

Why are fossil fuels classified as a nonrenewable resource, while forests are classified as a renewable resource?

• Fossil fuels cause pollution, while forests clean the air.

• Fossil fuels are burned for energy, while forests are used for wood.

• Fossil fuels are found underground, while forests grow on the surface.

• Fossil fuels take millions of years to form and are finite, while forests can be replanted and regrow in a much shorter time.

Multiple Choice

How does the concept of 'perpetual resources' like solar and wind differ from other 'renewable resources' like water or trees?

• Perpetual resources are only used for electricity, while renewables are used for materials.

• Perpetual resources are forms of energy that are beyond human management, while other renewables can be managed and depleted.

• Perpetual resources can be depleted by human use, while renewable resources cannot.

• Perpetual resources are nonliving, while all other renewable resources are living.

Multiple Choice

A community relies heavily on a local river, a renewable water resource. Based on the text, which factor poses the greatest threat to the long-term sustainability of this resource for the community?

• The river is also used for tidal energy.

• The original source of the river's water is rain.

• The river is becoming exposed to increasing levels of pollution.

• The river is a home for many organisms.

Multiple Choice

If a country shifts its energy production from being heavily reliant on fossil fuels to primarily using wind power, what is the most likely environmental outcome described in the text?

• A total elimination of environmental problems and a surplus of energy.

• A significant decrease in greenhouse gas emissions, but a potential new problem for migratory birds.

• A significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.

• A decrease in available energy, as wind is not as powerful as fossil fuels.

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Summary

• Natural resources are materials from Earth that are essential for human life.

• Resources are classified as renewable, nonrenewable, or perpetual based on their availability.

• Fossil fuels are our main energy source but are nonrenewable and cause pollution.

• Human activities like pollution can negatively impact all types of natural resources.

Poll

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

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• 4