Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources

Resources What we require to live Natural Resources – Resources we get from earth – Examples: Air, Soil, Minerals, Metals, Plants, Animals, Water, Energy Synthetic – Resources that are man made – Examples: Clothing, Medicine, Alternative Energy, Food

Natural Resources Uneven Distribution – Depends on past processes Location of buried sediments Disrupted by volcanic or hydrothermal activity – Depends on current processes Human consumption/use

Uneven Distribution Humans often live where we can get as many of the resources as we can find

Uneven Distribution If we live near resources we cannot find, we trade for them

Human Population More humans = More resources used = More energy needed = More effort to reduce, reuse, recycle is needed

Natural Resources – 2 Types Nonrenewable – Any resource that cannot be replenished / replaced within a human life span. These took millions of years to form and exist in fixed amounts in the earth – Examples: Fossil Fuels, Uranium (Nuclear), Minerals, Metal Renewable – Any resource that can be replenished / replaced within a human life span – Examples: Solar, Wind, Water, Geothermal, Biomass

Nonrenewable Resource Formation

Nonrenewable Resources – Fossil Fuels Advantages – Well Developed Used for decades – Cheap – Reliable Disadvantages – Contributes to global warming – Limited amounts – Environmental / ecosystem concerns

Nonrenewable Resources – Nuclear Energy (Uranium) Advantages – Low operating costs – Low air pollution – High production of energy Disadvantages – High risks of an accident – Environmental contamination – Waste lasts 200 – 500 thousand years

Switch from nonrenewable to renewable Technology – Increased technology Ex. Solar panels, wind turbines, etc – Decreased cost Regulations – Increased regulations/fines on pollution Encourages companies to shift to renewable resources – Needs to be fair and effective

Renewable Resources Natural Resources that can be replenished / replaced within a human life span Examples – Solar – Wind – Water – Geothermal – Biomass

Renewable Resources - Solar Energy from the sun is collected and converted into a useable form Solar Panels (Photovoltaic Cells) – Found on buildings and in technology (ex. calculators)

Renewable Resources - Solar Advantages – Creates energy during the day – Saves money / Tax incentives – Pollution Free – Noise Free Disadvantages – Doesn’t work at night or when its overcast – Expensive – Requires land/area for panels

Renewable Resources - Wind Energy from the wind is collected and turned into useable energy Examples: – Wind Turbines

Renewable Resources - Wind Advantages – No pollution – Great potential – Renewable – Space-Efficient Disadvantages – Not consistent – Large upfront costs – Threat to wildlife – Loud – Ugly

Renewable Resources - Hydropower Hydropower (water power) is power gained from the energy of falling water and running water Provides 1/5 of the worlds energy

Renewable Resources - Hydropower Advantages – No pollution – Reliable – Flexible (changing water flow) – Safe Disadvantages – Harms wildlife (fish habitats) – Expensive – Droughts – Limited Reservoirs

Renewable Resources - Geothermal Converts the heat of the earth to usable energy

Renewable Resources - Geothermal Advantages – Pollution Free – Consistent – Little land needed Disadvantages – Requires large amounts of water – High construction costs – Difficult – Prime sites are location specific and far from cities

Renewable Resources - Biomass Material from plants and animals is burned to produce energy – Examples include wood, corn, garbage, vegetable oil

Renewable Resources - Biomass Advantages – Widely available – Abundant supply – Helps deal with waste Disadvantages – Requires a lot of energy with little gain – Leads to deforestation – Expensive – Creates pollution

Renewable vs Nonrenewable Resources

Renewable – Can be replenished/replaced within a human life span Nonrenewable – Cannot be replenished/replaced within a human life span. These took millions of years to form and exist in fixed amounts in the earth

If renewable resources are better for the environment why do we use so many non-renewable resources? Established Easier

Resources What we require to live Natural Resources – Resources we get from earth / found in nature – Includes organic materials – Examples: Air, Soil, Minerals, Metals, Plants, Animals, Water, Energy Synthetic – Resources that are man made – Often starts natural but humans try to make advances within the product – Examples: Clothing, Medicine, Alternative Energy, Food

Examples of Synthetic Materials Clothes Medicines Foods Alternative Fuels

Conservation Process of managing earths resources more effectively Helps maintain the health of the natural world Helps maintain biodiversity Follow the 4 R’s

4 R’s Reduce – Buy and use less – Buy in bulk  Less packaging – Eliminate junk mail Recycle – Almost everything can be recycled Reuse – Using materials again instead of throwing them away – Ex. Plastic water bottles, Tupperware Rebuy – Buy from thrift stores – Buy recycled items

Carbon Footprint Measures how much carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) you produce in your daily life – CO 2 contributes to global warming Behaviors that contribute to your carbon footprint – Transportation – Electricity – Water – Heat – Mail – Food