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 *materials in the natural environment that people value and use to satisfy their needs  A. Renewable resources – constantly being regenerated or replaced by the environment (soil, water, sun)  B. Nonrenewable resources – cannot be replaced once they have been used (minerals like fossil fuels – coal, oil, gas, gold)  *recycling & reduction of consumption can help the problems with nonrenewable resources

 A. Fossil Fuels – coal, oil, and gas which are formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals  1. most important and heavily used energy  2. some countries have their own supplies, others have to import fossil fuels  3. oil and natural gas are unevenly spread throughout the world  4. if oil continues to be used the way it is today, it is expected to run out in less than 100 years

 B. Nuclear Energy – produced by fission (the splitting of uranium atoms in a nuclear reactor)  C. Water Power – uses the energy of falling water to move machinery or generate electricity (ex. Dams)  D. Wind Power – uses the energy of the wind to create electricity  E. Geothermal Energy – energy that comes from the earth’s internal heat (magma heats water and produces steam)  F. Solar Energy – energy produced by the sun