1. Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources
Spring 2017

2. Renewable Resource Resources that can
Regenerate if they are alive
Be replaced by biogeochemical cycles if they are non-living
They are not necessarily unlimited
They can easily become limited by overuse
Examples:
Trees
Water

3. Nonrenewable Resource
Nonrenewable Resources-
Resources that cannot be replenished by natural processes
Examples:
Fossil fuels
Coal
Oil
Natural Gas

4. Sustainable Development
A way of using natural resources
Without depleting them
Causing long term harm

5. Resource: Land Type: Sustainable Development: Issue:
Soil is renewable
Issue:
Plowing land removed roots that held soil in place
Increased soil erosion
Lost topsoil turned productive areas into desert
Sustainable Development:
Contour plowing reduces erosion
Leaves stems and roots

6. Resource: Forest Type: Issue: Sustainable Development:
Some are renewable, some are nonrenewable
Issue:
Deforestation leads to severe soil erosion
Prevents regrowth of trees
Old-growth forests take centuries to grow back
Logging causes loss of species
Sustainable Development:
Forest management
Tree farms

7. Resource Type: Fishery
Renewable, but now loss of species
Issue:
Overfishing between 1950s and 1990s
Fish caught went from 19 million tons to over 90 million tons
Species began to shrink rapidly
Sustainable development-
Guidelines for commercial fishing
Agriculture
Raising fish to eat

8. Resource: Air Type: Issue: Sustainable Development:
Renewable
Issue:
Smog from automobile exhausts
Industrial emissions
Burning of fossil fuels release pollutants
Pollutants cause health problems after long exposure
Acid rain
Sustainable Development:
Emission control standards
Clean air regulations
Electronic cars

9. Resource: Freshwater Type: Issue: Sustainable development
Renewable but limited
Issue:
Pollution threatens water supplies
Improperly discarded chemicals, landfills seeps into groundwater
Sewage that is untreated
Sustainable development
Water conservation
Water treatment plants
Point source pollution is pollution that enters the water supply from a single source.