Natural Resources

Renewable and Non-Renewable

Non-Renewable

Nature Knows Best

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NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES

Such things as fossil fuels (oil, coal, gas) and minerals
cannot be reproduced and therefore can be used up.*
These are called non-renewable resources.

Humans are using up natural resources at a great rate
and at a great cost to the health of the natural environment
and life on Earth.

* Note:  Fossils are remains or impressions of organisms of past geologic ages.
Fossil fuels were formed from organic matter (plants and animals) which were buried millions of years ago.  In time, the pressure of the massive weight of rock and mud which covered the organic matter created heat, which changed this matter over a period of several hundred million years to oil (remains of ancient marine organisms), coal (remains of ancient swamps and forests), and natural gas.  We use these energy sources as fuel; therefore, they are called fossil fuels.

Could they be considered renewable?  Who has time to wait?

How can natural resources
affect our environment unnaturally?

It is not the natural resources by themselves that harm the Earth's environment - 
it is what humans do with the natural resources that cause the problems
to the environment and to the health of living things, including other human beings.

The burning of fossil fuels in factories to make products and power, and the fuels used by trucks, automobiles and jet planes have caused acid rain and a great increase in carbon dioxide and pollution in the atmosphere.   And forests have been destroyed which used to absorb carbon dioxide.  Carbon dioxide traps heat in our lower atmosphere.

Scientists believe that human activities such as these have led to global warming.

Global warming (worldwide increased temperature) is causing glaciers to melt, seas to rise, climates to change, violent weather, destruction of coral reef ecosystems, crops to die,  famine, floods, topsoil to wash away, droughts, and the loss of plants and animals.

Is there any GOOD news?

Scientists are working very hard on developing new ways to use clean energy sources which come from renewable resources - like wind power and direct solar energy from the sun. Approximately every 40 minutes the sun sends as much energy to Earth as all the people on Earth use in a year!  But, we have to get industry to make more products that use the safe environmentally-friendly energy, like solar-powered vehicles, and at a price people can afford.  Other technologies, such as fuel cells, are under development to provide energy sources that minimally harm the environment.  People need to change their thinking and refuse products that damage the environment.

Hooray !   No more global warming !

Museum of Unnatural Resources