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 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 (CO2) you produce in your daily life– CO2 contributes to global warming

• Behaviors that contribute to your carbon footprint– Transportation– Electricity– Water– Heat– Mail– Food