Natural Resources: Types, Uses, and Sustainability
Natural Resources: Renewable and Nonrenewable
Natural resources are the total quantities of materials available on Earth that can have an economic value. These can be classified into renewable and nonrenewable.
Types of Natural Resources
- Nonrenewable resources: Their formation has required a long and complex process. Once exhausted, they disappear because they are consumed at a faster rate than their production.
- Renewable resources: These can be replaced at the same rate they are consumed. However, some may cease to be renewable if they are overexploited.
Main Natural Resources
Air
A fundamental resource for mankind and for the rest of the organisms. It is a resource that can be overworked, and the main environmental issue related to it is pollution.
Soil
The support of all forestry, agricultural, and livestock activities. Therefore, any imbalance that occurs in it has a direct impact on these basic human activities.
Mineral Resources
Also called geological resources, these are rocks and minerals. Both can be used by humans in the same state in which they are extracted or as a source of some of the elements that they contain.
Energy Resources
The economic system and the lifestyle of an important part of our world depend on increasing energy consumption, used in all human activities.
Non-Renewable Energy
The most used today are petroleum, coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy. However, they tend to disappear since they are subject to overexploitation. This happens as the population increases and there is a high energy demand, especially in large developed populations. These finite resources are closer to their depletion, and their use poses serious environmental problems.
Renewable Energies
These are, in theory, endless and constantly renewing. They are impossible to over-exploit. Another name often given to them is clean energy. However, not all these energies are non-polluting. Except for hydropower, the rest of these energies are still inefficient and cannot entirely replace non-renewable energies.
Hydropower
Produced by moving water between two points at different levels (called falls). The energy extraction is achieved by installing turbines on currents, which transform kinetic energy into mechanical energy. Although it is a clean, renewable energy, it generates environmental impact.
Solar Energy
A source of energy that humans can use directly, through special recruitment and conversion to other forms of energy. The advantages are its renewability, its low environmental impact, and versatility, allowing energy-exporting facilities or private facilities. The disadvantages are its dependence on weather, its uneven distribution, the high cost and complexity of its facilities, in addition to the battery unit of the systems.
Wind Energy
The kinetic energy of wind can be reused through turbines that convert wind energy into electrical energy. The advantages are its renewability and cleanliness, simplicity and low cost of equipment, and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. The disadvantages are the environmental impacts of facilities and low energy efficiency because the winds are intermittent and random, and generate interference with other technological devices such as radars and TV transmitters.
Biomass Energy
Obtained from the mass of organisms, mostly plants. It can be used directly for combustion in large industrial plants for heating or to produce steam. Also used to produce so-called biofuels. The advantages are its renewability, the fact that fuel is biodegradable, low environmental impact, and its usefulness as a method of waste disposal.
Geothermal Energy
The interior of the Earth is very hot. This heat is what is known as geothermal energy. It uses high-temperature water from springs or water entering through surveys and is warmed with the heat inside the Earth. Its only advantage is that it is renewable.
Ocean Energy
Almost all comes from the movement of seawater (tides and waves) and temperature differences of the different layers of water. Currently, it is undeveloped but is clean and renewable.
Oil
It is essential because, from it, not only fuel is obtained (gasoline, kerosene, and diesel), but also other materials such as bitumen, lubricants, solvents, etc. Given the excessive use of this energy, it is subject to its demise. Oil shale and tar sands can also be obtained, but this will create environmental problems.
Nuclear Power
Nuclear energy is obtained when mass is converted into energy. Two procedures can perform this process: fission (breaking some large atoms, generating large amounts of energy) and fusion (combining small atoms, and produces no waste, but is being tested). In both types of processes, energy is released.