Natural resources are the resources that exist without any actions or intervention of human beings in nature. This includes all of the valued characteristics like gravitational, magnetic, electrical properties and forces, etc. While talking about Earth, it consists of water, sunlight, atmosphere, land including all minerals along with all the vegetation, crops, and animal life that naturally subsists on or within these known and identified substances and characteristics.
In this article, we will be learning about natural resources, conservation of natural resources, and the classification of natural resources. Let us first have a look at what natural resources are in detail and how they are conserved.
What are Natural Resources?
Natural resources are the ones that come from nature. People cannot make natural resources, however, they can collect them. Some of the examples of natural resources include water, coal, wood, and iron. Some of the resources, for example, hydroelectric energy are not considered to be natural since they are made by people.
Classifications of Natural Resources
Let us now look at how natural resources are classified.
Natural resources are mainly classified into 2 different categories:
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Renewable natural resources and
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Non-renewable natural resources
Renewable natural resources are the resources that can be generated again once they are used. Some of the examples of renewable natural resources include sunlight, water, and wood.
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Non-renewable natural resources are the ones that exhaust after their frequent usage and sometimes it takes a really long time for them to regenerate. An example of this includes natural gas. Another example of a non-renewable natural resource is coal. Just as coal, there are many such natural resources that are limited which means that they cannot be recycled again. Most of these non-renewable natural resources cannot be recycled and hence it is important to conserve these natural resources. There are several natural resources that have a very high demand but have a lesser availability.
Difference Between Renewable and Non-Renewable Resources
The main differences between renewable energy resources and non-renewable energy resources are given below.
|
S.No. |
Renewable Resources |
Non- Renewable Resources |
|
1 |
These resources can be reused or renewed. |
These resources can not be renewed once used. |
|
2 |
These resources have components such as air, water, sunlight, wind etc. |
These have components like LPG gases, fossil fuels etc. |
|
3 |
The rate of renewable energy is greater than the rate of getting exhausted. |
The rate of renewal of such resources is slower than the rate of getting exhausted. |
|
4 |
Most of the renewable resources are environmentally friendly and do not cause pollution. |
They cause pollution. |
|
5 |
They are non-conventional resources. |
They are the conventional resources. |
Examples of the Non – Renewable Natural Resources
Examples of Non- Renewable natural resources are as follows.
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Air: The existence of all living beings requires clean air. However, due to several reasons, the air gets polluted and it indirectly affects the health of living beings.
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Water: A very small amount of freshwater is available on Earth. Out of this amount, some amount is portable which means that it can be used for drinking. Since there is a constant change in the climate, there is a change in the rainfall pattern as well. The melting of ice is dropped in winter as well. All these factors result in lowering the amount of this natural resource which is crucial to life on Earth.
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Fossil Fuels: Natural resources like natural gas, coal, and petroleum would be over someday which means that they are exhaustible. It takes several millions of years for one dead organism to get converted into fuels. They are consumed at a faster rate than the rate that it is formed. The excess burning of these fossil fuels leads to air pollution since it gives out carbon dioxide which is a type of greenhouse gas.
Natural Resources and their Conservation
It is highly important that we conserve these natural resources since they are getting exhausted at an alarming rate. Apart from that, it has an adverse effect on the environment that is indirectly causing harm to living beings. However, if we follow some tips in our day to day lives, we can conserve these natural resources.
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Use an alternative source of power like solar and wind energy
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Plant more trees for preventing the soil erosion
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Use pipelines for transporting oil
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Treat the industrial sewage and wastage even before they get released into the water bodies
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Include the rainwater harvesting system in the house
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Use biogas in the house
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Use biofuels instead of the conventional petroleum-based fuels
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Ensure that the wastes are being recycled
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Use electronic mails
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Make use of the energy-saving tube lights and bulbs
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Practice the method of crop rotation
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Construct reservoirs
Natural Resources and Associated Problems
There are several problems that are attached to natural resources. Let us take a look at them.
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The irrational consumption and overuse of these natural resources have led to several socio-economic and environmental problems.
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Natural resources are available in a fixed quantity and are non-renewable.
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There is an increasing scarcity of these natural resources as the population is increasing day by day.
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Non-renewable natural resources take millions of years to form.
Conclusion
Hence natural resources are useful and helpful for humans under economical, technological, or social circumstances or supplies drawn from the earth, supplies such as metals, geothermal power water, fertilizers, food, building and clothing materials etc. The article covers all the important basic aspects of natural resources such as their classification, conservation, and associated problems.