Natural Resources
What Is A Resource?
a resource is a material that is identified by people to be useful
when this material is made into a product, the product is also useful to people and is considered a resource too
resources can fulfil people's needs and enhance their well-being
time and technology can turn any substance into a resource
with technology, people can transform a natural or man-made substance into a resource e.g. plants can be made into medicine
time also adds value to a resource e.g. fossil deposits of organisms over hundreds of years can turn into fossil fuels
How Do People Identify Resources?
culture and technology shape how we decide if a material or an object is useful to people as a resource
Culture
refers to the way of life which a group of people shares
culture impacts how different groups of people view and use resources
e.g. the Penan people who live in tropical rainforests of Borneo use wood to build their houses and as firewood
Technology
technology can influence people's ability to identify resources
What Is A Natural Resource?
natural resources are useful materials found on earth
they are produced by natural processes occurring in the physical environment
water and solar energy are examples of natural resources
Classification Of Natural Resources
renewable - materials that are replenished naturally more or less within the same period when they are used, the availability of renewable resources is considered to be unlimited
non-renewable - materials that may or may not be replenished naturally
if they are replenished, the natural processes occur very slowly and takes a long time
the availability of non-renewable resources is limited
Views On Natural Resources
the use of resources is influenced by our world view (ways of seeing the world)
our view of natural resources can be categorised as human-centred and nature-centred
Nature-centred View (Nature Is More Important)
the physical environment is as valuable in itself (e.g. a tree is valuable because it is a tree, not because of what it could be used for)
the physical environment such as mountains, rivers, lakes and trees should therefore be preserved, maintained and protected in its original state as far as possible
human impact on the physical environment should be minimised or even prohibited
Human-centred View (For One's Interests And Profits)
the physical environment is valuable because humans can obtain materials that are useful to us (e.g. a tree is valuable because timber is a valuable resource)
people are able to benefit from the extraction of the natural resources from the physical environment
people trade the natural resources for money or make them into useful products
however, the extraction of natural resources can result in the environmental degration or destruction of the environment
Balanced View On The Use Of Natural Resources
while people need resources from the physical environment, it is important that we strike a balance to ensure that there is a sustainable use of natural resources
it is therefore important to maintain the balanced view of both nature and human-centred perspective in the use of natural resources so that we can continue to enjoy the natural resources while considering the environmental issues
Sustainable Use Of Natural Resources
sustainable use of natural resources refers to actions taken to ensure that the resources present today continue to be present for future generation
our extraction and use of the resources is often over the short-term, but the impact of extraction can be long-term
people need to be careful about the use of resources as well as the environmental degradation that follows the extraction of natural resources
renewable resources can become non-renewable when the rate used exceeds their replacement rate
consumption is faster than replacement
Encourage Conservation - Reduce
to use natural resources sustainably, people can reduce or decrease our consumption of products
natural resources are required to manufacture many products
when people reduce their consumption of products, our consumption of natural resources will also be reduced
e.g. to manufacture bottled water, plastic, oil and water are needed to produce bottled water
greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and sulphur oxide are released in the production of such products
Encourage Conservation - Reuse
reuse means to find new ways to use things that otherwise would have been thrown out
reusing a product or material reduces the amount of natural resources needed compared to buying a new item
we can reuse an item by using the same product again for its intended purpose
we can also reuse items by repurposing it into something else
Encourage Conservation - Recycle
recycling is the process of turning old items into new and useful products
by recycling items, people reduce the natural resources needed to make new ones
common items that are recycled are aluminium, glass, paper and plastic
these items are recycled in large quantities of natural resources such as energy and water are required to make them
Encourage Conservation - Recover
recovering refers to the process of converting waste into resources through thermal and biological means
food composting is an example of how we can recover organic waste
recovering reduces the amount of waste that needs to be disposed