Canadian Natural Resources

Farming/Agriculture

  • Description: Grown and farmed resource used for consumption and other purposes.

  • Location: Southern Canada, mainly interior plains (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba).

  • Extraction/Processing: Utilizes tractors and harvesters.

  • Importance:

    • Creates numerous jobs.

    • Main food income source.

    • Contributes to cultural development.

  • Concerns:

    • Deforestation.

    • Loss of biodiversity.

    • Accounts for 10% of Canada's emissions.

    • Extensive use of preservatives disrupts the soil.

  • Solutions:

    • Preserve biodiversity.

    • Minimize crop waste.

Forestry

  • Description: Creating, managing, using, repairing, and conserving forests for human and environmental benefits.

  • Location: Boreal forest, Canadian Shield, interior plains, western cordillera, Appalachian region.

  • Extraction/Processing: Logging (cutting down trees) and log transportation to processing plants.

  • Uses:

    • Paper products.

    • Construction materials.

    • Fuel.

    • Trading.

  • Importance:

    • Provides numerous jobs (research, forest management).

    • Gives resources.

  • Concerns:

    • Climate change.

    • Pests.

    • Habitat destruction.

    • Disrupts water cycle.

  • Solutions:

    • Government regulations and policies for forest management and conservation.

    • Reforestation: Restoring previously forested land.

    • Afforestation: Establishing forests in empty areas.

    • Sustainable forest management: Meeting human needs while preserving forests and ecosystems.

    • Wildlife prevention.

Mining

  • Description: Rocks altered by heat and pressure.

  • Location:

    • Diamond: NWT and Ontario

    • Coal: BC, Alberta, SK

    • Gold: British Columbia

    • Iron: Newfoundland and Labrador

  • Extraction/Processing: Extracted using pickaxes, drills, and explosives; processed in secondary industries like automobile production.

  • Importance: Used in electronics, furniture, and tools.

  • Concerns:

    • Unsustainable practice due to environmental and social impacts.

    • Causes serious health concerns.

    • Dangerous.

  • Solutions:

    • Limit mining to certain times of the year and specific locations.

    • Reduce the amount of minerals mined.

    • Explore alternative resources.

Energy - Non-Renewable (Oil and Gas)

  • Description: Energy that cannot be replenished as quickly as it is used.

  • Location: Canadian Shield, British Columbia.

  • Uses: Cars, homes (provides energy).

  • Importance: Provides economy, jobs, and energy.

  • Concerns:

    • Climate change.

    • Water system damage.

  • Solutions: Shift to renewable energy sources; reduce fossil fuel use.

Energy - Renewable (Solar and Wind)

  • Description: Resources that can be replenished as fast as we use them.

  • Location:

    • Solar: Interior Plains

    • Wind: Interior Plains and Appalachians

  • Extraction/Processing:

    • Solar: Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity.

    • Wind: Wind turbines generate electricity from kinetic energy.

  • Importance:

    • Produces fewer greenhouse gases.

    • Creates more jobs.

    • Provides longer sustainable economic impact.

  • Concerns:

    • High cost.

    • Takes up space.

    • Wind turbines may cause bird casualties.

Additional Notes on Renewable Energy

  • Solar energy is prominent in the interior plains due to open space.

  • Wind energy is utilized in the Interior Plains and Appalachian regions due to open space and wind along the mountains.

  • Hydro energy is not mentioned extractly but Wind turbines operation provides jobs and boosts local economies through investment in clean energy projects.

  • Wind turbines can cause bird collisions.