Although it cannot be used for drinking, salt water also is an important natural resource. The water in oceans, estuaries, and saline wetlands is a vital part of those ecosystems. Pollution, oil spills, and other disturbances of these areas can disrupt food chains and destroy plant and wildlife populations.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the world and has changed every aspect of everyday life, businesses, and industries. The industry made up of natural resource supply and demand is not an exception. Due to nationwide lockdowns in various countries, global rates of trade, travel, and spending have lowered drastically, resulting in less economic activity. Even renewable resources must be carefully managed to avoid misuse. Deforestation, mining, and land development have transformed natural areas, destroying ecosystems and harming soil and water supplies. Building dams and levees and redirecting water flow for irrigation have affected water quality and distribution in many areas.

Cars and factories use vast amounts of petroleum products every day. About 40 percent of the world’s electricity comes from coal-fired power plants. Such widespread use of fossil fuels is depleting reserves of these limited resources. Burning fossil fuels also impacts other natural resources by releasing toxic materials into the air, water, and soil. Natural resources refer to those resources which exist on the planet, independent of the activities and actions of humans. Some common examples of natural resources include sunlight, water, soil, stone, plants, fossil fuels, etc.

• These development projects require lots of resources such as land, energy, water and human resource.
• They are considered nonrenewable because people use them faster than they can form.
• Some nonrenewable resources that formed from organic matter are biodegradable.
• Coal and liquid petroleum (oil) are used to generate electricity in power plants around the world.
• But such human activities as hunting, logging, building, and polluting can cause whole groups of living things to disappear forever.

Renewable resources refer to resources that can naturally regenerate after use. They include resources such as wind, water, natural vegetation, solar energy, and animals. There is little concern about depleting renewable resources because their rate of production exceeds the rate of human consumption. Conservationists throughout the world advocate for the use of renewable resources because they are readily available and less costly to the environment. Inorganic nonrenewable resources such as uranium, minerals, metals, and petroleum-derived products such as plastics are not biodegradable. Because these materials cannot break down through natural processes, they may last hundreds of years in the environment when discarded.

The State of Natural Resources Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

Such energy sources are often termed biofuels because they come from living organisms. Agricultural activities have increased in most countries due to increasing demand for food. Some places clear out forests or use land inappropriately leading to the destruction of the environment. Additionally, large farms have been known to use harsh chemicals without proper disposal methods. Therefore, agricultural activities are increasingly leading to the degradation of natural resources. The world’s human population has significantly increased in the past five decades.

Modern Lifestyles

• Fossil fuels currently account for about 90% of the world’s energy consumption.
• It also states the importance of environmental protection and the need to create laws on the same subject.
• The effects of climate change have been excessive flooding, extreme weather conditions, earthquakes, and other calamities.

This seemingly simple definition, however, belies a wealth of complexity, encompassing a vast array of materials, processes, and ethical considerations. From the air we breathe to the minerals we extract from the earth, natural resources are the very foundation upon which our civilizations are built. This article will delve into the intricate details of what constitutes a natural resource, exploring its diverse categories, importance, and the challenges of their sustainable management. Biotic natural resources refer to living resources that exist naturally in the environment. Such resources include forests, wildlife, and fossil fuels, which are all listed as biotic natural resources.

By sustainability, recycling also saves energy and natural resources. We can save natural resources by using materials more than once. Growing up to 17 trees saves up to one ton of paper from recycled stock and uses 50 percent less energy. These resources, such as soil, stone, oil, and gases, can take thousands or millions of years to form. They are considered nonrenewable because people use them faster than they can form. The demand for resources can change with new technology, new needs, and new economics (e.g. changes in cost of the resources).

What are the key natural resources?

Natural resources and classified into biotic and abiotic resources. A 2020 study claimed this fall in demand is estimated to impact oil-exporting developing countries harder as their one commodity focused market makes them more susceptible should the market crashes. The biggest countries dependent on one commodity are located within sub-Saharan Africa.

In India’s Sundarbans: Where People Live Face-To-Face With Wild Tigers

Renewable resources include crops, wind, hydroelectric power, fish, and sunlight Many people carefully save their natural resources so that others can use them in future. Non-biotic natural resources are natural products in the environment that are non-living. These resources include water, rocks, metals, and minerals among many others. Humans use natural resources for many purposes, including obtaining food, shelter, water, fuel, minerals, and other raw materials. We also use them for recreation and to support our economic activities. Unfortunately, various factors have led to the exploitation of these resources.

For instance, we are developing new methods to use the resources we already have more effectively, and we are using renewable resources more than we did in the past. Every place on Earth has its own unique group of natural resources. The wealthiest countries are usually the ones with the greatest amount or variety of natural resources. They are wealthy because they can sell their resources to other countries that need them.

The mined ore is crushed and the uranium is chemically extracted. One pound of uranium produces as much energy as 3 million pounds (1.4 million kilograms) of coal. Natural resources can be defined as the resources that exist (on the planet) independent of human actions.

Natural resources could be classified into different categories such as renewable and non-renewable resources, biotic and abiotic resources, and stock resources. As resources, plants and animals are only renewable if they are replaced when used. Trees cut down for lumber and other uses must be replaced soon after harvest with new seedlings. Similarly, the amount of fish caught by sport and commercial fisheries must be carefully managed to allow fish populations time to reproduce and replace lost individuals. Natural resources are things that we can find in nature and use to do different things, like eat, make things, or have energy.

Natural resources are vital elements found in nature, like fresh water, forests, and sunlight, that humans and ecosystems depend on. Natural resources are materials and substances that occur naturally in the environment. They can be renewable, like air natural resource simple definition and water, or non-renewable, like oil and coal.

Non-renewable resources include products such as crude oil, precious metals, minerals, and rocks. Some endangered animals are also classified as non-renewable resources because their mortality rate is much higher than their reproduction rate. These non-renewable resources need to be protected and to be used responsibly to stop their depletion. Most organisms can live for weeks without food but only days without water. However, only about 3 percent of Earth’s water is fresh water, and of this, only a tiny fraction is surface water, the water used by living things. Fresh water is not uniformly distributed around the world, and its availability strongly affects where and how organisms live.

Other organizations like the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) have also led in the push for protection of natural resources. The organizations have funded scientific studies like Conservation biology where scientists research on ways to conserve the natural resources found in the environment. At the local level, countries have established protected areas to conserve natural resources from exploitation. Conservationists also encourage the use of renewable natural resources such as wind and solar energy instead of non-renewable resources which are at risk of extinction. Additionally, most countries have government departments that oversee the extraction and use of natural resources. These departments create rules on management of natural resources like precious metals, rare metals, and energy sources.

Defining Natural Resources

As the number of people rises, so does the demand for natural resources. People have over-exploited resources such as water, agricultural land, minerals and wildlife leading to depletion of most natural resources in some parts of the world. Countries that have uncontrolled population increase often put pressure on the limited natural resources leading to environmental degradation. Non-renewable resources are components that take too long to replenish after use or exist in limited quantities.

Natural resources are essential to the survival of humans and all other living organisms. All the products in the world use natural resources as their basic component, which may be water, air, natural chemicals or energy. The high demand for natural resources around the world has led to their rapid depletion.