Types of Natural Resources “Nothing in nature is a resource. Some things become resources.” Anonymous

Resources are Life Air, water, soil: we must breathe, eat and have shelter to live. To meet our “needs” and “wants” we use resources in many different ways. Natural resources: material that comes from our natural environment (raw) In economics: needs = demands; wants: supply

Types of Natural Resources Renewable resources Non- renewable resources Flow resources

Renewable Resources Soils Can replace themselves once they have been used. e.g. trees in a forest; crops; natural fish supplies THESE RESOURCES REGROW OR RENEW THEMSELVES IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME Vegetation Wildlife

Non- renewable Resources Gone once they are used e.g. minerals such as gold, iron, nickel; fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum CAN ONLY BE CREATED UNDER VERY SPECIFIC CONDITIONS Coal Natural Gas Petroleum

Flow Resources Solar Energy Wind Replaced by natural actions whether humans use them or not e.g. fresh water flowing through streams and rivers because of precipitation; ocean currents EXIST B/C OF NATURAL SYSTEMS AND NATURAL PROCESSES Waves, Tides Air Fresh water

Classify this resource!

Can resources overlap? Can a resource be a combination of two of the three types? YES. e.g. trees that can’t be grown back b/c of farming activities can be classified as a non-renewable resource Other examples: fish and minerals. Explain?

Refer to your textbook- Page 166, Figure 10.3 Do you remember what a Venn diagram represents? Use your knowledge of this graphic organizer to understand its contents.

Fact File People in richer parts of the country use the most resources. In Canada, each individual uses up to 85 tonnes of natural resources per year! That’s more than 300 large shopping bags of natural resources per week!

You are important  Recycling metals Aluminum pop cans are made from bauxite, a mineral dug from the ground. NOT recycling pop cans means that the bauxite is rapidly being used up, and will be gone forever! It also means that more energy (money and human/machine power) must be used to process the aluminum needed to replace the pop cans.

Recycling metals Saves valuable non-renewable minerals and energy It helps protect our natural environment

Supplying Our Demands

Almost all natural resources must be changed before we use them. This is called PROCESSING. e.g. trees, iron ore, fish, crude oil. Refer to pg. 168 or your textbook, Figure 10.7 ------------------------------------------------------------- Figure 10.8 Looking at the four pictures, can you tell the story of how a pair of blue jeans is made?

Processing Resources E.g. A pair of blue jeans Step 1: cotton is grown and picked Step 2: cotton transported to mill and woven together to make thread Step 3: Large machines weave threads together to make fabric Step 4: cloth is dyed blue or black Step 5: shipped to a clothing manufacturer Step 6: fabric cut into shapes, sewn together, labels are attached- jeans shipped to store                     

Advanced Technology - Humans have learned over time how to process our natural resources to better meet our needs. As technology changes, sop does our use for natural resources.

E.g. CLOTHING (Figure 10.9) Early: raw materials in environment. Animal skins, leaves, and bark. Processing: cleaning and sharpening materials. ~ Caveman/woman style clothing~                                 

E.g. CLOTHING (Figure 10.9) Middle: weaves fabric out of plants material such as cotton and flax, or animal products like wool. Needs some processing of raw materials. ~ Early settlers & fur traders~

E.g. CLOTHING (Figure 10.9) Modern: makes fabrics and coverings out of human-made materials such as nylon. Raw materials include petroleum (which plastic is made from). Needs A LOT of processing! ~ Astronaut~