Natural Resources and Their Use

What makes something a resource, renewable and non-renewable resources, minerals, groundwater, organic farming, solar power and using resources sustainably.

Key ideas

• Something in nature becomes a resource when it is technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable.
• Resources can be grouped by use: for life (air, water, food), for materials (wood, marble) and for energy (coal, sunlight, wind).
• Coal, petroleum, iron and copper are non-renewable; a renewable resource stays renewable only if it is used sustainably.
• Restoration returns something damaged to health; regeneration goes further, as nature creates new life.
• In Punjab, pumping for wheat and paddy has gone far beyond recharge, so groundwater tables have fallen.
• Sikkim became fully organic in 2016, and farmers’ incomes, biodiversity and tourism grew.
• Solar parks like Bhadla use plentiful sunlight and cut dependence on fossil fuels.
• Uneven spread of resources like water, oil and minerals can lead to competition between places.

Remember

Watch out

• Calling every renewable resource endless: overuse, as with groundwater, can use it up.
• Mixing up restoration and regeneration.
• Rounding down when finding how many trees or items are needed: round up to have at least enough.

Worked example