NATIONAL CLEANER PRODUCTION CENTRE




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Text Box: Natural Resources and Human Consumption
We use many natural resources in our day to day life but do we really understand what they are and where they come from? We often take these resources for granted because they are readily available. Have you ever wondered how there’s water when we open the tap or electricity when we plug in the television or turn on the lights? All these comforts and many more are available to us because of Natural Resources.

Text Box: What we forget is that there is only one known planet capable of sustaining life and providing all resources and we live on it. What will happen if we use them all up? Then isn’t it our duty to be more careful in how we use these resources?
So what is a Natural Resource? Any substance occurring naturally and considered valuable in its natural form can be considered a Natural Resource. Usually the value of a natural resource is determined by the amount of the material available and the demand for it.
Did you know that there are two types of natural resources? Some resources are considered to be “renewable” while others are “non-renewable”.
A natural resource which gets replenished by natural processes at a rate similar or faster than the rate it consumed by humans or other animals is known as a Renewable Resource. A simple example is solar radiation, which is an everlasting resource and not in any danger of being used up.

Text Box: Some of the natural resources we come across are water, minerals, energy, land, flora and fauna. So where do all these resources come from? If you think carefully you will see that all natural resources are produced by planet earth. Many people believe that Earth is capable of producing all the natural resources we need when we need them. In other words that earth can meet the ever increasing demand on natural resources. But this is often untrue.

Text Box: So the next time you use a resource be it renewable or non-renewable in nature think what impact it can have on the planet. After all this is our only home and it’s our responsibility to ensure that we keep it safe for future generations.

Text Box: Remember the last time you left the tap open while brushing your teeth?
When we waste we put pressure on the earth to draw more and more resources. Remember that just as you need resources to meet your needs, future generations will also need resources to meet theirs’. If you use them up during your lifetime there will be nothing left for the children that come after you. Just think how you would feel if your parents and grand parents had done this to you!

Text Box: We must keep in mind that the earth will run out of most of the fossil fuels within our life time. According to the Oil & Gas Journal, World Oil, the availability of Oil, Gas and Coal resources will be as follows.
Oil: 45 years
Gas: 72 years
Coal: 252 years
The major reason behind depleting resources is that we waste them when we use them.

Text Box: A Non-renewable Resource is a natural resource that cannot be regenerated as fast as it is consumed. Such resources exist in fixed amounts and get depleted when consumed or used up faster than they are made by nature. The best example for non renewable resources is Fossil fuels (ie: coal, petroleum and natural gas). These fossil fuels are the primary source of energy in today’s world. However the danger lies in the fact that fossil fuels take millions of years to form though reserves are being depleted at a faster rate.

Text Box: However there are other renewable resources like oxygen, fresh water, timber, and biomass which can become non-renewable resources if used at a rate greater than the environment's capacity to replenish them. For example, groundwater may be removed from an aquifer at a rate greater than it is recharged. Therefore we have to be careful even when using resources that are considered to be renewable.

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Text Box: Text Box: Though 75% of the earth’s surface is covered by water almost 98% of it is in the form of salt water. That leaves only 2.5% as fresh water of which over two thirds is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps.

The total fresh water available for consumption by humans is 0.003% of the total water on earth. Text Box: Text Box: Solar Power and Wind Power are two ideal examples of renewable energy sources

Text Box: 1 litre of regular gasoline is the result of about 23.5 metric tones of ancient phytoplankton material deposited on the ocean floor over millions of years.
The total fossil fuel consumption for the year 1997 was produced by 422 years worth of plant matter that grew on the entire surface and oceans of the ancient earth.