Natural Resources
Overview
Take a second to look around you. No matter where you are, whether it be in a bedroom, in the kitchen, or even outside, you would be surrounded by resources and things made by resources. Many of which have harmed the earth in the process of obtaining them. For example, the device that you're reading this on. It has polluted the environment by being made and by using electricity to power it. This includes you, the viewer as well as inflicting harm to the environment indirectly by buying or obtaining this device. People all around the world are using resources and energy that harm the environment. This post is to inform people about some of the resources you are using and some of the benefits and downfalls of each type of energy source.
What is a Natural Resource?
Natural resources are things that fulfill our needs as humans. They are the materials around us that are found in our natural environment (Lesson 1). On earth, there are two types of natural resources: renewable and nonrenewable resources. Renewable resources are materials that can regrow or regenerate in a relatively short amount of time. Some of the primary renewable energy sources that we use are sunlight, wood, wind, and corn. Then there are nonrenewable resources. These are the resources that are mined from the inside of the earth and are extracted by machines. Some examples of nonrenewable energy sources that you probably use most days are fossil fuels, copper, and other minerals. A material is considered "nonrenewable" if it takes a long time (millions of years for example) to form. So which one is better?
Nonrenewable Resources
If you are like 79% of the U.S population, you will most likely be using nonrenewable energy from fossil fuels to fuel your house and car (Conte, 2020). While it would be good for the environment to get a renewable resource for your energy, it's not always practical or affordable. An example of this is using solar power as your primary energy source in a generally cloudy area such as Seattle. Unfortunately, while nonrenewable resources are easy to get, they cause a lot more harm to the environment. While mining the fossil fuels that fuel homes, lots of Carbon Dioxide is released from burning fuels and from removing the fossil fuels from the ground. Another nonrenewable source that is very prominent right now is copper. Copper is being mined at a high rate and pollutes habitats with residue and adds Carbon Dioxide to the air during mining. Copper is used in things like computers, phones, cars, and windmills. Windmills alone take 4 to 8 tons of copper per windmill (Lesson 1). So, are renewable resources really better for the earth?
Renewable Resources
The number of renewable resources being produced and used rises every year. As shown in the figure below, from 2009-2019, usage of renewable energy has gone up almost 4 percent, which also slightly lowers the number of fossil fuels used (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, 2021). Among these renewable resources being used, hydropower is becoming one of the more important energy sources to note. In 2020 alone, hydropower generated 4,370 terawatts of electricity (2021). This is a very significant amount of energy and it doesn't come at too much of a cost. The primary environmental issue with hydropower is the dams that need to be built for them. Other than that, there are almost no Carbon Dioxide emissions in the energy collecting process. Hydropower is just one of the great ways that we can use renewable resources and reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions and help save the earth from global warming.
The Best Resource
So, which kind of resource is the best to use? Simple answer: Neither. There are many factors that come into play when determining which resource is best. You have to decide what you as a consumer are looking for, "is it accessible and affordable for me" and "is it good for the environment?" Renewable resources always sound like the way to go but they're not always available and also take some pollution to build the energy collecting device. Then there are nonrenewable resources that cause harm to habitats and cause higher rates of air pollution. Hopefully from reading this post you will at least take into consideration the information relayed and reduce your energy consumption as a whole!
Conte, N. (2021, July 13). This chart shows where America got its energy from in 2020. World Economic Forum. Retrieved October 1, 2022, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/07/this-visualization-shows-how-energy-was-consumed-by-the-united-states-in-2020/#:~:text=The%20Sankey%20diagram%20below%20uses,shift%20towards%20more%20renewable%20sources.
Renewable energy. Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. (2021, November 10). Retrieved October 1, 2022, from https://www.c2es.org/content/renewable-energy/#:~:text=Renewables%20made%20up%20nearly%2020,the%20fastest%2Dgrowing%20electricity%20source.
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