Natural Resources - created from Mind Map

Seite 1

Every since the earth was inhbited, hunans and other life forms have depended on things that eist freely in nature to survive. These things include water (seas and fresh water), animals, land, soils, rocks, forests, vegetation, incluiding ish, fossil, fuels, and minerals. They are called natural Resources

Types of natural resources

Distribution of Natural Resources

Problems associated with natural resources

Conservation of natural resources

Natural resources fall under two main categories: Renewable and Non-renewable Resources. The table below will help us understand this better.

Renewable resources

Non-Renewable resources

Renewable resources are those that are regularly available (like water) or can be reasonably replaced or recovered, like vegetative lands. Animals are also renewable, they can reproduce offsprings to replace adult animals.

Renewable resources that come from non- living things such as water, sun, and wind can be calles inorganic Renewable resources

Non-renewable resources are those that cannot be replaced once they are destroyed. Examples include fossil fuels. Minerals are also non- renewable because even though they form naturally in a process called the rock cycle, it can take thousands of years, making it non- renewable.

Some animals can be considered non-renewable because if people hunt for a particular species, Non-renewable resources can be called inorganic resources if they come from non- living things. Examples include minerals, wind, land, soil, and rocks,

Natural resources are not evenly distributed all over the world. Some places are more endowed than others — for instance, some regions have lots of water (and access to the ocean and seas). Others have lots of minerals and forestlands. Others have metallic rocks, wildlife, fossil fuels, and so on.

Many countries have developed their economies by using their natural resources. Some also get a lot of income from their resources, in the form of tourism and recreation.

Crude oil is another important natural resource. From Crude oil, we get many petroleum products such as petrol, diesel, and gas.

International and local trade has its roots in the fact that resources are not evenly distributed on the earth’s surface. Regions with crude oil can drill oil and sell to regions without oil, and also buy resources such as timber and precious metals (gold, diamonds, and silver) from regions that have them in abundance.

Examples

China remains the largest producer of gold, with a 14% share of global production.

The United States, Russia, and Canada are the leading producers of timber and pulp. Annual exports of primary and secondary wood products from tropical forests have exceeded US$ 20 billion in recent years, and further increases anticipated.

The US has the world’s largest coal reserves with 491 billion short tons accounting for 27% of the world total

Even though natural resources are the support structures of life, too much or too little of it can come with a lot of trouble and conflict

Too little natural resources

Too much natural resources

In many regions of the world, a mix of limited resources, overpopulation, and environmental degradation has produced extreme poverty and income inequality. That, in turn, has fuelled grievances, rebellion, and conflict in society.

This problem is even more in regions with excess natural resources. Greed, corruption, and conflict from revenue distribution, resource ownership, decision making, management, and access

Conflict does not occur only in local communities. Third parties (including advanced nations) also have an extreme interest in wealth from natural resources in other regions. That often results in tensions between regions and countries, as well as foster or engage in civil conflicts.

To have an environmentally sustainable and secure future where we can still enjoy natural resources, we urgently need to transform the way we use resources by completely changing the way we produce and consume goods and services.

Education and Public Awareness

Individuals, organizations, and nations

Governments and Policy

All stakeholders must aim to provide information and raise public awareness about the natural resources we have and the need to ensure its health. Even though there is a lot of information in the public domain, campaigners must try to use less scientific terms and avoid complex terminology to send the message across.

People and organizations in developed nations with high resource consumption rates must be aware of the issues of natural resources. People should understand that it is OK to enjoy all the items and gadgets at home but also give back to the environment by way of reducing waste, recycling waste, and becoming a part of the solution.

Governments must enforce policies that protect the environment. They must ensure that businesses and industries play fair and are accountable to all people. Incentives must be given to businesses that use recycled raw materials and hefty fines to those that still tap from raw natural resources.