Understanding Renewable and Non-Renewable Resources

Natural Resources

Renewable resources are exploited at a rate slower than their formation. They are virtually inexhaustible, and we can use them in a potentially unlimited way. Renewable resources are those that are replenished by natural processes in a relatively short time, provided that their exploitation does not exceed the capacity for regeneration. They can become non-renewable resources if used for a long time more rapidly than they can be renewed by natural processes. When the rate of resource exploitation is faster than its replacement process, it is called environmental degradation. The highest rate at which a potentially renewable resource can be used without lowering is called sustained yield.

Renewable Energy Resources

• Biomass energy: The energy contained in organic matter.

Non-renewable resources are those that are generated by very slow processes so that, once extracted and used, they are impossible to replace on a human scale. Therefore, their use is their irreversible decline. Some non-renewable resources can be recycled or reused, increasing their availability. Others, however, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, cannot be recycled or reused because once burned, they lose their usable energy.

Non-Renewable Energy Resources

• Fossil fuels.

Non-Energy Resources

These come from mining and are used for the construction, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. They are minerals.

Waste and Contamination

Waste is matter and energy that become unusable after completing an activity.

Natural Resources

Concept of Resource and Reserve

A resource is any form of matter, energy, or information necessary to meet the physiological, socioeconomic, and cultural needs, both individually and collectively. Natural resources provide food, energy, and raw materials and are drawn from those land areas that are accessible. A reserve is that portion of the resources whose location and quantity are known in detail and whose exploitation is economically feasible with the available technology. A certain amount of resource can be considered as a resource or reserve, depending on factors such as socioeconomic changes in consumption and the development of new products.

Classification of Natural Resources

Utility

We speak of energy resources and non-energy resources.

Nature

• Biological resources: They are made by living things: food resources (agriculture, livestock), forestry, biomass for energy, and biodiversity as a scientific resource.
• Geological Resources: Comprised of various forms of energy or inert matter in solid, liquid, or gaseous form: soil, water, fossil fuels and alternative energy, mineral resources, and industrial rocks.
• Recreational and cultural resources: These are places that have not traditionally been regarded as resources but are increasingly gaining importance for their aesthetic, educational, or scientific value. Such is the case of scenic resources, parks, and nature reserves.

According to Their Rate of Regeneration

(See the distinction between renewable and non-renewable resources above.)