C10: Finite And Renewabke Resources

Question 1

What are natural resources?

Answer 1

Come from the earth, sea and air. They form without human input.

Eg. cotton wool for clothing, or oil for fuel

Question 2

Give an example of how natural products can be replaced by synthetic products or improved upon by man-made processes.

Answer 2

Rubber - natural product that can be extracted from tree sap.

Man made polymers have now been made which can replace rubber in uses such as tires.

Question 3

Give an example of how agriculture provides conditions where natural resources can be enhanced for our needs.

Answer 3

Th development of fertilisers have meant we can produce a high yield of crops.

Question 4

Give an example of a renewable resource and explain what they are.

Answer 4

They reform at a similar rate to, or faster than, we use them.

Eg. timber can be replanted and only takes a few years to regrow

Question 5

What is a finite resource? Give an example.

Answer 5

Non-renewable = aren’t formed quickly enough to be considered replaceable.

Fossil fuels
Nuclear fuels - uranium & plutonium
Minerals & metals found in ores

Question 6

What often happens after finite resources have been extracted?

Answer 6

Undergo man-made processes to provide fuels and materials necessary for modern life

Eg. fractional distillation

Question 7

What are the risks of extracting finite resources?

Answer 7

Have to balance the social, economic and environmental effects of extracting them

Eg. mining metal ores is good as useful products can be made, but it’s bad for the environment as it uses lots of energy, scars the landscape, produces waste & destroys habitats