Lesson 1

Question 1

What are natural resources?

Answer 1

Resources found in the natural environment which we can exploit or extract for our needs.

Question 2

What are the four categories of natural resources?

Answer 2

Renewable resources that can be regenerated (soil, trees, fish)

Non-Renewable—resources that are limited and cannot be replaced once used (fossil fuels)

Flow Resources—resources that are replaced by natural actions and must be used when and where they occur (Sunlight, wind)

Other Resources—all other resources (tourist attractions)

Question 3

What are three Rs? Which is the most effective?

Answer 3

Recycling: The Item is destroyed when you no longer want it, but the material in the item is recovered for reuse. The environmental cost of obtaining the raw materials for the item is avoided.

Reusing: The item is used by someone else when you don’t want it. The environmental cost of manufacturing the item is avoided.

Reducing: The item is neither purchased nor produced in the first place. Fewer new items are produced.

Question 4

What is sustained yield management?

Answer 4

Managing a renewable resource responsibly so that it does not disappear. This requires us to use the resource more slowly than it reproduces. This ensures that the resource is available for future generations.

Question 5

What are some advantages and disadvantages of agribusiness?

Answer 5

Pro: They have led to more intensive and efficient farming, as well as cheaper
food prices.

Con: However, they have also led to a loss of family farms and good farming
jobs, along with a rise in the use of temporary labor and complaints
about health and safety violations. Much of the criticism over the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides, along with unsustainable land use is because of agribusiness.

Question 6

What are three farming issues in Canada today?

Answer 6

• Temperature and moisture play a large part
  in agriculture
• Changes: the number of farms and farm workers has been decreasing
  while the average farm size has increased; more work is done by machines
• Loss of land: Much of Canada’s best agricultural land is lost to growing
  cities.
• Pesticides and fertilizers: While valuable for protecting crops and
  helping them grow more quickly, they can harm the ecosystem and
  consumers.
• Organic farming: While it is increasing in popularity, there are no
  regulation or certification standards in Canada
• Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): Most of the science and
  health issues are misunderstood and exaggerated but there are serious
  cons about the corporate practices.

Question 7

What is the difference between commercial and non-commercial forests?

Answer 7

Commercial Forests—contain trees that can be harvested profitably. Fast growing, easy access to transport, more valuable wood

Non-Commercial Forests—those that are not profitable to harvest. Slow growing, limited transportation options, harsh climate

Question 8

Which type of forestry is best for the environment and which is best for
forestry companies?

Answer 8

Clear-Cutting—Loggers remove every tree. (Best for forestry companies)

Shelterwood Logging—clear-cutting of only part of the old growth forest (mature trees)

Selective Cutting—harvesting only mature trees of a desired type, size or quality for a specific purpose. (Best for the environment)

Question 9

What can happen if we continue to overharvest trees?

Answer 9

Large areas of animal habitat are being destroyed leading to the extinction of many animal species.

Natural tree diversity is often lost with replanting because the trees replanted tend to be all of one type of tree (the most profitable)

Question 10

Where is commercial fishing mostly located?

Answer 10

Primarily located on the East and West Coast, with a smaller fresh-water industry in some provinces.

Question 11

What are three concernes about aquaculture?

Answer 11

• Health and Environmental Issues
• Animal Protection
• Chemical pollution

Question 12

What happened to the cod industry in Atlantic Canada?

Answer 12

The Atlantic fishery abruptly collapsed in 1993, following overfishing since the late-1950s, and an earlier partial collapse in the 1970s. It is expected to recover to historical, sustainable levels by 2030.

Question 13

Why does Canada use so much water?

Answer 13

We often take water for granted—seems unlimited. Canadians use about 330 liters per day for personal use.

Question 14

What do we use water for in Canada?

Answer 14

Extraction—the process of taking water from a source to be used and then it is returned to the store—ex power generation, fishing, etc.

Consumption—taking water from a source to be used but it is not returned to the store—ex bottling, bulk water shipments.

Question 15

What is a future water concern in Canada?

Answer 15

As population/power demand increases more water is needed by Canadians and Americans (who share a lot of our water sources)

Question 16

What are examples of fossil fuels?

Answer 16

The most common examples are coal, oil, and natural gas.

Question 17

Why are the oil sands so much dirtier than regular oil?

Answer 17

Results in lots of tailings and residual waste

Question 18

What are the disadvantages of using fossil fuels?

Answer 18

• Non-renewable (we will run out)
• Burning of fossil fuels contribute to global warming

Question 19

What are the three types of resources mined in Canada?

Answer 19

Metallic Minerals: minerals that, when refined, create metals. Some metals are mined because of their rareness and beauty, for example, gold, silver and platinum. Others, like iron, are valued for their strength.

Fossil Fuels: For the last two hundred years, fossil fuels have provided the great majority of the energy used by modern society. In the 1800s, coal was an important fuel. More recently, oil and natural gas have replaced coal for
many uses, including transportation and heating.

Industrial Minerals: Industrial minerals are all the things that are mined that are neither metallic nor fossil fuels. Industrial minerals are important. Even common substances like sand and gravel are critical to our lives and Canada’s economy since they are essential in almost any kind of construction.

Question 20

What are the three types of mines?

Answer 20

Strip mining: Strip mining is used to extract minerals, such as coal and oil sands,
that are in horizontal layers near the surface.

Open Pit mining: Open Pit Mining is used to extract minerals that are located near the surface, but that may extend deep into the earth.

Underground Mining: Underground mining is used to extract minerals located deep in the earth.

Question 21

What are some problems with mining?

Answer 21

• Mining can be very damaging to the environment and
there need to be strict rules

• However, more rules costs mining companies more
money and some might choose to mine in other
countries instead

• Many mines are in areas with Indigenous land claims.
Negotiations with the companies, government and
Indigenous nations need to be completed.

• Mining is very expensive, and companies often ask for
government help. However, the government needs to
carefully decide how much financial support to provide
mining companies.

• The price of some minerals can go up or down regularly
and this can lead to mines often shutting down and jobs
being lost, either temporarily or permanently.

Question 22

What are the three conventional sources of electricity?

Answer 22

• thermal
• hydro
• nuclear

Question 23

What part of all three works the same?

Answer 23

They all spin turbines

Question 24

What are the advantages of solar and nuclear over thermal?

Answer 24

Very low greenhouse gas emissions
Doesn’t involve the use of any nonrenewable resources

Question 25

What are the five main alternative sources of energy?

Answer 25

Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Biofuel, Tidal

Question 26

Which two alternative sources are used the most in Canada?

Answer 26

Solar and Wind

Question 27

What is the biggest disadvantage of alternative sources of electricity?

Answer 27

Not always reliable, sometimes wind or sun may not be there
Usually requires lots of space and money

Question 28

What are primary industries? What is an example?

Answer 28

Industries that take raw materials from the natural environment, they
are also referred to as extractive industries. They are called primary industries because the extraction of natural resources occurs before any other processes.
(Farmers and Fishers)

Question 29

What are secondary industries? What is an example?

Answer 29

Secondary industries involve the processing of primary-industry products into finished goods. The most important secondary industry is manufacturing.

(Potato Peeler, Drug Manufacturer)

Question 30

What are tertiary industries? What is an example?

Answer 30

Tertiary industries provide a wide range of services that support primary and secondary industries and society in general.
(Doctors, Teachers)

Question 31

Why would a company locate close to the raw materials it needs?

Answer 31

Companies that produce perishable goods or require difficult to transport raw materials tend to locate near the raw materials

• Perishables could go bad during delivery
• Hard to transport raw materials might be to heavy or bulky and cost too much money

Question 32

Why would a milk farm be located close to a large city?

Answer 32

Some companies locate near major cities to distribute their products at a lower cost. Milk needs to be sold quickly before it goes bad.

Question 33

Why do governments sometimes provide money to industries to locate there?

Answer 33

Some give out $ to secure jobs for the local economy and to encourage more development, housing, and tax revenue.

Question 34

What makes the tertiary sector both the most and least important?

Answer 34

Positive:
-Provides most jobs
-Provides most goods and services
-Most Job growth is in this industry

Negative:
-Doesn’t have multiplier effect
-Depends on Primary and Secondary
-Mostly exports from primary and secondary

Question 35

Define and provide examples of basic and non-basic jobs.

Answer 35

Basic:
Provides services to people and businesses outside of their community. As a result they bring in money from outside of the community. Vital fro the survival of the community
Ex. Federal Government, University’s, Insurance Companies

Non-Basic:
Provides services to people and businesses within the community. Do not generate money from outside sources.
Ex. Public Transit, Elementary and Secondary Education, Dentists

Question 36

What is the multiplier effect

Answer 36

The multiplier effect is when money goes around the community for example… You buy a coffee, the employee gets that dollar from you and buys a house, the real-estate person gets that money and buys a candy, the candy-store worker uses that dollar to pay taxes. Now that dollar goes into a different community and the effect is over.