Natural Resources Flashcards
Natural resources
Natural assets occurring in nature that can be used for economic production or consumption
Biotic resources
Resources derived from the biosphere
Abiotic resources
Resources derived from non-living and non-organic sources
Actual resources
Resources that have been surveyed and quantified and are currently being extracted
Reserve resources
The portion of the actual resource that have yet to be extracted
Potential resources
Resources that are viable to extract but are not at present
Stock resources
Resources that are not currently viable to extract
Non-renewable resources
The rate of replenishment is far exceeded by their rate of consumption
Non-renewable resources: Bulk Metals
Iron
Aluminum
Copper
Non-renewable resources: Technological critical elements
Neodymium
Indium
Tantalum
Non-renewable resources: Fossil fuels
Coal
Oil
Natural Gas
Non-renewable resources: Aggregates
Limestone
Sand
Renewable Resources
The rate of natural replenishment is equal to or exceeds its rate of consumption
Theoretically inexhaustible renewable resources
Human use measurably impacts availability
- Biomass
- Land
Inexhaustible renewable resources
Human use does not measurable impact availability
- Solar
- Wind
- Water
- Wave
Wind (generation, use, potential, human use, challenges)
Generation: Temperature and pressure differentials, Coriolis Effect
Uses: Energy
Potential: 10,800 EJ/year or 22 times annual global energy use
Human Use: 0.25%
Challenges: Power density, transmission, rare earth-metals
Biomass (generation, use, production, human use, challenges)
Generation: Carbon cycle
Uses: Food, fiber, fuels, building material
Production: net primary production (NPP) of 104.9 Pg C/year
Human use: about 23% of NPP
Challenges: Land degradation, biodiversity loss, extreme weather
Land (generation, use, availability, human use, challenges)
Generation: Volcanic activity, land reclamation
Uses: Habitat agriculture, minerals, disposal, recreation
availability: 131x10^6 km^2
Human use:
- 26% grazing
- 12% cropland
- 20-34% estimated to have very low human-influence
Challenges: Desertification, erosion, nutrient stripping, soil carbon loss, pollution
Solar (generation, use, potential, human use, challenges)
Generation: Fusion in sun
Uses: Energy, light
Potential: 6.6*10^5 EJ/year usable Solar irradiance or 10,000 times global energy use
Human Use: 14 EJ/year in 2020
Challenges: Transmission, rare earth-metals, sand
Water (generation, use, availability, human use, challenges)
Generation: Static (Hydrological Cycle)
Uses: Nourishment, agriculture, industry, recreation, cleaning, energy
Availability: 693,000 km3
Human Use: 4,600 km3/year (70% for irrigation)
Challenges: Drought, distribution, pollution
Wave (generation, use, potential, human use, challenges)
Generation: Wind, tides
Uses: Energy
Potential: 63 EJ/year or global electricity consumption
Human Use: 0.00576 EJ/year in 2020
Challenges: Power density, transmission, rare-earth metals, engineering
Global trends: Renewable energy growth
Solar PV and wind power are experiencing rapid growth in terms of installed capacity, marking a shift toward cleaner energy sources.
Global trends: Material use
The demand for non-metallic minerals has surged, while the use of fossil fuels remains significant but has slowed in growth compared to past decades.
Global trends: Energy consumption
Oil, gas, and coal still dominate global energy consumption, though the rise of renewable energy sources is becoming increasingly important in the energy mix, particularly since the 2000s.
Complicating factors
- Scarcity breeds ingenuity
- Scarcity breeds conflict
- We need non-renewables to make renewables
