Earth’s natural resources — Earth science, 7–10 years
People use materials and energy from Earth, but some supplies take far longer to return than others.
What Earth provides
Natural resources are useful materials or sources of energy that come from nature. Water, sunlight, wood, soil, metals and fuels are examples. Some, such as sunlight and wind, are renewed quickly; others, such as coal and many metal ores, are limited or take very long to form.
The problem of using without limits
People needed wood for homes, fuel for heat and metals for tools, but supplies are not endless in one place. Taking too much can leave less for other people, animals or the future. Sorting resources by how quickly they return helps us choose what to use carefully and what to save.
Classifying four resources
Take four examples: sunlight, timber, coal and iron ore. Sunlight is renewed every day, so it is renewable. A tree can grow again but may need many years, so timber needs careful management. Coal and iron ore form so slowly that a human lifetime cannot replace what is mined.
Renewable does not mean endless
A common mistake is to hear “renewable” and assume a resource cannot run out. That seems reasonable because sunlight returns tomorrow. Yet a forest can be cut faster than it grows, and clean water can be polluted faster than nature cleans it. Renewal only works when use stays within the replacement rate.
Choices that save resources
Resource choices appear in ordinary actions: repairing a bag, sharing a book, turning off a light or choosing a durable object. These actions do not make every problem disappear, but they reduce new materials and energy being taken from Earth. Good decisions also consider how an item was made and what happens after it is discarded.
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