6.2 RENEWABLE AND NONRENEWABLE RESOURCES
Environmental goods and services may be classified as either renewable or nonrenewable. Trees are a renewable resource. Renewable resources can regenerate if they are alive or can be replenished by biochemicals cycles if they are nonliving. Water is also a renewable that can be limited by drought or overuse. A nonrenewable resource is one that cannot be replenished by natural processes. Fossil fuels, coal, oil, and other natural gas are nonrenewable because they must take over hundreds of millions of years to form. Sustainable development is a way of using natural resources without depleting them and of providing for human needs without causing long term environmental harm. Human activities can affect the quality and supply of renewable resources such as land, forests, fisheries, air, and fresh water.
Land is a valuable resource that provides space for humans and raw materials for factories. Land could also be used to grow crops, but land can be permanently damaged if it is mismanaged. The humus that makes soil fertile are found in the uppermost layer, called the topsoil. Good topsoil absorbs moisture but still let excess water to drain. Soil erosion is the wearing of surface soil by water and wind. Desertification is the process in which excessive farming, overgrazing, and drought turn productive areas into deserts. There are a variety of sustainable development pratices that are guard against these problems, such as plowing the slope of the land to reduce erosion.
Wood is a valuable resource that humans need. Wood is a resource for houses, fuel, and paper. Forests is not only a valuable resource for humans, but can also be a food source for animals. Not only that, forests can also moderate climate, limit soil erosion, and protect freshwater supplies. Whether a forest is a renewable resource depends on the type of forest it is. Deforestation or also called the loss of forests have several effects. Deforestation can lead to erosion and can cause permanent changes to local soils and microclimate. There are some strategies to keep forests alive though, some of them include selectively harvesting older trees and promote the growth of younger trees, or replant the trees after being cut.
Fish is a valuable food source for us humans, but overfishing can cause major problems. Overfishing can decline the fish populations. A way to solve this problem is to make guidelines to how many, and what size could be caught. Aquaculture is the raising of aquatic animals for human consumption. If it is not properly managed, aquaculture can pollute water and damage aquatic ecosystems.
Air is a common resource because we use it everyday to breathe. Smog is a mixture of chemicals that occurs as a gray brown haze in the atmosphere. Smog are created by automobile exhausts and factories. It can cause asthma and other respiratory systems. Pollutant is a harmful material that can enter the biosphere through the land, air, or water. The burning of fossil fuels can release pollutants. Acid rain are made when burning fossil fuels release nitrogen and sulfur compounds into the atmosphere. These compounds then combine with water in the air to make acid rain. Acid rain can damage plants and soils.
Water is a major valuable resource that we use to drink, wash, and watering crops. Even though water is a renewable resource, it is limited. Discarded and domestic wastes chemicals can damage water supplies. A way to conserve water is the drip irrigation delivers water directly to plant roots. This can reduce the amount of water lost through evaporation.
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