A non-renewable resource is a natural resource which cannot be produced, grown, generated, or used on a scale which can sustain its

consumption rate. These resources often exist in a fixed amount, or are consumed much faster than nature can create them. Fossil fuels (such as coal, petroleum and natural gas) and nuclear power (uranium) are examples. In contrast, resources such as timber (when harvested sustainably) or metals (which can be recycled) are considered renewable resources. A natural resource is a renewable resource if it is replaced by natural processes. Renewable resources are parts of our natural environment and form our eco-system.

DEPLETION OF NATURAL RESOURCES

Natural resources are derived from the environment. Resource depletion is an economic term referring to the exhaustion of raw materials within a region. Resources are commonly divided between renewable resources and non-renewable resources. Use of either of these forms of resources beyond their rate of replacement is considered to be resource depletionResource depletion is most commonly used in reference to the farming, fishing, mining, and fossil fuels.

CAUSES OF RESOURCE DEPLETION

   

   

Over-consumption/excessive or unnecessary use of resources Non-equitable distribution of resources Over population Slash and burn agricultural practices, currently occurring in many developing countries Technological and industrial development Erosion Irrigation Mining for oil and minerals

  

Aquifier depletion Forestry Pollution or contamination of resources

HOW ARE NATURAL RESOURCES DEPLETED?

We make extensive use of the various natural resources at our disposal. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil in which our plants grow, the forests and grasslands that support our wildlife, the numerous minerals and fuel resources that support our factories are all vital for our very survival. Since mankind inhabited the earth, its resources have been used. When human numbers were small, the depletion of resources was very gradual. Butt when the world population doubled, from 2.5 billion in 1959 to 5.5 billion in 1995in a short span of only 45 tearsyou can imagine the great strain on the earth's resources. The rapid growth of the world's population and the excessive use of the earth's resources have drastically changed the face of the earth. Each year more forests and grasslands disappear. Every day our rivers are clogged, our oceans are poisoned and the air is polluted. The burning of fossil fuels, forest fires and the emission of smoke and chemicals from factories all add to the concentration of carbon dioxide in the lower atmosphere. This depletes the ozone gases which filter out much of the sun's harmful ultra violet rays. The basic problem we face today is that the earth's natural resources are being depleted at a most alarming rate because 470 square km of tropical forest is cleared, 170 square km of desert is created, 71 million metric tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide is added to the lower atmosphere and 1600 metric tons ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons is added to the ozone layer.