Earth’s Natural Resources E.8.10.1-4 Student will demonstrate an understanding that a decrease in natural resources is directly related to the increase in

human population. Obj. E.8.10.1 Read and evaluate scientific information about advancements in renewable and nonrenewable resources. Propose and defend ways to decrease national and global dependency on nonrenewable resources.

What are Natural Resources

Natural Resources are parts of the environment that are useful or necessary for the survival of living organisms

o Food, Shelter, Making energy/electricity

Two Types of Natural Resources

Renewable Resources Nonrenewable Resources

Definition Natural resources that are constantly being replaced by natural processes

Resources that are used up more quickly than they can be replaced by natural processes

2 Examples

Types of Nonrenewable Resources o Fossil Fuels form deep in Earth’s crust over hundreds of millions of years ago from the remains of

once living organisms o Formed during the carboniferous period o The type of fossil fuel depends on three factors:

Type of organic matter Temperature & pressure Length of time buried

3 types of fossil fuels: coal, petroleum, natural gas

Type of Fossil Fuel

Description/Formation

Reserves Uses

Coal

A sedimentary rock formed over millions of year from dead plant matter that is buried underwater.

• The largest proved coal reserves are available in: China & Russia

• The US is the international leader in coal reserves, with nearly 30% of the world’s supply, according to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy

• Most coal is used to produce electricity at power plants.

• Other uses include smelting steel & making bricks

Petroleum (oil)

Formed from the remains of microscopic marine organisms known as plankton buried in Earth’s ocean crust millions of years ago.

• The largest petroleum reserves are in Saudi Arabia and Canada

• One barrel of crude oil provides about 45 gallons of petroleum products.

• The most common uses for petroleum are making gasoline & diesel for the transportation industry.

• Modern uses of petroleum also include the production of plastics

Natural gas

A colorless, odorless gas made mostly of methane that formed from extreme heat & pressure near petroleum reserves

The largest natural gas reserves are in Russia and Iran

• Natural gas is mostly used to produce heat in homes

• Examples: gas fire place, heater, gas stove

Humans rely HEAVILY on Nonrenewable Resources for ENERGY • Fossil Fuels are the number one resource to produce energy in two major industries

o Transportation o Production of electricity

Energy Production • When fossil fuels are burned, the chemical energy that is released can be transfer to another form of

energy, such as heat, light, motion, or electricity. • Combustion is the process of burning fossil fuels to release energy.

o Carbon dioxide and water vapor are also release during the chemical reaction

Advantages of using fossil fuels • Stores large amounts of chemical energy • Easily converted into electrical energy • Relatively inexpensive technology is needed to produce energy • Easy to transport from one location to another so power plants can be built anywhere

Disadvantages of using fossil fuels • Mining destroys or disrupts habitats

Costly to locate and mine • LIMITED SUPPLY

Often located in politically unstable countries. • POLLUTION

Occurs on the surface of earth as well as in the atmosphere when too much CO2 and H2O are added

Greenhouse Effect The greenhouse effect is the natural trapping of the Sun’s heat by the Earth’s atmosphere Gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect include water vapor, carbon dioxide CO2, and methane

Global Warming As more CO2 is added, the atmosphere traps more heat, causing global warming

What claims could be made based on the graphs?

Effects of Global Warming

• Changes rainfall patterns. • May increase the amount of storms and hurricanes. • Could cause the polar ice caps to melt. • Sea-level rise How can we decrease national & global dependency on nonrenewable resources • Using alternate resources • Using renewable resources • Conservation of nonrenewable resources

Earth’s Natural Resources E.8.10.1-4 Alternate & Renewable Resources

E.8.10.2 Create and defend a proposal for reducing the environmental effects humans have on

Earth (e.g., population increases, consumer demands, chemical pollution, deforestation, and

change in average annual temperature). E.8.10.3 Using scientific data, debate the societal advantages and disadvantages of technological advancements in renewable energy sources.

We can decrease national & global dependency on nonrenewable resources by… Using Alternate Energy Sources

Nuclear energy is a nonrenewable resource that releases heat when the nuclei of uranium atoms are split

o Advantage: Small amounts produce large amounts of energy o Disadvantage: Produces dangerous radioactive wastes.

Using Renewable Resources to decrease dependency on nonrenewable resources

Hydroelectric energy is produced when flowing water is used to turn the turbine in a generator to make electricity.

o Dams store up water in a reservoir producing potential energy that allows water to flow quickly when the dam is open

o Other forms Hydroelectric (water energy) Waterpower: Tidal Energy is produced from large underwater turbines that are placed in

areas with high tidal movements, and are designed to capture the kinetic motion of ocean tides to produce electricity

Wave power

Wind Energy generates electricity by using windmills to turn the blades of a generator.

Geothermal energy is heat energy contained in Earth’s crust used to produce steam to generate electricity.

Advantages• No waste or pollution

• Reduces the use of nonrenewable resources

• Hydro-electric power stations can increase to full power very quickly

Disadvantages• Dams cause environmental harm to habitats

and wildlife

• Large scale usage is limited to areas with fast moving rivers or larger tidal activity

• Production of electricity can be affected by drought

Advantages• Nonpolluting

• Relatively inexpensive

• The land beneath can usually still be used for farming.

Disadvantages•Wind is not always predictable

•Can kill birds

•Noise pollution

•Large-scale use is limited to areas with steady strong winds

•Requires large amounts of space for wind farms

Advantages• Nonpolluting

• Do not require large amounts of space

• Once you've built a geothermal power station, the energy is inexpensive.

Disadvantages• Large scale production is limited to areas that

have plate tectonic activity

• Deep Drilling can be difficult & can lead to habitat destruction

Biomass Energy is an energy source made from living or recently living organisms • Burning wood to produce heat for electricity production • Burning crop waste or converting crops to liquid biofuels like Ethanol • Burning garbage waste from garbage • Using landfill, animal waste, or human waste to produce biogases that can be burned to produce

heat

Solar energy is produce from the sun’s radiation • Photovoltaic cells are devices that convert light energy into electric energy • Leading renewable resource

Impacts of Population increase on Natural resources Supply & demand Carry capacity: the largest number of individuals of a given species that Earth’s resources can support & maintain for a long time Rate of depletion of nonrenewable resources increases Greater amount of pollution Using conservation to decrease dependency on nonrenewable resources Conserving Natural Resources Conservation: Methods that reduce the amount of natural resources being depleted and protects them from harm The Three R’s of Conservation Reduce: using less products that require the use of burning fossil fuels Ex. Ride a bike, don’t get a bag for one item Reuse: Use products more than once without changing or reprocessing it Ex. Tire swing, donate clothing, reusable plates Recycle: a form of reuse that requires changing or reprocessing an item or natural resource Things that can be recycled include glass, metals, paper, plastics, kitchen waste THE END

Advantages

• The fuel tends to be cheaper.

• Less demand on the Earth’s nonrenewable resources.

• Reduces amount of material in landfills

Disadvantages

• Air pollution occurs when burning biomass *greenhouse gases

• Less energy efficient than fossil fuels

Advantages• Nonpolluting

• Used in almost any location

• Free unlimited energy

• No waste or pollution

Disadvantages• No energy produced at night

• Less energy produced on cloudy days.

• Very expensive to build solar power stations.

• Solar cells cost are expensive

• Can be unreliable unless you're in a very sunny climate.

• Requires large surface areas to produce electricity on a grand scale

Using scientific data, debate the societal advantages and disadvantages of technological advancements in renewable energy sources Obj. E.8.10.3