Sustainable Use of Resources
- We use many resources from the Earth; some, such as food, water and wood, are sustainable resources
- A sustainable resource is produced as rapidly as it is removed from the environment so that it does not run out
- Some resources, such as fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas), are non-renewable because what we use cannot be replaced
- These resources, once used, cannot be produced any more and so they need to be conserved by reducing the amount we use and finding other, sustainable resources to replace them
- Fossil fuels are being used as an energy source in increasing amounts
- In addition, they are the raw materials for many other products we make - eg almost all manufactured plastics start with oil as a raw material
- Some products, especially those made from paper, plastic, glass or metal, can be reused and recycled - this reduces waste in the environment and reduces the amounts of raw materials and energy needed to make new products
- Some resources, such as forests and fish stocks, can be maintained - enabling us to harvest them sustainably so that they will not run out in the future