Federal University, Oye-Ekiti

Faculty: Humanities and Social Sciences

Department: Economics and Development

Studies

Name: ADELEKE SAHEED IDOWU

Matric Number: EDS/12/0641

Course Title: Philosophy, history and

development

Course Code: GST 104

Essay Topic: Renewable and non renewableresources.

Lecturer: Dr Ogunjobi

Aug, 2013

RENEWABLE AND NON RENEWABLE RESOURCES

What are resources?

Resources are things humans can use to help them live and work.

According to Oxford dictionary, a resource is a supply of

something that a country, or a person has and can use, especially

to increase their wealth. Examples are exploitation of mineral and

other natural resources. It can also be defined as the recovery of

waste products to convert into materials that can be used again. A

resource is a naturally occurring, exploitable material that a

society perceives to be useful to its economic and material well-

being (Introduction to Geography, Arthur Getis,13th Ed).

There are two types of resources, these are:

i) Natural resources or sources of energy ii) Artificial

resources.

Natural resources are materials or things that people use from the

earth. It is the natural processes and forces persistent in the

natural environment (www.cas.psu.edu). Natural resources are all

the things on Earth that support life. Plants, animals, air, and

water are natural resources. Natural resources are also things

that people use to make life easier (Encarta dictionary 2009). The

availability of natural resources is a function of two things: the

physical characteristics of the resources themselves and human

economic and technological conditions. The physical processes that

govern the formation, distribution, and occurrence of natural

resources are determined by physical laws over which people have

no direct control. We take what nature gives us. To be considered

a resource, however, a given substance must be understood to be a

resource. This is cultural, not purely a physical circumstance.

Natural resources are usually recognized as falling into

two broad classes:

1. Renewable resources

2. Non-renewable resources

RENEWABLE RESOURCES

What is renewable?

Renewable can be referred to as a resource that can be replenished

or reformed either naturally or by systemic recycling of used

resources. Renewable is resource or source of energy that is

replaced naturally or controlled carefully and can therefore be

used without the risk of finishing it all (Oxford dictionary).

According to Encarta 2009, renewable means a resource that is able

to be renewed and be capable of being begun or done again.

What are renewable resources?

Renewable resources, they are called renewable because they can

grow again or never run out. It can regrow or be replaced within a

person’s lifespan (Pennsylvania State University 2006). Renewable

resources are natural resources that can be replenished or top up

in a short period of time. A renewable resource is something that

is being continually replaced faster than we use it up. It is

renewed through exploration and technology, renewable resources

can be exhausted. They are naturally regenerated on a time frame

that is relevant to human exploitation (www.cas.psu.edu).

Renewable resources are an important aspect of

sustainability. Renewable resources are valuable because they

provide green energy. Renewable natural resources include those

resources useful to human economies that exhibit growth,

maintenance, and recovery from exploitation over an economic

planning horizon. The natural environment, with soil, water,

forests, plants and animals are all renewable resources, as long

as they are adequately monitored, protected and conserved.

Examples are:

●Trees:- Trees are a good example of renewable resources. If cut

down or replant, they can regrow from seeds and sprouts. Trees are

one of the most useful renewable natural resources. We use trees

to produce almost 8,000 different things. Wood is used to make

most of these products. Tree wood is in our homes, furniture,

industries, buildings, roads, factories, paper, and on and on.

Tree chemicals are also used to produce things like rayon cloth,

food, medicine, and rubber.

●Animals/Man:- Animals and human beings are another example. He

reproduces babies and grows up. They replace their old that die

and new ones comes to existence.

●Biomass:- Such as forest, agriculture, solid waste, and landfill

gases. It is the burning of plant material, is a renewable

resource. Even though the burning puts carbon dioxide into the

atmosphere, it also prevents a much greater amount of methane

being released by the decomposing vegetation, so it is rated as

positive to the livelihood (Wikipedia 2013).

Biomass is the term used for all organic material originating

from plants (including algae), trees and crops and is essentially

the collection and storage of the sun’s energy through

photosynthesis. Biomass energy or bio-energy is the conversion of

biomass into useful forms of energy such as heat, electricity and

liquid fuels. Biomass for bioenergy comes either directly from the

land, as dedicated energy crops, or from residues generated in the

processing of crops for food or other products such as pulp and

paper from the wood industry. Another important contribution is

from post consumer residue streams such as construction and

demolition wood, pallets used in transportation, and the clean

fraction of municipal solid waste (Source: R.P. Overend, NREL,

2000).

●Solar/Sun- It is considered as a renewable source of energy

because the sun's energy is continuous. The sun has produced

energy in the form of heat and light since the Earth formed. Solar

energy systems do not produce emissions and are often not harmful

to the environment. Thermal solar energy can heat water or

buildings. Photovoltaic devices, or solar cells, directly convert

solar energy into electricity. It ranges from small applications

that charge calculator and watch batteries, to large systems that

power residential dwellings ( Hearst Communications Inc. 2013).

●Water:- Water or hydropower is the renewable energy source that

produces the most electricity in the World. Water has a long

history as an energy source. In the 1880s, the Wolverine Factory

in Michigan made use of a water turbine and the first

hydroelectric plant was built on Wisconsin's Fox River to harness

the power of swiftly moving water. Hydroelectric power plants

proliferated with the ability to transmit electricity over longer

distances. The release as needed, of water stored in reservoirs

behind dams, rivers, tidal streams and ocean waves produces

electricity by spinning turbines as it flows through pipes.

Air, sun and water are renewable natural resources too. They

don’t regrow like plants nor have babies like animals and human

beings. But, they are always being renewed. They move in cycles:

they go from one place to another, and often back where they

started, again and again. This is a good thing, because all living

things need air and water to survive.

●Wind/Waves:- Wind is the moving air created as the sun heats the

Earth's surface. As long as the sun is shining, the wind remains

an infinite, renewable resource. Wind power is clean energy

because wind turbines do not produce any emissions. The classic

Dutch windmill harnessed the wind's energy hundreds of years ago.

Modern wind turbines with three blades dot the landscape today,

turning wind into electricity. It is the fastest-growing source of

new electric power, according to U.S. Energy Information

Administration (Hearst Communications Inc. 2013).

●Weather:- The weather is a set of all the phenomenon occurring in

a given atmosphere area at a given time. Most weather phenomenon

occurs in the troposphere just below the stratosphere. Weather

refers generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation

activity, whereas climate is the term for the average atmospheric

conditions over longer periods of time. The weather occurs due to

density of temperature and moisture differences between one place

and another. On the Earth’s surface, temperatures usually range

+_40 degrees C(100F to -40degree F) annually. Over thousands of

years, changes in the Earth’s orbit have affected the amount and

distribution of solar energy received by the Earth and influence

long-term climate. Human attempts to control the weather have

occurred throughout human history, and there is evidence that

human activity such as agriculture and industry has inadvertently

modified weather patterns.

●Atmosphere:- The atmosphere is the thin layer of gasses that

envelopes the Earth and held in place by the planet’s gravity. Dry

air consists of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% argon and other inert

gasses, such as carbon dioxide. The remaining gasses are often

referred to as trace gasses, among which are the greenhouse gasses

such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and

ozone. Filtered air includes trace amounts of many other chemical

compounds. Air also contains a variable amount of water vapor and

suspensions of water droplets and ice crystals seen as clouds.

Many natural substances may be present in tiny amounts in an

unfiltered air sample, including dust, pollen and spores, sea

spray, volcanic ash, and meteoroids. Lightening is an atmospheric

discharge of electricity accompanied by thunder, which typically

occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic

eruptions or dust storms.

NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES

Non-renewable resource is also known as a finite resource, it is a

natural resource that does not renew itself at a sufficient rate

for sustainable economic extraction in meaningful human timeframes

(Wikipedia 2013). A non-renewable resource is a natural resource

that cannot be re-made or re-grown at a scale comparable to its

consumption. Non-renewable can also be referred to as resources

which cannot be used again and again, like water and wind, and

will eventually run out and once they have been used they can’t be

used again. They are found in the ground. There are fixed amounts

of these resources. They are not living things, and they are

sometimes hard to find. They don’t regrow and they are not

replaced or renewed (www.resmarketplaces.org).

Non-renewable resources are resources for which there is a

limited supply. The supply comes from the Earth itself and, as it

typically takes millions of years to develop, is finite. Non-

renewable sources are sources of energy that have a limited supply

and will run out, and not be able to be used in the future. A non-

renewable resource is something that is not being replaced as we

consume it.

Categories of Non-renewable resources

Non-renewable resources can generally be separated into two main

categories; it includes:

i) Fossil fuels

ii) Nuclear fuels

Fossil fuels

Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources that cannot be

replenished in a short period of time. Fossil fuels are derived

from organic matter which has been trapped between layers of

sediments within the Earth for millions of years. The organic

matter, typically plants, have decomposed and compressed over

time, leaving what are known as fossil fuel deposits. These

deposits, and the materials produced from them, tend to be highly

combustible, making them an ideal energy source. They are

difficult to obtain as they are typically retrieved through

drilling or mining, but fossil fuels are worth the effort for the

sheer amount of energy they produce. 

Examples are:

●Crude oil ●Coal ●Petroleum

●Natural gas ●Gas

●Crude Oil/Petroleum

Crude oil is an example of non-renewable resource categorized as

fossil fuels that build up in liquid form between the layers of

the Earth’s crust. Billions of gallons of oil are used every year,

but it takes millions of years to be replaced. It is been used up

oil much much faster than it is being produced. Once we use up oil

from the earth, it's gone. We can't wait millions of years for

some more. It is retrieved by drilling deep into the ground and

pumping the liquid out. The liquid is then refined and used to

create many different products (www.bbc.co.uk)

Crude oil is a very versatile fuel and is used to make

gasoline and other fuels produce things like plastics as well as

plastics, such as grocery bags, artificial food flavourings,

heating oil, petrol, diesel, jet fuel, and propane. The top three

oil-producing countries are Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United

States (socrates.berkeley.edu).

●Coal

Coal is also an example of non-renewable resource categorized as

fossil fuels, it is the last of the major fossil fuels. It is

created by compressed organic matter; it is solid like rock and is

obtained through mining.

Coal is most typically used in home heating and the running of

power plants, it is used in industries. Out of all countries,

China produces the most coal by far. According to the Statistical Review

of World Energy 2011, China produced an astounding 48.3% (3,240

million tons) of the world’s coal in 2010, followed by the United

States who produced a mere 14.8%.

●Gas

Natural gasses are examples of non-renewable resources categorized

as fossil fuels, gathered below the Earth’s crust. It goes through

the process of drilling and pumped out like crude oil. It is an

essential sources of energy.

These gasses are most commonly used in home heating as well as gas

ovens and grills. In the presence, it is used for cooking. Methane

and ethane are the most common types of gasses obtained through

this process. Russia, Iran, and Qatar are the countries with the

largest recorded natural gas reserves (Statistical Review of World Energy

2011).

Nuclear fuels

Nuclear fuels are other form of non-renewable resource used to

produce energy. Nuclear fuels are key to maintaining the Earth's

environment since they are the cleanest of all non-renewable

resources. It is a naturally occurring element found within the

Earth's core. Nuclear fuels are primarily obtained through the

mining and refining.

Examples are:

●Uranium ore ●Metal ores ●Iron ore

●Uranium ore

Uranium is a naturally occurring element found within the Earth's

core. Most uranium deposits occur in small quantities which miners

gather together, refine, and purify. Once gathered, the uranium is

brought together and compounded into rods. The rods are then

submersed into tanks of water. When it reaches critical mass,

uranium begins to break down and release energy which heats the

water it is immersed in, this is known as "fission’’. The heated

water then creates pressure and it is this pressure which drives

the turbines that generate the electricity we use every day

(Dictionary Home 1996-2013).

●Metal ores

Metal ores are other examples of non-renewable resources. The

metals themselves are present in vast amounts in the earth's crust

which can never be exhausted, and which are continually being

concentrated and replenished over time scales of millions of

years, however their extraction by humans only occurs where they

are concentrated by natural processes such as heat, pressure,

organic activity, weathering and other processes to a level that

is economically extractable and where these processes occur or are

brought near the earth's surface, generally over tens of thousands

to millions of years. As such, localised deposits of metal ores

near the surface which can be extracted economically by humans are

non-renewable in human timeframes, but on a world scale metal ores

as a whole are inexhaustible, because the amount ultimately

available vastly exceeds human demand, on all timeframes. In other

words, metal ores are non-renewable, but generally inexhaustible.

In this respect, metal ores are considered vastly greater in

supply to fossil fuels because metal ores are formed by crustal

scale processes which make up a much larger portion of the earth's

near-surface environment than those that form fossil fuels and

without the need for specialized conditions where carbon based

life flourishes and fossil fuels can form

(businessDictionary.com).

●Iron ore

It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most

common element in the whole planet Earth, forming much of Earth’s

outer and inner core. The resources itself are in vast amounts in

the earth's crust, scales of millions of years. It is obtained

through mining. Iron chemical compounds, which include ferrous and

ferric compounds, have many uses. Iron oxide mixed with aluminium

powder can be ignited to create a thermite reaction, used in

welding and purifying ores. Iron plays an important role in

biology, blood circulation and is found in certain foods and

vegetables (Barbier, E. 2007, Natural resources and Economic

Development).

Difference between Renewable and Non Renewable ResourcesThe differences between renewable resources and non renewable

resources is that; renewable resources are re-producible things

such as farm crops or trees, which can be harvested and then grow

back and renew themselves cycle after cycle while non renewable

ones produce or grow once, after which they are harvested and die

completely ( ask.com 2013).

Renewable resources are infinite in supply, this resource type can

renew itself while non renewable resources are finite eventually,

if they are used up, there will be none left (www.ehow.com).

The resources we use that are not easily replaced are non

renewable resources, for example: Coal can take millions of years

to replace it. Sun and air have an unlimited supply, so they are

renewable resources.

When a natural resource is replaced by natural processes and this

at a rate that is comparable to the rate of human consumption, it

is considered a renewable resource while non renewable resource is

a natural resource that does not renew itself at a sufficient rate

for sustainable economic extraction in meaningful human

timeframes. A natural resource that cannot be remade or re-grown

at a scale comparable to its consumption.

Renewable resources can be easily replaced after they are used.

For example, sunlight, wind, beef, corn, and water while non-

renewable resources are very difficult, if not impossible to

replace once they have been used. Examples include gold, diamonds,

coal, oil, natural gas, and copper.

Non-renewable resources are resources that are hard to find and

this are resources that only found in few places like oil, gold,

coal, etc and we are not suppose to abuse while renewable

resources are resources that are always there and can be easily be

found everywhere like air.

Renewable resources:

1. Hydro-power (water)

2. Geothermal (heat from earth's interior--usually heat

from magma chambers)

3. Solar Energy

4 Wind energy (wind turbines with the intent of using

the wind to create energy)

5. Wood (forests if planted correctly)

6. Agriculture (plant and animals again, if utilized

responsibly)

7. Biomass (this includes wood and wood waste, landfill

gas, biogas, ethanol, and biodiesel)

Non renewable resources:

Examples of Non Renewable Resources

Non-renewable resources are resources for which there is a limited supply. The supply comes from the Earth itself and, as it typically takes millions of years to develop, is finite. 

Categories of Non-Renewable Resources

Non-renewable resources can generally be separated into two main categories; fossil fuels and nuclear fuels.

Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels are derived from organic matter which has been trapped between layers of sediments within the Earthfor millions of years.

1. Crude Oil/Petroleum

2. Natural Gas

3. Oil

4. Coal

Nuclear Fuels:

The other form of non-renewable resource used to produce

energy, nuclear fuels, is primarily obtained through the

mining and refining. It is a naturally occurring element

found within the Earth's core.

5. Copper

6. Gold

7. Uranium ore

8. Iron ore

CONCLUSIONNatural resources, both renewable and non renewable, are important

to all of us. Our future depends on them (Pennsylvania State

University, 2006). The natural environment encompasses all living

and non living things occurring naturally on Earth. Earth science

generally recognizes four spheres namely the lithosphere, the

hydrosphere, the atmosphere and the biosphere. Man’s impact on the

natural environment includes activities in ecosystem, habitat and

species: agriculture; energy; forestry; industry; transport;

recreation and infrastructures (Robert W. Christopherson 1996,

Geosystems: An Introduction to Physical Geography). The earth is

the natural environment in which enormous natural resources are

inhabited. The importances of the natural environment in various

ways have been unfolded, explained, and categorized based on their

nature of existence. The different ways in which the natural

environments have been influenced by human and their activities

which greatly have both negative and positive impacts have been

extensively expounded.

References

Barbier, E. 2007, Natural resources and Economic Development

businessDictionary.com

Dictionary Home 1996-2013

Encarta dictionary 2009

Hearst Communications Inc. 2013

Introduction to Geography, Arthur Getis,13th Ed

Oxford dictionary

Pennsylvania State University, 2006

R.P. Overend, NREL, 2000

Robert W. Christopherson 1996, Geosystems: An Introduction to

Physical Geography

socrates.berkeley.edu

Statistical Review of World Energy 2011

Wikipedia 2013

www.ask.com 2013

www.bbc.co.uk

www.cas.psu.edu

www.ehow.com

www.resmarketplaces.org