S0CIAL STUDIESChapter 3: Earth’s Resources

6th AMs. Kathy Castillo

Introduction Imagine that you are planning to take a long trip

through outer space. What will you need to take with you? Remember, you must take everything that you will need to live. You will need food, water, air, clothing, tools, and fuel. Oil and coal are examples of fuels that are used to run engines. All of these things are resources. Resources are the things people use to meet their needs.

You use resources every day. Every time you eat food or drink water, you are using resources. Earth is like a giant spaceship that contains the resources humans need to survive.

Renewable Resources

Renewable resources are resources that can be used over and over again.

The supply will never be depleted.

Any material or energy source that cycles or can be replaced within the period of a human life span.

Examples of Renewable Resources

Crops Soil Wind Water The Sun

Nonrenewable Resources Nonrenewable resources are those resources that

Earth made long time ago. They cannot be made again, except over a very long period of time.

These resources were once the remains of plant and animal life.

Over a period of millions of years, heat and pressure deep inside the Earth turned these remains into such things as oil, coal, and naturals gas.

Many of these nonrenewable resources are important because they can be used as fuel.

Examples of Nonrenewable Resources

Fossil Fuels Rocks Ores

*The burning of fossil fuels is dangerous to the Earth.

World´s main sources of energy: Fossil Fuels

Coal – Beginning in the 1800s, coal was burned to make steam. The steam was used to run engines in trains, ships, and other machines. Coal is still used today. It supplies about 30 % of the world´s energy.

Petroleum - also called oil; found at the bottom of reservoirs in the ground; used to make gasoline, airplane fuel and to heat homes.

Natural Gas - found at the top of reservoirs in the ground; used to heat homes and factories.

Farm Products and Lumber Plants and trees are

another resource that people use. Farm products such as wheat, vegetables, and fruits are important because all people depend on them for food.

Trees also provide us with an important resource—lumber. With lumber from forests, we build houses and make paper.

ConservationMany of the resources could run out very soon. This is one reasonwhy people today are thinking about conservation.

Conservation means saving. We must save resources and use themcarefully.

It is important to save both renewable and nonrenewable resources.

Saving a Rain Forest Saving natural regions on Earth

is also a part of conservation.

The largest rain forest in the world is the Amazon rain forest in South America. It makes up to 60% of the world´s oxygen.

In recent years, it has been damaged by people cutting and burning the trees. If this continues, the rain forest may be destroyed. Life on Earth would be hurt by the loss of the Amazon rain forest. For this reason, people all over the world are working to save the it.

Pollution

Pollution, or the dirtying of Earth’s air and water, is one problem created by factories, automobiles, and machines.

Air Pollution The air around us sometimes contain many

kinds of pollution because of the gases released by coal, oil, and gasoline.

Polluted air can make it hard to breathe and can harm crops and animals.

Water Pollution Water pollution happens

when garbage and other wastes are put into rivers and oceans.

Oil spills and a dangerous kind of pollution. These happen when large ships that carry oil spill the oil into oceans.

Accidents sometimes make holes in the sides of the ships. Then oil spills into the water.

People today are working hard to find answers to the pollution problem.