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About Green Skills

Natural resources fall under the following main categories:

Inexhaustible Resources: The resources which cannot be exhausted by human consumption are called inexhaustible resources. These include energy sources like solar radiation, wind power, water power and tidal power, etc.

Exhaustible Resources: There are some resources, which are available in limited quantities and are going to be exhausted as a result of continuous use. For example, the stock of coal in the earth is limited and one day there will be no more coal available for our use, if we keep on using it excessively.

Renewable Resources: Renewable resources are those that are constantly available (like water) or can be reasonably replaced or recovered, like vegetative lands. Even though some renewable resources can be replaced, they may take many years to form and that does not make them renewable. Some of the exhaustible resources are naturally regenerated after consumption and are known as renewable resources. e.g., Forest trees and plants that make a forest may be destroyed but new ones grow in their place. But if forest is totally cut down to get land for construction of buildings, it is lost forever.
Non-Renewable Resources: Non-renewable resources are those that cannot easily be replaced once they are destroyed. For example, fossil fuels. Minerals are also non-renewable because even though they form naturally in a process called the rock cycle, it can take thousands of years, making it non-renewable. Non-renewable resources can be called inorganic resources if they come from non-living things. For example, minerals, wind, land, soil and rocks.

Natural Resources

A resource can be defined as any natural or artificial substance, energy or organism, which is used by human being for its welfare. Ever since the earth was inhabited, humans and other life forms have depended on things that exist freely in nature to survive. These things include water, land, soils, rocks, forests, animals, fossil fuels and minerals. They are called natural resources as they are the basis of life on earth.

Table 5.1 : Diference Between Non-Renewable Resources and Renewable Resources

Non-Renewable Resources	Renewable Resources
Coal Coal is one of the cheapest sources of fuel.It is used in power houses, factories and houses for cooking and heating.	Water Only about 2.5 % of water on earth is fresh water. Energy from rivers is used to make electricity. Energy produced by tides in sea and oceans can also be converted into electricity.
Petroleum It includes petrol, diesel and mineral oils. It is used to run motor vehicles, furnaces and power-houses.	Sun Sun's energy can be used to generate electricity. These are used in calculators, street lamps, and even in room heaters and water heaters.
LPG Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is made from petroleum gas. LPG is used for cooking and also for running vehicles.	Wind The energy from the force of the wind is wind energy. This energy can be used for work as grinding grain, pumping water, etc. This energy can also be converted to electricity.
Natural Gas It is formed by decomposition of dead animals and plants that are buried under lakes and oceans. It is found above the oil in the oil wells. Compressed natural gas (CNG) is used for running vehicles.	Biomass Energy can be produced by wastes from plants and animals. It can be used for any heating purpose, such as cooking. It can also be used to produce electricity and heat.
Nuclear Plants Nuclear energy is made available to us with the help of nuclear power plants. Nuclear energy is becoming a common source of electricity throughout the world. It has the danger of causing great harm in case of an accident.	Soil Nutrients in the soil helps plants grow. Soil is used to provide shelter. Soil quality gets damaged due to addition to harmful chemicals, land pollution, construction activities, and cutting down of trees.
Minerals The earth contains minerals like gold, bauxite, mica, iron-ore and many others. They are reducing as larger and deeper mines are being dug to obtain these minerals. Mining these minerals causes damage to the earth.	Forests Forests are necessary to preserve ecology. They play an important role in providing clean air and attracting rain clouds. They also provide the wood, fruits, and plant products which have medicinal value.

Pollution is never a solution

This word is derived from the Latin word “polluere” meaning “to soil” or “defile (contaminate)”. Pollution is caused by pollutants, which may be solid, liquid or gaseous in nature. Pollution is the effect of undesirable changes in our surroundings that have harmful effects on plants, animals and human beings. Pollutants are produced due to human activity, which have a detrimental effect on our environment. For example, factories consume a lot of water and electricity and release harmful chemicals in air, land and water, thus contaminating the atmosphere. Water pollution caused by factories and other industries can be the most serious problem. They also pollute the air through fossil fuel emissions. These emissions include carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, which are harmful to the living beings.

Table 5.2 : Pollutants

Pollutants that can decompose	pollutants that connot decompose
Pollutants that break down into simpler, harmless substances naturally (by the action of moisture and bacteria) are called biodegradable pollutants.	Pollutants which cannot be broken down into simpler and harmless substances are called non-biodegradable pollutants. The harmful effect caused by these pollutants will be there for hundreds of years.
Examples: vegetable waste, sewage waste, paper, wood, cattle dung, agricultural waste from organic farms, etc.	Examples: plastics, insecticides, pesticides, chemicals like mercury or lead, aluminium, glass, etc.

Some of the other factors responsible for polluting the environment are as follows:

• Exhaust fumes released from vehicle pollutes the air.
• Excessive use of chemicals in agriculture (like insecticides and fertilisers) affect the alkailinity of the soil or the soil pH. It adversely affects the health of microorganisms and other organisms in the soil.
• Plastic waste like bottles, bags, etc., thrown on land and sea pollutes the water and destroys the flora and fauna.
• Dangerous gases (cholorofluorocarbons or CFCs, methane, carbon dioxide, etc.) released into the air.
The various types of pollution are summarised in Table 5.3 .

Table 5.3 : Types Of Pollution

	Land Pollution	water pollution	air pollution
What happens because of this pollution?	• Diseases, such as dysentery, cholera and typhoid • Less land is available for use of forests, farms or homes	• Diseases, such as dysentery, diarrhoea, jaundice, typhoid, etc. • Local earnings, like tourism, fishing, etc. are adversely affected. • Less drinking water	• Heart and breathing problems and cancers. • Climate change, droughts, famines and floods
Why does it happen?	• Cutting down forests • Harmful pesticides and fertilisers • Mining and heavy construction • Release of sewage, toilet waste, waste from houses/factories, and chemical waste	• Throwing waste in water • Leakage from sewer lines • Release of waste water from houses, farms and factories • Accidental oil leakage from ships	• Burning of fuels • Smoke from traffic • Burning waste and remains of crops • Pesticides and fertilisers • Smoke from factories • Dust from construction
How to prevent it?	• Reduce waste • Segregate (separate) waste products • Plant trees • Adopt natural and organic farming methods • Use biodegradable items	• Do not throw waste into water bodies • Do not throw chemicals, medicines, oils, etc., in drains • Avoid using pesticides and fertilisers • Ensure proper treatment of sewage and factory waste • Use water wisely	• Use renewable sources of energy • Avoid polluting vehicles • Stop others from burning waste and left-over crops • Avoid pesticides and fertilisers which release harmful gases

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