TECHNOLOGY, ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY

(TES)

Environment(3 hours)
Definition,
Importance, ecology & ecosystem,
Conservation of environment,

Optimum utilization of natural resources,

Renewable and non renewable resources,
Conflict of resources,
Global environmental issues,
Environmental issues of Nepal

Optimum utilization of natural

resources

Optimum utilization of natural

resources
For most of us, conflict over natural resources is not a part of everyday life. We wake up

in the morning and turn on the faucets to brush our teeth, shower, and drink a glass of
water. We drive to and from work, school, and other activities, stopping every so often to
fill up the tank with gas. We use energy to heat our homes, to cook food, to light our
streets. Processed timber is used to form our desks, pencils, and paper. We sometimes
buy diamond jewelry as a token of love or status. But in many areas around the world,
access to natural resources cannot be taken for granted. According to the United
Nations, many women walk several hours a day just to find water; and more than two
million people, most of them children, die from diseases associated with water stresses
each year.
Some experts are predicting that the worlds supply of oil will run out in the not too
distant future. And almost half of our old growth forests have been destroyed.

Optimum utilization of natural

resources
The World Bank defines natural resources as materials that occur in nature and are

essential or useful to humans, such as water, air, land, forests, fish and wildlife, topsoil,
and minerals.3 These resources can be classified as renewable or nonrenewable.
In most cases, renewable resources such as cropland, forests, and water can be
replenished over time by natural processes andif not overusedare indefinitely
sustainable.
Nonrenewable resources such as diamonds, minerals, and oil are found in finite
quantities, and their value increases as supplies dwindle. A nations access to natural
resources often determines its wealth and status in the world economic system.

What is energy?

In Layman terms, Energy is the amount of force or power when applied can move one
object from one position to another or Energy defines the capacity of a system to do
work. Energy exists in everybody whether they are human beings or animals or non
living things for e.g.: Jet, Light, Machines etc..
Energy is broadly classified into two main groups: Renewable and Non-renewable

Optimum utilization of natural

resources
nine major areas of

energy resources.
two categories:
nonrenewable and
renewable.
Nonrenewable energy
resources, like coal,
nuclear, oil, and natural
gas, are available in
limited supplies. This is
usually due to the long
time it takes for them to
be replenished.
Renewable resources are
replenished naturally and
over relatively short
periods of time. five
major renewable energy
resources are solar, wind,
water (hydro), biomass,
and geothermal.

Optimum utilization of natural

resources
Pros

The sun, wind, geothermal, ocean energy are available in the abundant quantity and free
to use.
The non-renewable sources of energy that we are using are limited and are bound to

expire one day.

Renewable sources have low carbon emissions, therefore they are considered as green
and environment friendly.
Renewable helps in stimulating the economy and creating job opportunities. The money
that is used to build these plants can provide jobs to thousands to lakhs of people.
You dont have to rely on any third country for the supply of renewable sources as in case
of non-renewable sources.
Renewable sources can cost less than consuming the local electrical supply. In the long
run, the prices of electricity are expected to soar since they are based on the prices of
crude oil, so renewable sources can cut your electricity bills.
Various tax incentives in the form of tax waivers, credit deductions are available for
individuals and businesses who want to go green.

Optimum utilization of natural

resources

Cons
It is not easy to set up a plant as the initial costs are quite steep.
Solar energy can be used during the day time and not during night or rainy season.

Geothermal energy which can be used to generate electricity has side effects too. It can
bring toxic chemicals beneath the earth surface onto the top and can create
environmental changes.
Hydroelectric provide pure form of energy but building dams across the river which is
quite expensive can affect natural flow and affect wildlife.

To use wind energy, you have to rely on strong winds therefore you have to choose
suitable site to operate them. Also, they can affect bird population as they are quite high.
Non-Renewable Energy
Non-Renewable energy is the energy which is taken from the sources that are available
on the earth in limited quantity and will vanish fifty-sixty years from now. Non-

renewable sources are not environmental friendly and can have serious affect on our
health. They are called non-renewable because they cannot be re-generated within a
short span of time. Non-renewable sources exist in the form of fossil fuels, natural gas,
oil and coal.
Here are some of the pros and cons of using non-renewable sources of energy:8

Optimum utilization of natural

resources
Pros

Non-renewable sources are cheap and easy to use. You can easily fill up your car tank and
power your motor vehicle.
You can use small amount of nuclear energy to produce large amount of power.

Non-renewable have little or no competition at all. For eg: if you are driving a battery
driven car your battery gets discharged then you wont be able to charge it in the middle
if the road rather it is easy to find a gas pumping station.
They are considered as cheap when converting from one type of energy to another.
Cons

Non-renewable sources will expire some day and we have to us our endangered resources
to create more non-renewable sources of energy.
The speed at which such resources are being utilized can have serious environmental
changes.
Non-renewable sources release toxic gases in the air when burnt which are the major

cause for global warming.

Since these sources are going to expire soon, prices of these sources are soaring day by
day.

Optimum utilization of natural

resources
Why Should we Conserve Energy?

Energy needs to be conserved to protect our environment from drastic changes, to save
the depleting resources for our future generations.The rate at which the energy is being
produced and consumed can damage our world in many ways. In other words, it helps us
to save the environment. We can reduce those impacts by consuming less energy.The
cost of energy is rising every year. It is important for us to realize how energy is useful to
us and how can we avoid it getting wasted.
To start saving energy is not a big thing at all. We can start saving the energy from our
home itself, just by turning off the lights during day hours, washing clothes in cold water
or using public transport instead of using our own vehicle and later can implement these

things on much wider scale at society level, then at city level then district level and
finally at country level. You might notice a small change in your monthly bills by
implementing these changes as they would be getting decreased more and more.With so
many alternatives and so many techniques about there, if millions of people like us start
doing these things, it will help us to save much more money and also help the
environment.
- See more at: http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/#sthash.IhYcD4Ts.dpuf

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Types of Natural Resources

The

World Bank defines natural resources as

materials that occur in nature and are essential or
useful to humans, such as water, air, land, forests, fish
and wildlife, topsoil, and minerals. These resources
can be classified as renewable or nonrenewable. In
most cases, renewable resources such as cropland,
forests, and water can be replenished over time by
natural processes andif not overusedare
indefinitely
sustainable. Nonrenewable resources
such as diamonds, minerals, and oil are found in finite
quantities, and their value increases as supplies
dwindle. A nations access to natural resources often
determines its wealth and status in the world
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economic system.

Types of Natural Resources

Below are some categories of natural resources. agriculture,
though strongly linked to natural resources, is generally not
thought of as a natural resource as it depends largely on
cultivation. However, economies that are heavily dependent
on agriculture certainly depend heavily on other natural
resources such as water and land. This list is one of many
ways to categorize natural resources. Because the concept of
natural resources is
broad, the categorizations and
definitions of natural resources can vary among disciplines.
Other examples of categorization are: strategic raw materials,
sources of energy, shared water resources, and food; and
biological resources, energy resources, food resources, land
resources, mineral resources, soil resources, and water
resources.
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