Types of Natural

Resources
Nothing

in nature is a
resource. Some things
become resources.
Anonymous

Resources are Life

Air, water, soil: we must breathe, eat and have
shelter to live.
To meet our needs and wants we use
resources in many different ways.
Natural resources: material that comes from
our natural environment (raw)
In economics: needs = demands; wants:
supply

Types of Natural Resources

a) Renewable resources
b) Non- renewable resources
c) Flow resources

Renewable Resources

Soils

Can replace themselves once they have

been used.
e.g. trees in a forest; crops; natural fish
supplies
THESE RESOURCES REGROW OR
RENEW THEMSELVES IN A SHORT
PERIOD OF TIME
Vegetation
Wildlife

Non- renewable Resources

Gone once they are used
e.g. minerals such as gold, iron, nickel;
fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum
CAN ONLY BE CREATED UNDER VERY
SPECIFIC CONDITIONS
Petroleum

Natural
Gas

Coal

Flow Resources

Solar
Energy

Replaced by natural actions whether

humans use them or not

Wind

e.g. fresh water flowing through streams

and rivers because of precipitation;
ocean currents
EXIST B/C OF NATURAL SYSTEMS AND
NATURAL PROCESSES
Waves,
Air
Fresh water
Tides

Classify this resource!

Can resources overlap?

Can a resource be a combination of two of
the three types? YES.
e.g. trees that cant be grown back b/c of
farming activities can be classified as a
non-renewable resource
Other examples: fish and minerals.
Explain?

Refer to your textbookPage 166,

Figure 10.3

Do you remember what a Venn diagram

represents? Use your knowledge of this
graphic organizer to understand its
contents.

Fact File
- People in richer parts of the
country use the most resources.
- In Canada, each individual uses
up to 85 tonnes of natural
resources per year!
- Thats more than 300 large
shopping bags of natural
resources per week!

You are important

Recycling metals
Aluminum pop cans are made from bauxite,
a mineral dug from the ground.
NOT recycling pop cans means that the
bauxite is rapidly being used up, and will be
gone forever!
It also means that more energy (money and
human/machine power) must be used to
process the aluminum needed to replace the
pop cans.

Recycling metals
Saves valuable non-renewable minerals
and energy
It helps protect our natural environment

Almost all natural resources

must be changed before we
use them.
This is called PROCESSING.

e.g. trees, iron ore, fish, crude oil.

Refer to pg. 168 or your textbook, Figure
10.7
------------------------------------------------------------Figure 10.8
Looking at the four pictures, can you tell the
story of how a pair of blue jeans is made?

Processing Resources
E.g. A pair of blue jeans
Step 1: cotton is grown and picked
Step 2: cotton transported to mill and woven together
to make thread
Step 3: Large machines weave threads together to
make fabric
Step 4: cloth is dyed blue or black
Step 5: shipped to a clothing manufacturer
Step 6: fabric cut into shapes, sewn together, labels
are attached- jeans shipped to store

Advanced Technology
- Humans have learned over time how to
process our natural resources to better
meet our needs.
- As technology changes, sop does our
use for natural resources.

E.g. CLOTHING
(Figure 10.9)
Early: raw materials in environment. Animal
skins, leaves, and bark. Processing:
cleaning and sharpening materials.
~ Caveman/woman style clothing~

E.g. CLOTHING
(Figure 10.9)
Middle: weaves fabric out of plants material
such as cotton and flax, or animal
products like wool. Needs some
processing of raw materials.
~ Early settlers & fur traders~

E.g. CLOTHING
(Figure 10.9)
Modern: makes fabrics and coverings out
of human-made materials such as nylon.
Raw materials include petroleum (which
plastic is made from). Needs A LOT of
processing!
~ Astronaut~