Nonrenewable Resources
Anonrenewable resourceis a natural resource that exists in fixed amounts (relative to
our time frame) and can be consumed or used up faster than it can be made by nature. It
cannot be regenerated or restored on a time scale compared to its consumption. Two main
types of nonrenewable resources are fossil fuels and nuclear power.
- Fossil fuels,such as petroleum, coal, and natural gas:
- Have formed from plant remains (for coal) and phyto- and zoo-plankton remains (for
oil) over periods from 50 to 350 million years ago! - Has been estimated that 20 metric tons of phytoplankton produce one liter of gasoline!
- Have been consuming fossil fuels for less than 200 years, yet remaining reserves of oil
can supply our needs for only 45 years; of gas, for only 72 years; and of coal, for 252
years
- Nuclear power
- Limited uranium fuel supplies; could last 70 years at current rates of use.
- Known and unknown reserves are probably much larger.
- New technologies could make some reserves more useful.
Population growth; industrialization, especially in developing countries; and advances in
technology place increasing pressures on how fast we consume natural resources. An unequal
distribution of wealth, technology, and energy use suggest that developing nations will even
further their increase of demands on natural resources (Figure25.17).
Figure25.17: Percapitaenergyconsumption(2003)showstheunequaldistributionofwealth,
technology, and energy use. ( 26 )
That is not to say that all is doom and gloom either. Improvements in technology, conser-
vation of resources, and controls in population growth could all help to lessen the demand
on natural resources.