Coal, sunlight or forests: will it run out?
Find out how long twelve natural resources take to replace and what we use them for, from sunlight and wind to forests, groundwater, coal and petroleum, and sort them by whether they can run out.
Core concept
Sunlight, wind and tides never run out; forests, wildlife, fish and groundwater grow back if used wisely; coal, petroleum, natural gas and minerals took millions of years to form, so once used they are gone
Topic: Natural resources
Everything we use comes from nature, but not every resource lasts. Some are inexhaustible: sunlight, wind and the tides will be there however much we use them. Others are renewable: forests, wildlife, fish and groundwater can grow back or be refilled, but only if we take them more slowly than they recover; cut every tree or catch every fish and they are lost. The rest are exhaustible: coal, petroleum and natural gas, the fossil fuels, formed from living things buried millions of years ago, and minerals such as iron ore do not grow back at all. Once used, they are gone, so we must use them carefully, recycle metals and turn to the Sun and wind.
What you will learn
- Sort natural resources into inexhaustible, renewable and exhaustible.
- Explain why fossil fuels are exhaustible.
- Suggest ways to save exhaustible resources.
Before you start
- Know some natural resources and what we use them for.
Materials
- Pictures of the resources
- A notebook
Equipment
- None
Procedure
- Pick a resource card and find how long it takes to replace.
- Find what we use it for.
- Do this for at least eight resources, then sort them all.