Earth and Science Lesson 2 grade 7

• Natural resources


  Materials created in nature that are used and usable by humans
• The Philippines


  • Rich in natural resources
  • Different landforms and bodies of water have influenced the diversity of flora and fauna
  • Landforms, bodies of water, and plants and animals may be classified as renewable or nonrenewable
• Renewable resources


  Can be replaced naturally within a short amount of time
• Nonrenewable resources


  Take billions of years to be replenished
• Water


  The most abundant natural resource on Earth, covering more than 70% of Earth's surface
• Water is considered an infinitely renewable resource, but only a fraction of the total water on Earth is available for human consumption</b>
• The usable water or fresh water, is also not always available when needed
• Most of Earth's fresh water is stored in polar ice caps and glaciers
• The water cycle replenishes surface water and groundwater resources, but the amount of precipitation is not evenly-distributed across Earth

  
• The Philippines


  • As an archipelago, has an abundance of water resources
  • Surface water comes from rivers, streams, lakes, and other bodies of water
  • The Philippine marine territorial waters represent the Exclusive Economic Zone, which covers 2.2 million km²

  
• Uses of water


  • Drinking
  • Cooking
  • Bathing
  • Cooling
  • Electricity generation
• Irresponsible use of water

  Can damage resources
• Power stations use water from a source such as river for cooling purposes, and then return the water to the river at a higher temperature, decreasing the oxygen supply and affecting fish and other aquatic organisms
• Philippine waters


  • Serve as habitat to over 2,400 species of aquatic and marine animals and plants
  • Harvested for local consumption and export
  • Provide sources of income for many Filipinos
  • Have medicinal, aesthetic, and intrinsic values
• The Philippines has diverse marine species, including corals, shellfish, and pearls
• Of the 500 known coral species worldwide, 488 are found in the Philippines
• The diversity of coral species in the Philippines may be due to the country's location near the equator, where the temperature of seawater favors the growth of corals
• Mangroves and seagrass beds

  • Found in the Philippines' coastal areas
  • Mangroves are vital parts of coastal ecosystems, serving as breeding grounds for fish and other aquatic organisms
  • Fallen leaves and branches of mangroves provide organic nutrients for marine life
  • Help stabilize shorelines and lessen the effects of typhoons
• Many mangrove forests have been destroyed by human activities, with some mangrove areas converted for aquaculture practices
• Some of the Philippines' best saltwater fishing areas

  • Sitangkai Island in Tawi-Tawi
  • Estancia in Iloilo
  • Malampaya in Palawan
  • Lingayen Gulf in Pangasinan
  • San Miguel Bay in Camarines Norte
  • Seas located in the provinces of Quezon and Sorsogon
• Some of the Philippines' biggest fishing lakes

  • Laguna de Bay
  • Taal Lake in Batangas
  • Bato Lake in Camarines Sur
  • Naujan Lake in Mindoro
  • Mainit Lake in Surigao del Norte
• The Philippines' forests


  • Serve as habitat to a diverse species of animals, including those that are found exclusively in the country
  • Provide forest products such as timber, logs, rattan, bamboo, wild orchids, ferns, and other plants
• Many of the 13,500 different species of plants in the Philippines serve as foods, construction materials, raw materials, and ornaments
• Minerals


  Naturally occurring, inorganic elements or compounds in solid, crystalline form
• The Philippines is rich in metallic minerals such as nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, zinc, iron, and copper ores, with the country's metal deposits estimated at 21.5 billion metric tons
• The Philippines also has abundant nonmetal deposits, including clay, limestone, marble, guano, asphalt, feldspar, sulfur, talc, silicon, and phosphate
• Some pure metals obtained from ores are not useful in their pure form, and are mixed with other metals to create alloys in order to enhance their properties
• Mining and processing of minerals may be harmful to humans and animals, as minerals are crushed into fine dust that can be inhaled, and poisonous chemical elements may be released when minerals are dissolved in water or other solvents
• The destruction of landforms is another negative effect of mining, as building mines involves the construction of shafts or tunnels that extend deep into the ground or the excavation of huge sections of mountains
• Organic substances


  May occur in liquid form (oil and petroleum) and gaseous form (natural gas), and are used as fuels
• The Philippines has its own oil wells, with three oil fields in Palawan producing a total of 8.95 million barrels of oil since 1992
• The Philippines has an immense potential for coal resources, with a total production of 13.26 million metric tons in 2020, and about 52% of the country's coal resources found in the small island of Semirara
• The Philippines also has natural gas reserves, with the San Antonio Gas Field in Isabela and the Camago-Malampaya field in Palawan producing significant amounts of natural gas
• The Philippines is the world's third largest producer of geothermal energy, with five geothermal fields in the country projected to generate 2.1 gigawatts by 2025
• Aside from the energy sources mentioned, the Philippines also uses biomass, agricultural waste, alcohol, coconut oils, biogas, solar energy, wind, and other new and renewable energy sources
• Sustainability


  Providing for the present needs of people in a way that does not jeopardize the needs of people in the future
• The water cycle can be disrupted by human activities such as withdrawing large quantities of fresh water from streams and clearing forests, which can lead to changes in water volume in surface and underground water resources and impact the supply of fresh water
• Water pollution driven by human activities, such as the use of chemical fertilizers and the disposal of household and industrial wastes, also threatens the supply of clean water on Earth
• Algal blooms caused by phosphates from detergents and other sources reduce the ability of fish and other aquatic organisms to find food, and toxic metals in wastes can be ingested by fish and shellfish, causing health problems in humans who consume them
• Plastics and other nonbiodegradable wastes contribute to water pollution, killing large numbers of fish and other aquatic organisms, and clogging waterways, leading to flooding