M11

• Natural resource


  Any material or substance that exist in nature and is valued by people to serve and enhance the community
• Types of natural resources based on origin

  • Biotic: Obtained from the biosphere (living and organic material), and the materials that can be obtained from them
  • Abiotic: Resources that come from non-living, non-organic material
• Types of natural resources based on recovery rate

  • Renewable: Resources that can be replenished naturally
  • Non-renewable: Resources that form slowly, or those that do not form in the environment
• Water resources


  Natural sources of water that are potentially useful
• All living things require water to grow and reproduce
• Water is used in agricultural, industrial, household, recreational, and environmental activities
• Of all the water on Earth, 97% is salt water and only 3% is fresh water
• About two-thirds of the fresh water is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps
• The remainder of fresh water is found mainly as groundwater, with only a small fraction present above ground or in the air
• Sources of fresh water

  • Surface water
  • Groundwater
  • Frozen water
  • Desalination
• Surface water


  Water that is in a river, lake, or fresh-water wetland
• Groundwater


  Water that is located in the subsurface pore space of soil and rocks, and water flowing in aquifers below the water table
• Frozen water


  Ice and snow in the Himalayas that supply fresh water to ten of Asia's largest rivers
• Desalination


  An artificial process by which sea water is converted into fresh water, using distillation and reverse osmosis
• Desalination is not usually economically viable as a fresh water source
• Uses of water


  • Agriculture
  • Industrial
  • Domestic (Household)
  • Recreation
• Agricultural use of water

  It is estimated that 70% of worldwide water is used for irrigation, and it takes about 2,000 – 3,000 liters of water to produce food to satisfy one person's daily dietary needs
• Industrial use of water

  It is estimated that 22% of worldwide water is used in industry, including power generation (hydroelectric), chemical processing, and manufacturing as a solvent
• Domestic (Household) use of water

  It is estimated that 8% of worldwide water is used for drinking, bathing, cooking, toilet flushing, cleaning, laundry, and gardening
• Recreational use of water

  Recreational water is usually non-consumptive, but the use of water in recreational activities may reduce the availability of water for use in agricultural and domestic purposes
• Water stress


  The supply of water may not be enough for all its uses, hampering economic development, and human health and well-being
• Factors affecting water availability

  • Population growth
  • Expansion of business activity
  • Rapid urbanization
  • Pollution
  • Climate change
• Land is the most important valuable resource for mankind
• Land is composed of organic and inorganic materials, and provides food, fibres, medicine, construction materials, and mineral deposits, and acts as a trash bin for solid wastes
• The Philippines has an abundance of mineral resources and is the 3rd largest producer of nickel
• Classification of mineral resources

  • Metallic: Ferrous (Iron, Cobalt, Nickel, etc.), Non-Ferrous (Copper, Lead, Tin, Bauxite, etc.), Precious (Silver, Gold, Platinum, etc.)
  • Non-Metallic: Mica, Potash, Sulphur salts, etc.
  • Energy: Coal and Fossil Fuels
• Minerals require quite a lot of processing
• The exploitation of natural resources started to emerge in the 19th century as natural resource extraction developed
• During the 20th century, energy consumption rapidly increased, with about 80% of the world's energy consumption sustained by the extraction of fossil fuels
• Another non-renewable resource that is exploited by humans are subsoil minerals such as precious metals that are mainly used in the production of industrial commodities
• Mining


  The extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, or reef, which forms the mineralized package of economic interest to the miner
• Mining is required to obtain any material that cannot be grown through agricultural processes, or created artificially in a laboratory or factory
• Mining in a wider sense includes extraction of any non-renewable resource such as petroleum, natural gas, or even water
• Mining of stone and metal has been done since pre-historic times
• Modern mining processes involve prospecting for ore bodies, analysis of the profit potential of a proposed mine, extraction of the desired materials, and final reclamation of the land after the mine is closed
• The nature of mining processes creates a potential negative impact on the environment both during the mining operations and for years after the mine is closed
• This impact has led to most of the world's nations adopting regulations to moderate the negative effects of mining operations
• Safety has long been a concern as well, and modern practices have improved safety in mines significantly
• Effects of mining


  • Land degradation and deforestation
  • Loss of flora and fauna
  • Overexploitation of earth
  • Water, air, and noise pollution
  • Lowering of ground water table
  • Release of green house gases
  • Production of excess of waste
  • Migration of tribal people
  • Risking of human life
• Air as a natural resource

  The Earth's atmosphere is composed of 78.09% Nitrogen, 20.94% Oxygen, 0.03% Argon, 0.03% Carbon Dioxide, water vapor, and other trace gases. The oxygen in the air we breathe in keeps us alive, and the carbon dioxide we breathe out is used by plants to produce oxygen through photosynthesis.