2.1 Resources and reserves

Created by

Ylan

Cards (6)

Renewable Resources 
Resource that can be replaced (or replenished) over time, or does not abate at all.
Ex. wood (not all though), and wind, solar, or wave energy.
Non-renewable resources 
They are extracted and used at rate greater than are replaced. Their rate of replenishment is not sustainable. Most are carbon-based and need to be burnt to extract their energy.
Ex. plastic and oil, gas, nuclear, or coal energies
Reserves 
They are proven resources that can be economically and technically extracted.
In some cases reserves may exist but it is not economically viable to extract them or the technology does not exist yet.
Deepwater drilling for oil
Extraction of gold
Extraction of gold from seawater
Lithium
fracking
Oilsands
Political and economic importance of reserves 
Land-based reserves may be located within national borders or spread out around the world. This distribution of resources has political and economical impacts for nations.
balancing of economic benefits and political impact
impact of extraction the extraction of resources on local populations
consideration of economic and political significance of resources and reserves might include:
Setup costs
Supply
Social impact
Environmental impact
Decommissioning
Impact of design choices 
Understanding the type of the resources used in the manufacture, distribution, use, and end-of-life of your product is vital. We are working with a limited quantity of resources and therefore have a responsibility to design in a sustainable manner that maximizes the use of renewable resources and minimize the negative impact of our designs on society and the natural environment as it impacts the world.
Society consumes renewable and non-renewable resources in order to meet basic needs such as food, health, shelter, and so on.
Evaluation of resources and their impact on the Environment
Designers have a variety of tools they can use to determine, measure, and compare the impact of their design choices.