Conservation of Natural Resources
The natural resources present on Earth are air, water, minerals, fuel, soil, etc. The life of all the living species is only possible if all these resources are present in appropriate quantities. Thus, conversation is practiced to preserve them for the future generations.
There are other resources, which are not capable of being replaced. Examples of such resources include petrol and fossil fuels. Once these resources are used, they are gone and finished forever. These resources are known as non renewable resources.
Humans repeatedly waste natural resources. Animals are hunted a lot. Forests have more land than trees. Fertile soil is going through erosion because of some bad farming practices. Fuel supplies are also depleted. Water and air are becoming poisonous.
If this way of managing resources will continue, they will eventually finish. But if the same is managed wisely and in an efficient way, the resources will last longer. If we conserve these resources, we can reduce waste and manage all these resources very wisely.
The population of people has grown a lot in the preceding two centuries. Millions and Billions of people use resources extremely quickly as they eat food, build architecture, generate goods etc. The prolongation of life will definitely depend on the cautious use of resources.
The amount of necessity of conserving resources frequently disputes other needs. For a few people, a woody area might be a good place to set up a farm. A lumber company might want to harvest the area’s trees for construction materials. A business might want to build a factory or shopping mall on the land.
When we use the ecosystem in ways that ensure we have resources for the forthcoming, it is called sustainable development. There are various resources that we need to conserve in order to live sustainably.
Deforestation is the method of clearing away forests by cutting them down or burning them. People clear forests to use the wood, or to form means for farming or development. Each year, the planet loses regarding 36 million acres of forest due to deforestation.
Deforestation destroys life habitats and increases soil erosion. Additionally, it releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, contributing to warming. Deforestation is responsible for 15% of the world’s greenhouse emissions. Deforestation also harms those who rely on forests for their survival.
Trees can be conserved if we recycle. People in China and Mexico reuse much of their waste paper. If half the world’s paper were recycled, much of the global request for new paper would be fulfilled, thus saving many of the Earth’s trees.
Soil is essential for food production. We require superior quality soil to grow the crops that we eat and feed to farm animals. Soil is also important for plants. Many other types of conservation attempts, such as plant conservation and animal conservation, depend on soil preservation.
A method to conserve soil is contour strip cropping. Numerous crops, such as corn and wheat, are planted in alternating strips across a slope or path of the prevailing wind. Different crops, with different root systems and leaves, help slow down the process of erosion.
Fossil fuels are fuels produced from the remains of prehistoric plants and animals. They include coal, petroleum, and natural gas. We humans rely on fossil fuels to power vehicles, to produce electricity, to cook, and to provide heat.
Fossil fuels take over millions of years to form. Once they are used by us, we cannot replace them. Fossil fuels are another example of non renewable resources.
Scientists are investigating substitutions to fossil fuels. They are striving to create renewable bio fuels to power cars and trucks. They are looking to produce electricity using the sun, wind, and water.
Each and every person can help in preserving fossil fuels by using them wisely. We should turn off all electronics when we aren’t using them. We should make it a practice to walk, carpool, and use public transportation whenever possible.
The amount of water on Earth always remains identical. However, most of the planet’s water is unobtainable for human use. While over 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, only 2.5 percent of it is fresh. Out of that freshwater, roughly 70 percent is perpetually frozen within the ice caps. Only about 1 percent of the freshwater on Earth is out there for people to use for drinking, bathing, and irrigating crops. About one-third of Earth’s residents live in regions that are experiencing water stress. Most of these areas are in evolving countries.
People can maintain and defend water supplies in many ways. We can limit water use by fixing leaking faucets, taking shorter showers, and acquiring for low water use appliances.
