SECTION

4 Natural Resources
TEKS 3D, 6B, 6C, 21B, 21C, If YOU lived there...
22A, 22D
You live in Southern California, where the climate is warm and dry.
What You Will Learn… Every week, you water the grass around your house to keep it green.
Main Ideas
Now the city has declared a “drought emergency” because of a lack
1. Earth provides valuable of rain. City officials have put limits on watering lawns and on other
resources for our use. uses of water.
2. Energy resources provide
fuel, heat, and electricity. How can you help conserve scarce water?
3. Mineral resources include
metals, rocks, and salt.
4. Resources shape people’s
lives and countries’ wealth.
Building Background In addition to plant and animal life,
The Big Idea other resources in the environment greatly influence people. In
Earth’s natural resources have fact, certain vital resources, such as water, soils, and minerals, may
many valuable uses, and their determine whether people choose to live in a place or how wealthy
availability affects people in people are.
many ways.

Key Terms Earth’s Valuable Resources

natural resource, p. 68
renewable resources, p. 69 Think about the materials in nature that you use. You have
nonrenewable resources, p. 69 learned about the many ways we use sun, water, and land. They
deforestation, p. 69 are just a start, though. Look at the human-made products
reforestation, p. 69 around you. They all required the use of natural materials in
fossil fuels, p. 69 some way. We use trees to make paper for books. We use petro-
hydroelectric power, p. 70
leum, or oil, to make plastics for cell phones. We use metals to
make machines, which we then use to make many items. With-
out these materials, our lives would change drastically.

Use the graphic organizer online to Using Natural Resources

take notes on Earth’s resources.
Trees, oil, and metals are all examples of natural resources.
A natural resource is any material in nature that people use
and value. Earth’s most important natural resources include air,
water, soils, forests, and minerals.
Understanding how and why people use natural resources is
an important part of geography. We use some natural resources
just as they are, such as wind. Usually, though, we change natu-
ral resources to make something new. For example, we change
metals to make products such as bicycles and watches. Thus,
most natural resources are raw materials for other products.

68 Chapter 3
Reforestation
Members of the Green Belt Movement
plant trees in Kenya. Although trees are
a renewable resource, some forests are
being cut down faster than new trees can
replace them. Reforestation helps protect
Earth’s valuable forestlands.
Analyzing Visuals How does refor-
estation help the environment?

B iographY
Wangari Maathai
(1940–2011)
Can planting a tree improve people’s lives?
Types of Natural Resources Wangari Maathai thinks so. Born in Kenya in
East Africa, Maathai wanted to help people
We group natural resources into two types, in her country, many of whom were poor.
those we can replace and those we cannot. She asked herself what Kenyans could do to improve their
Renewable resources are resources Earth lives. “Planting a tree was the best idea that I had,” she says.
replaces naturally. For example, when we In 1977 Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement to plant
trees and protect forestland. The group has now planted more
cut down a tree, another tree can grow than 30 million trees across Kenya! These trees provide wood
in its place. Renewable resources include and ­prevent soil erosion. In 2004 Maathai was awarded the
water, soil, trees, plants, and animals. These Nobel Peace Prize. She is the first African woman to receive this
resources can last forever if used wisely. famous award.
Other natural resources will run out
one day. These nonrenewable resources
are resources that cannot be replaced. For
Energy Resources
example, coal formed over millions of Every day you use plants and animals from
years. Once we use the coal up, it is gone. the dinosaur age—in the form of energy
resources. These resources power vehicles,
Managing Natural Resources produce heat, and generate electricity.
People need to manage natural resources They are some of our most important and
to protect them for the future. Consider valuable natural resources.
how your life might change if we ran out
of forests, for example. Although forests Nonrenewable Energy Resources
are renewable, we can cut down trees far Most of the energy we use comes from
faster than they can grow. The result is the fossil fuels  , nonrenewable resources that
clearing of trees, or deforestation. formed from the remains of ancient plants
By managing resources, however, we and animals. The most important fossil
can repair and prevent resource loss. For fuels are coal, petroleum, and natural gas.
example, some groups are engaged in Coal has long been a reliable energy
reforestation  ,   planting trees to replace lost source for heat. However, burning coal
forestland. causes some problems. It pollutes the air
and can harm the land. For these reasons,
Reading Check Contrasting How do people have used coal less as other fuel
renewable and nonrenewable resources differ? options became available.

Climate, Environment, and Resources 69

 Today we use coal mainly to create elec- Renewable Energy Resources
F OCUS ON tricity at power plants, not to heat single Unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy
R EADING buildings. Because coal is plentiful, people resources will not run out. They also are
In the second
sentence on this
are looking for cleaner ways to burn it. generally better for the environment. On
page, what cause Petroleum, or oil, is a dark liquid used the other hand, they are not available
does the word to make fuels and other products. When everywhere and can be costly.
because signal?
What is the effect first removed from the ground, petroleum The main alternative to fossil fuels is
of this cause? is called crude oil. This oil is shipped or hydroelectric power—the production of
piped to refineries, factories that process electricity from waterpower. We obtain
the crude oil to make products. Fuels made energy from moving water by damming
from oil include gasoline, diesel fuel, and rivers. The dams harness the power of
jet fuel. Oil is also used to make petro- moving water to generate electricity.
chemicals, which are processed to make Hydroelectric power has both pros
products such as plastics and cosmetics. and cons. On the positive side, it produces
As with coal, burning oil-based fuels power without polluting and lessens our
can pollute the air and land. In addition, use of fossil fuels. On the negative side,
oil spills can harm wildlife. Because we are dams create lakes that replace existing
so dependent on oil for energy, however, resources, such as farmland, and disrupt
it is an extremely valuable resource. wildlife habitats.
The cleanest-burning fossil fuel is natu- Another renewable energy source is
ral gas. We use it mainly for heating and wind. People have long used wind to power
cooking. For example, your kitchen stove windmills. Today we use wind to power
may use natural gas. Some vehicles run on wind turbines, a type of modern windmill.
natural gas as well. These vehicles cause less At wind farms, hundreds of turbines create
pollution than those that run on ­gasoline. electricity in windy places.

World Energy Production All countries need energy.

50 Yet, energy resources are
Coal not evenly spread across
Oil Earth. As a result, energy
Energy Production (quadrillion Btu)

40 Natural gas
Nuclear power production differs by
Renewable energy region. For example, the
30 Middle East has rich oil
deposits. For this reason,
20 the Middle East leads the
world in oil production.

10
Interpreting Graphs
Which world region has the
0 most balanced production
Asia Europe* Middle East North America South America Africa of different types of energy?
*includes the former Soviet Union

70 Chapter 3
 A third source of renewable energy is
heat from the sun and Earth. We can use
solar power, or power from the sun, to
heat water or homes. Using special solar
panels, we turn solar energy into electric-
ity. We can also use geothermal energy,
or heat from within Earth. Geothermal
power plants use steam and hot water
located within Earth to create electricity.

Nuclear Energy
A final energy source is nuclear energy. We From the Ground to the Air
obtain this energy by splitting atoms, small The photo shows a bauxite mine. Bauxite is used
particles of matter. This process uses the to make aluminum. This metal is used in many
metal uranium, so some people consider products, such as jet planes. See how many other
products made from
nuclear energy a nonrenewable resource. aluminum you can name.
Nuclear power does not pollute the air, but
it does produce dangerous wastes. These
wastes must be stored for thousands of
years before they are safe. In addition, an
accident at a nuclear power plant can have
terrible effects.
Resources and People
Reading Check Drawing Inferences Why Natural resources vary from place to place.
might people look for alternatives to fossil fuels? The resources available in a region can
shape life and wealth for the people there.

Mineral Resources Resources and Daily Life

Like energy resources, mineral resources The natural resources available to people
can be quite valuable. These resources affect their lifestyles and needs. In the
include metals, salt, rocks, and gemstones. United States we have many different
Minerals fulfill countless needs. Look kinds of natural resources. We can choose
around you to see a few. Your school build- among many different ways to dress, eat,
ing likely includes steel, made from iron. live, travel, and entertain ourselves. People
The outer walls might be granite or lime- in places with fewer natural resources will
stone. The window glass is made from likely have fewer choices and different
quartz, a mineral in sand. From staples to needs than Americans.
jewelry to coins, metals are everywhere. For example, people who live in remote
Minerals are nonrenewable, so we need rain forests depend on forest resources for
to conserve them. Recycling items such as most of their needs. These people may
aluminum cans will make the supply of craft containers by weaving plant fibers
these valuable resources last longer. together. They may make canoes by hol-
lowing out tree trunks. Instead of being
Reading Check Categorizing What are the concerned about money, they might be
major types of mineral resources? more concerned about food.

Climate, Environment, and Resources 71

 Resources and Wealth
The availability of natural resources affects
countries’ economies as well. For example,
the many natural resources available in the
United States have helped it become one
of the world’s wealthiest countries. In con-
trast, countries with few natural resources
often have weak economies.
Some countries have one or two valu-
able resources but few others. For example,
Saudi Arabia is rich in oil but lacks water
for growing food. As a result, Saudi Arabia
must use its oil profits to import food.

Reading Check Identifying Cause and

Effect How can having few natural resources
affect life and wealth in a region or country?

Products from Petroleum   

SUmmary and PReview You can see
that Earth’s natural resources have many
This Ohio family shows some common products
made from petroleum, or oil. uses. Important natural resources include
Analyzing Visuals What petroleum-based air, water, soils, forests, fuels, and min-
products can you identify in this photo? erals. In the next chapter you will read
about the world’s people and cultures.

Section 4 Assessment ONLINE QUIZ

Reviewing Ideas, Terms, and Places 4. a. Describe How do resources affect people?
1. a. Define What are renewable resources and b. Make Inferences How might a country with
nonrenewable resources? only one valuable resource develop its economy?
b. Explain Why is it important for people to
Critical Thinking
manage Earth’s natural resources?
5. Categorizing
c. Develop What are some things you can do to Fossil Fuels Renewable Nuclear
Draw a chart like Energy Energy
help manage and conserve natural resources?
this one. Use your Pros Pros Pros
2. a. Define What are fossil fuels, and why are they
notes to identify
significant? Cons Cons Cons
and evaluate each
b. Summarize What are three examples of renew-
energy resource.
able energy resources?
c. Compare Regions Look back at the graph of
World Energy Production on page 70. How does
Focus on Viewing
energy production in the United States compare 6. Noting Details about Natural Resources What
to energy production in the Middle East? natural resources does the place you chose have?
3. a. Recall What are the main types of mineral Note ways to refer to some of these resources
resources? (or the lack of them) in your weather report.
b. Analyze What are some products that we get
from mineral resources?

72 Chapter 3