The Importance Of Conserving And Managing Natural Resources

Conserving and managing natural resources and wastes are national priorities. From unplugging your television, to riding a bike to work, there are many ways in which we can sustainably manage natural resources and wastes. Natural resources are what makes modern life possible for us, and it may seem impossible for some to cut back because of how much more convenient it may be. Conserving and maybe even, “going a little prehistoric” will come in handy once we are using less, and preserving more. Like R. Castello once said, “You can’t save the environment, but you can preserve it.”
Fossil Fuels include coal, oil, and natural gas, and they are the largest source of emission of carbon dioxide by humans. “They are the cheapest sources of energy available …show more content…
The main issue with coal is not the amount we have left, but the emission of carbon dioxide that is contributing to global warming. “Some scientists argue that the key to using coal without emitting huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is a process called carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration refers to several methods of removing or slowing the concentration of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere” (Lerner, 13, 2012). Coal is the main source of fuel for electricity, leading it to be the number one contributor for the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As if it could not be any worse, coal mining produces methane, a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 25 times greater than carbon dioxide on a 100-year timeline (“The Relationship of Fossil Fuel and Global Warming,” …show more content…
Without protection from the sun, forest soils will dry out, as well as putting an end to the water cycle. Without trees, many forest lands could become deserts if water vapor isn’t going back into the atmosphere. “Trees also play a critical role in absorbing greenhouse gases that fuel global warming” (Hilderman, 2010). The fewer the trees, the more gases that are exposed to our atmosphere. Severe flooding is also a result, triggering mudslides like the ones that have occurred in California in recent years. These mudslide are extremely dangerous, as they can ruin home and communities. “The excess water from land cleared of forest becomes runoff water and enter the ocean instead of seeping downward into the soil” (“Deforestation – Causes, Effects and Solutions,” 2015). As the human population grows, so will the demand for fresh water, making Aquifer depletion a serious problem in certain areas of the