Nonrenewable Resources Vs Renewable Resources

In the year 1800, one billion existed in Earth. In the year 1927, there were two billion. Three billion in 1960. Four billion in 1974. Six billion in 1999 and seven billion in 2011. Population growth is the increase of individuals in individuals in a given space. The more people on Earth, more resources and space will be needed. Carrying capacity is the maximum population of a given species that a particular habitat can sustain indefinitely without degrading the habitat. Experts debate on whether or not humans have hit their carrying capacity or when it will be reached. Whether or not the carrying capacity has yet been reached, environmental degradation is happening. Trees are cut faster than they are being reproduced. Forests reduce soil …show more content…
All resources are ultimately renewed, but nonrenewable resources regenerate so slowly that these resources cannot be restored in a single life time. Nonrenewable resource examples are oil, gasoline, coal, natural gas, nuclear energy. Nonrenewable resources are directly related to accelerated climate change and health problems. A recent coal ash spill in the Dan River in North Carolina is an example of what nonrenewable can lead to. Coal makes water toxic, is dangerous to inhale and harms ecosystems. Nonrenewable resources spilling and causing problems is nothing new. In 1986, a power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine, had a meltdown and is still extremely radioactive to this day. An off shore oil rig leaked in to the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, the surface oil was cleaned up and local marine life has bounce back, but chunks of the oil has sunk to the bottom of the ocean and is now affecting deep sea microbial environments. Nonrenewable resources are also running out, causing many conflicts, including the current war the US is involved with in the middle east since 2001. Renewable resources are often more expensive than their nonrenewable counterparts, but have a much lower impact than nonrenewable. Renewable resources work more closely with nature and natural systems than against nature. Tidal energy works in accordance with the natural system of waves. Turbines are placed in …show more content…
Whether from the sun running low on fuel, expanding, becoming a dwarf giant, swelling and engulfing Earth or using all of the available resources, is a decision. To prosper, humans need to work in accordance with nature, rather than against it. Inform people about the dangers of wasting food, water and energy. Real legislation needs to be passed to allow life on Earth to have meaning, quality and longevity. The world is at a critical tipping point of failure or success. Earth will survive without humans, but humans will not survive without