Gifts From Earth

The Earth provides us with many renewable and non-renewable resources for our survival. Do you know what they are and the difference between the two? Renewable resources take a relatively short time to be replaced and generally will not run out.

Water

About 71% of the Earth is covered with water and 96.5% of it is in oceans. We can’t drink that water as it has salt. Water moves through an important cycle called the water cycle in different states. Only about 2.5% of the planet’s water is drinkable freshwater but 1.5% is locked up in the polar ice caps and glaciers.

Plants

You may rely on plants more than you think you do! Rice, wheat, corn, coffee and cocoa are some of the many important crops that are cultivated for food around the world. Sugar used in your desserts come from a plant called sugar cane, which is grown in Brazil, India and Thailand. Plants also provide materials like wood for making furniture and tissue paper and fibres like cotton for making clothes.

Animals

Ever wondered where the fish and meat you eat come from? More than 300 million tonnes of meat are produced globally each year. India and Hong Kong are the main meat exporters in Asia. Vietnam has the second-highest pork consumption in Asia and has an estimated 28 million pigs.

Non-renewable resources exist in limited amounts and take thousands or millions of years to be replaced. Once they are used up, there will not be anymore for our use.

Petroleum

Also called crude oil, petroleum is trapped in underground rock formations.

Most of it is deep under the ground and is extracted by drilling – sometimes under the ocean floor.

Gigantic structures called oil rigs have to be built to extract oil in the oceans and possible oil spills cause huge damage to marine life.

Coal

Coal is a black rock often burned to generate electricity. The largest source of energy in the world, it is commonly known as a fossil fuel because it takes millions of years to develop from plant and animal remains underground. Coal is dug out from the ground through mining, a process that is both environmentally harmful and dangerous.

Natural gas

Natural gas is trapped underground in rock formations that can stretch for kilometres. Most of it is made up of methane, a gas that smells like rotten eggs. Like other fossil fuels, it has to be extracted via drilling. Natural gas is used for cooking and can be burned to generate electricity.

Metals & Minerals

Metals and minerals are mined from underground rocks and have to be separated from the rocks they are found in for use. Iron, copper and aluminium are some of the most abundant metals in the world. Minerals form beautiful crystals and some, like diamonds, sapphires and rubies, are considered precious gems and can be worth a lot of money. For how much they can cost, take a look at the science section!