Introduction to natural resources (eco) - class-IX

Resources are assets that are used by the living systems for the survival and development.

Mere presence of a thing in certain quantity do not make a resource. But it should have a utility, value and quality by the people.

 Abiotic resources are non-living while biotic resources are living. Soils, rocks and minerals are abiotic but plants and animals are biotic resources. 

An important source of methane emissions is from enteric fermentation in farm animals. This creates 27% of human methane emissions. Animals like cows, sheep and goats are examples of ruminant animals. During their normal digestion process they create large amounts of methane. Enteric fermentation occurs because of microorganisms in the stomach of these animals. This creates methane as a by-product that is either exhaled by the animal or released via flatus.

Because humans raise these animals for food, their emissions are human-related. This is why the meat that we eat everyday has a huge impact on total methane emissions. Livestock farming creates 90 million tonnes of methane per year.

The Green Index was developed by the World Bank's Environmentally Sustainable Development division to measure the environmental impact of economic activities.

Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV), or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. It is mostly used to light home, buildings and heat water.

In economics, resources are generally defined as things that are scarce and have a cost. Air, water, and sunlight are typically considered free goods (non-economic resources) because they are abundant and do not have a price in their natural state.

An economy must allocate resources between current consumption and investment (saving) to ensure future growth. Spending all resources on current consumption would leave nothing for capital formation, which is unsustainable.

The economic problem arises because human wants are unlimited while resources are limited. Even if resources were abundant, the problem of choice would persist as long as wants remain unsatisfied.

Opportunity cost is the value of the next best alternative foregone. This concept only applies when resources are limited, forcing a choice between competing uses.

A fundamental premise of economics is that resources are finite or limited relative to the infinite nature of human desires. This scarcity is the basis for all economic decision-making.

Renewable energy sources are naturally replenished on a human timescale. Oil is a fossil fuel formed over millions of years and is considered a non-renewable resource.

Based on ownership the resources are classified as

• Individual: Resources owned by an individual. Example-land owned by a farmer.
  
• Community: Resources owned by a community. Example-graveyard
  
• National resources: Resources owned by a nations government. Examples-roads, railways etc.
  
• International Resources: Resources regulate by International bodies like oceans and seas.
  

Among the given options all the sources are classified based on the ownership except renewable resources which is type of classification based on the availability.

• Resources are assets that are used by the living systems for the survival and development.
  
• Based on the availability, resources are classified as renewable and non-renewable.
  
• Non-renewable: these are the sources that cannot be renewed and available in limited quantities. Examples include coal, nuclear, oil, and natural gas.
  

Based on the availability, resources are classified as renewable and non-renewable.

Non-renewable: these are the sources that cannot be renewed and available in limited quantities. Examples include coal, nuclear, oil, and natural gas

Example of a non-renewable energy source from the following is minerals

• Balancing the need to use resources and also conserve them for the future is called Sustainable development.
  
• Sustainable development is the process of utilizing natural resources for human development without completely depleting them but by sustaining the ability of nature to continue to provide this resources.
  

Indiscriminate exploitation of resources has led to global ecological crises such as ozone layer depletion, global warming, and environmental pollution.

• Ozone layer depletion: Ozone a blanket of gases which protects earth from reaching of harmful UV rays from the sun. This layer is depleted due to environmental pollution caused by substances like Chlorofluorocarbons etc.
  
• Global warming: It is the heating up of earth’s surface due to some pollutants obstructing heat from escaping the earth’s surface.
  
• Environmental pollution: Any change in the normal environment which has a destructive effect on life is called environmental pollution.
  

• Resource planning is a complex process which identifies present and future resources and their needs.
  
• It involves surveying, mapping and qualitative and quantitative estimation of resources.
  
• The first step of resource planning is identifying the resources present in a region.
  

Tidal energy is converting the energy of tides into more useful form of energy/power for eg Electricity. It functions under water. Since it could be renewed or used again and again it is of the replenish-able type.

Based on the availability, resources are classified as renewable and non-renewable.

Non-renewable: these are the sources that cannot be renewed and available in limited quantities. Examples include coal, nuclear, oil, and natural gas

Iron is a non-renewable source of energy

Chipko movement was a forest conservation movement in India. It began in 1973. Alalknandha floods alarmed people of how deforestation has resulted in disturbance. Thus they took up this movement and carried on a number of rallies to create awareness among people. They protested against commercial logging operations. And finally deforestation was prevented.

Deforestation is the process of cutting down forests in order to satisfy human needs like laying roads, for the purpose of wood for furniture etc.

Deforestation has many negative effects like Increase in temperature on the earth, Ground water depletion, and Weather change in different parts of the world. Soil erosion and degradation of soil, reduction of forest products and loss of biodiversity. But it cannot increase the fertility of soil and give more yield.

Historical data regarding the impact of industrialization on forest cover often cites specific figures in environmental studies. 9.3% is the commonly accepted statistic in this context.

Afforestation is the process of planting trees and forming a forest where there were no trees before.

Afforestation is different from reforestation. Reforestation is bringing back the forests which were destroyed because of deforestation.

Special afforestation programs include vanmahotsav, haritha haram etc

Forest are classified into Reserved Forest, a Protected Forest or a Village Forest according to Forest Act of 1878. Land rights on reserved forests and protected forests are given according to the orders passed by government.

The main difference between these two are that reserved forests activities like hunting, grazing etc. are totally banned. Reserved forests may be upgraded to the status of wild life sanctuary and then to National Park.

In protected areas activities like hunting, grazing etc. are permitted to the local communities.  

All the forests and wastelands other than the
reserved and protected forests are considered unclassed forests. Most of the
forests in the north-eastern states of India and Gujarat are unclassed forests            

Reforestation is bringing back the forests which were destroyed because of deforestation.

It is different from afforestation. Afforestation is a process of planting trees and forming a forest where there were no trees before.

• Joint forest management (JFM) is originated in West Bengal accidentally in 1971. According to this policy, there exists partnership between state and local communities in safeguarding forests.
  
• Forests are protected from illegal harvesting and exporting of timber. Forests are also protected from fire and grazing, in exchange people get non-timber products and a share of revenue from the sale of timber.
  

Process of conversion of fertile land into barren land over a course of time is called desertification. The ecological implications of desertification are

• Lowering of water table
  
• Increase in area under wastelands
  
• Increase in frequency and intensity of droughts
  

Thar Desert which is located in the state of Rajasthan is advancing at an alarming rate of about 0.5 km per year

This is attributed to the desertification due to soil degradation. Process of conversion of fertile land into barren land over a course of time is called desertification

• Process of conversion of fertile land into barren land over a course of time is called desertification
  
• Among the given options both overgrazing and reckless felling of trees is responsible for desertification.
  

Indira Gandhi canal is one of the important irrigation canals of India. It starts from Firozpur of Punjab and terminates its irrigation facilities in Thar Desert of Rajasthan. The canal traverses seven districts of Rajasthan namely Barmer, Bikaner, Churu, Hanumangarh, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, and Sriganganagar. Without this canal, entire Rajasthan would have been a desert.

Process of conversion of fertile land into barren land over a course of time is called desertification

Deserts cover 20 to 33% of the Earth’s land surface, and can be found in the tropics, at the poles, and in many places of the earth. Desert soils are formed where there is scanty rainfall.

Soil erosion is the loss of top fertile layer of soil either by wind or by water.

India is facing this problem in many parts. The area affected by soil erosion is 5, 00,000 square kilometres. It adversely affects productivity and economy of the country.

If the soil erosion is by wind it is called wind erosion

Desertification is mainly caused by wind erosion

• Trapping of sun’s heat in the earth’s atmosphere due to air pollution is called greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases include water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone.
  
• This effect which is responsible for climate change involves the warming of troposphere which is the closest layer of earth’s surface.
  

• IPCC stands for Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change. It is established by United Nations dedicated to the task of providing the world with an objective, scientific view of climate change and its political and economic impacts.
  
• It was formed in the year 1988.
  

• In order to make India more responsive to climate change, Government of India has taken up National Action Plan on Climate Change.
  
• The first national action plan on climate change was released in the year 2008.
  

• The number of people, animals, or crops which a region can support without environmental degradation is called carrying capacity.
  
• It can simply be called as environment’s maximal load.
  
• The factors which govern the carrying capacity is food, water, raw material etc. 
  

• A United Nations conference on climate in the year 1997 was held in Kyoto of Japan. This was called Kyoto Protocol.
  
• The Kyoto Protocol implemented the objective of the UNFCCC to fight global warming by reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to a level that would prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. 
  

• The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference was held in the month of December.
  
• This conference was held in Copenhagen which is the capital city of Denmark.
  
• The main long term goal of this conference was to stop increasing the global temperature beyond 2 degree centigrade.
  

• Greenhouse Gases are those gases which cause greenhouse effect resulting in global warming. They include water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone.
  
• The percentage of greenhouse gases contributed by India to global emission between 1990 and 2012 is 5.8.
  

Global environmental facility was established in the year 1991, December. It assists in the prevention of environmental pollution and in achieving the sustainable development.

• Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is an intergovernmental organization of low-lying coastal and small island countries. Main purpose of the alliance is to consolidate the voices of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to address global warming. 
  
• It consists of countries sharing similar developmental challenges and is concerned about the environmental problems like climate change.
  

Freon is a common trade name for a group of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that were historically used as refrigerants in cooling systems.

Climate change mitigation involves a multifaceted approach. Energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, and reforestation are all critical strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Switzerland along with Mexico and Republic of Korea forms Environment Integrity Group. Among the given options India is not included in the group. This ensures the conserved use of resources and maintain environmental stability.

Change in global or regional climatic patterns is called climate change. The main impact of climate change is the increase in sea level. This is because of melting of ice due to increase of global temperature as a result of climatic change.

Cryogenic is nothing but the quantities that are involved with very low temperatures like ice. Among the given options ice sheets and ice chores are the examples of cryogenic indicators of climate change because ice and glaciers react to atmospheric changes and give clear signals about alterations in global climate.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental treaty  negotiated at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992, then entered into force on 21 March 1994. 

A non-renewable resource is a resource of economic value that cannot be readily replaced by natural means on a level equal to its consumption. Most fossil fuels, such as oil, natural gas, and coal are considered nonrenewable resources because their reformation takes billions of years.

• Non-metallic minerals are minerals that have no metallic luster and break easily. These are also called industrial materials and are typically some form of sediment. Non-metallic minerals are not malleable.
• Nonmetallic minerals/ rocks like limestone, magnesite, dolomite, phosphorite, talc, quartz, mica, clay, silica sand, gemstones, decorative and dimension stones, construction materials etc. are the common nonmetallic minerals.

Metallic minerals are extracted from mineral deposits, which are concentrations of metallic minerals produced by geological processes. Some metallic minerals contain valuable metals, such as copper, gold, nickel, lead, zinc or platinum.

Minerals are broadly categorized into metallic (e.g., iron, copper), non-metallic (e.g., limestone, mica), and power/energy minerals (e.g., coal, petroleum).

Coal is a globally distributed resource, and significant coal fields are found in the USA, Russia, Germany, and many other nations.

Power minerals, such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas, are essential for driving industrial processes, transportation, and electricity generation, making them vital for economic development.

Power minerals are those used to generate energy. This includes fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas, as well as radioactive materials used in nuclear power.

Bombay High, also known as Mumbai High, is an offshore oilfield 176 kilometres (109 mi) off the coast of Mumbai, India, in about 75 m of water. The oil operations are run by India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).

Shale gas is a form of unconventional natural gas trapped within fine-grained sedimentary rocks, such as shale, which are rich in organic matter.

India covers approximately 3.28 million square kilometers, which accounts for about 2.4% of the total land area of the world.

The paradox of value (diamond-water paradox) is explained by the fact that the marginal utility of a good determines its price, not its total utility. Water is abundant (low marginal utility), while diamonds are scarce (high marginal utility).

The 'Bachat Lamp Yojana' was indeed a scheme to promote energy-efficient lighting, but the specific claim regarding a 5000 MW saving is often cited as an incorrect or outdated projection in specific exam contexts compared to the other factual plan data.

Economic data regarding natural gas consumption in India during the specified decade indicates a growth rate of approximately 6.5%.

Ecological degradation is a complex issue driven by population pressure, urbanization, and the strain on infrastructure, all of which contribute to environmental stress.

Scarcity is a relative concept. Even if a good has a zero price (like air), it is still scarce if the demand for it exceeds the available supply at that price.

Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is an intergovernmental organization of low-lying coastal and small island countries. Main purpose of the alliance is to consolidate the voices of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to address global warming. 

The proposal of this organisation extends up to the year 2017.

Although medicine is available at zero price, yet it is a scarce commodity. Because it involves some opportunity cost.

The economic problem is fundamentally caused by the scarcity of resources. Without scarcity, there would be no need to make choices, and thus no economic problem.