Tag: sustainability of natural resources

Natural Resources or Earth resources are those living and non living components of atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere, which can be drawn for supporting life or have potential of being used by humans for their requirements of food, fodder, shelter, clothing, articles of use and recreation.

Energy sources are of two categories, renewable and non renewable. 

Forests are the renewable natural resources which can be recycled but should not be used beyond a limit. Coal, petroleum and minerals are exhaustible resources and cannot be recycled. 

Inexhaustible resource is a natural resource, which is found in such abundance, that it is unlikely to diminish or get exhausted. E.g., air, solar energy, wind power, rainfall etc.
Exhaustible resource is a natural resource, which is likely to diminish and get exhausted due to continuous use or exploitation. E.g., minerals, fossil fuels, forests etc. Exhaustible resources are of two types renewable and non-renewable.
Renewable exhaustible resource is a natural resource, which gets replenished, recycled or reproduced. E.g., forests, water, agriculture etc.
Non-Renewable exhaustible resource is a natural resource, which is likely to get exhausted with use. E.g., fossil fuels like petroleum.

Renewable energy is defined as energy, that comes from resources, which are naturally replenished on a human timescale such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat. Trees are very important for us as a renewable energy resource. Trees are a natural resource, that can be renewed - by the planting of trees - replacing the trees, that are harvested for use by people. 

Deforestation is removal or deterioration of forest cover of an area. It results in shirking fuelwood, reduced timber, change in climate, soil erosion, flash floods, siltation, drought, loss of biodiversity, less rainfall, global warming etc.

Loss of vegetation (deforestation) results in an increased risk of flooding. With natural forest cover, the flood duration should decrease. Reducing the rate of deforestation should improve the incidents and severity of floods. Reforestation and afforestation are two strategies to increase the vegetation cover, that can improve infiltration and interception rates, and thus regulate flood peaks. Reforestation refers to planting trees in areas, where they have been cut down, while afforestation means planting trees, where they have never existed. Dams and reservoirs are effective in controlling floods by reducing peak flows. 

Deforestation is the process of cutting or removal of forest to fulfill the need of the population. It has many negative impacts on the environment such as loss of species, soil erosion and reduces rainfall. The tree absorbs water from soil for photosynthesis and produces water vapor that is released into the atmosphere which in turn causes rainfall. If there will be less number of the tree then rainfall will also decrease. Thus, the correct answer is option A.