Essay on depletion of natural resources
Mother earth provides us with a lot of natural resources. These include but are not limited to coal, wood, oil, natural gas, water, etc. Natural resources come under two categories- one is the renewable type while the other is the non-renewable type. Natural resources like air, sunlight, tidal power, etc., are renewable natural resources despite non-stop usage. On the other hand, natural resources like fossil fuels such as oil, petroleum, coal, natural gas, water, wood, etc., come under the category of non – renewable resources.
Our forefathers used energy only for regular day-to-day activities, such as cooking, bathing, lighting, gardening, etc. But as the civilization grew, due to the industrial revolution and urbanization, our energy consumption increased manifold there-by causing the depletion of natural resources. The vulnerable part in the case of non-renewable natural resources is that once exhausted, they can’t be produced, manufactured, or renewed. It has become a concern globally as we humans cannot do without natural resources and continuous depletion will make the life of the coming generation miserable.
In general, we define resource depletion as the consumption of a resource being faster than it can be replenished. Thus, natural resource depletion is caused when we use the available natural resources at a rate higher than their rate of replacement.
The causes of depletion of natural resources are:
- Population explosion
- Urbanisation
- Deforestation
- Overconsumption and waste
- Mining of minerals and oils
- Environmental pollution
- Technological and industrial development
- Agriculture
- Illegal logging
- Subsistence Farming
The consequences of this natural resource depletion are also very harmful in many ways. Global warming, soil erosion, natural calamities like floods and drought, loss of biodiversity, and extinction of species are the outcomes of natural resource depletion. Natural resource depletion will make it hard for humans to survive as carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere will rise and the water cycle will be altered. The indirect consequences include inflation in oil prices which may cause the economics of the country to go haywire.
Now the million-dollar question is that can anything be done to reverse this scenario? The answer is affirmative. Taking a few small steps by individuals as well as governing bodies will make a remarkable difference in the direction of conserving natural resources. Planting trees, conserving electricity and water, minimizing energy wastage, using eco–friendly and efficient energy conserving gadgets and equipment are simple yet effective steps that we should start immediately. The principle of three R’s viz. reduce, reuse and recycle can help a lot in minimising natural resource depletion. By replacing fossil fuels with renewable resources such as wind, solar, and hydropower we can prevent the depletion of natural resources to a great extent. They are also a source of sustainable energy since they do not cause environmental pollution. Thus, a combined effort of people, as well as government bodies all over the world can save the mother earth and reduce the depletion of natural resources.
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