Renewable Resources – Lesson Summary

This is a lesson summary. The full lesson can be viewed by purchasing an online course subscription.

Learning Objective

In this lesson we will learn about Earth’s main renewable resources – sunlight, water, air and living things.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

  • Define ‘renewable resource’.
  • Discuss how sunlight is a renewable resource.
  • Discuss how water is a renewable resource.
  • Discuss how air is a renewable resource.
  • Discuss how living things are renewable resources.

 
renewable resources lesson contents

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Lesson Topics

1 | Earth’s Renewable Resources

2 | Sunlight as a Resource

3 | Water as a Resource

4 | Air as a Resource

5 | Living Things as Resources

6 | Summary

Lesson Summary

  • Renewable resources are resources that are replenished instantly or over a relatively short period of time.
  • Earth’s main renewable resources are sunlight, water, air and living things.
  • Sunlight enables plants to produce their own food and provides heat energy required by all living things.
  • Sunlight is utilised by humans as a source of energy.
  • Sunlight is a renewable resource as it is supplied constantly by the Sun.
  • Water is a basic requirement of all living things.
  • It exists in oceans, lakes, rivers, polar ice caps, glaciers, soil and the air.
  • Surface fresh water accounts for less than 0.01% of all the water on Earth.
  • Humans use water for drinking, cleaning, agriculture, industry, electricity generation and many other purposes.
  • Water is a renewable resource as it is recycled through the hydrosphere via the water cycle.
  • Air in Earth’s atmosphere consists mostly of nitrogen and oxygen, with trace amounts of other gases such as carbon dioxide and ozone.
  • Nitrogen and oxygen are essential nutrients for living things.
  • Carbon dioxide is required by plants for carrying out photosynthesis.
  • Ozone protects Earth from harmful radiation coming from the Sun.
  • Earth’s atmosphere also prevents extreme fluctuations of temperature between day and night.
  • Air is a renewable resource because it is recycled through Earth’s spheres via the nitrogen cycle, oxygen cycle and carbon cycle.
  • Living things include animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms.
  • All living things are connected through global food webs and other ecological interactions.
  • Humans use living things for food, fuel, building materials, fibres, medicine, transportation, fertilisers and many other purposes.
  • Living things are renewable resources because they grow and reproduce.

 
renewable resources sunflowers

(Image: Tomasz, Adobe Stock)

(Header image: Pasko Maksim, Adobe Stock)