The natural resources of the world are all the components of living and inanimate nature accessible to man, which he has the opportunity to use to meet his needs and needs in the process of production and life. Being on the surface of the Earth's shell, they impress with their quantity and diversity. So far, it is believed that the planet Earth is the only place in the Universe suitable for human life. Today, the natural resources of the world are the foundation of the economy and world production. The number of benefits of the planet used by people confirms this.
Essential importance in the life of modern mankind forced to streamline the natural resources of the world. All of them are divided into two types.
Classification
1. Exhaustible. These are natural goods, the demand for which exceeds the rate of their formation. Since requests are regularly received from the production side, sooner or later the moment comes when the reserves of this natural resource are completely depleted. But is this situation hopeless? Fortunately, no, because exhaustible reserves, in turn, are divided into:
- renewable;
- non-renewable.
RenewableThe world's natural resource reserves mean that they can be used almost indefinitely, but it is important to provide the right time for their renewal, otherwise they will become non-renewable. The first include the purity of air, water and soil, as well as vegetation and wildlife.
Non-renewable resources appear as a result of various ore formation processes that occur in the upper layers of the earth's crust. Demand for such minerals is hundreds of times greater than their estimated supply, and since their reserves are negligible compared to consumption, the chances of their renewal are zero. These include the planet's mineral reserves.2. Inexhaustible. These are all those that almost every inhabitant of the Earth has in abundance: air, water, wind energy, tides. They are so familiar to everyone that sometimes they simply cease to be appreciated, but without these resources, human life would become impossible.
Classification of natural resources by their uses
All types of natural resources of the world are actively used by people in two main directions:
- agricultural sector;
- industrial production.
Agricultural resources combine all types of natural resources that are aimed at creating agricultural products and making a profit. For example, agro-climatic reserves provide an opportunity for the cultivation and further use of various cultivated plants and livestock grazing. Withoutwater, it is generally impossible to imagine the proper functioning of rural industry. Here it plays a key role, as it is used to irrigate cereals and other crops, as well as to water livestock. Fortunately, most of the natural resources used in this area are inexhaustible (water, soil, air).
High demand for minerals
Industrial production has its own system of consumption of world reserves. The number of plants, factories and enterprises today has reached its maximum. To meet their demand, a variety of means are needed. In the modern world, there is the greatest need for combustible minerals. They also have the greatest financial value. These are oil, gas, coal and bitumen (refer to energy reserves).
Some species
The group of useful natural resources also includes forest, land and water resources. Although they are not energy, all are of value, as they contribute to the expansion of industrial activity. They are also actively used in the construction industry.
Inexhaustible water resources
Most scientists agree that the oceans are full of useful reserves for mankind. This is a huge pantry of s alts, minerals and much more. It is generally accepted that the seas and oceans contain no less natural goods than all the land together. Take, for example, sea water. For every inhabitant of the Earth, there are almost three hundred million cubic meters of this s alty life-givingmoisture. And these are not just dry numbers. One cubic meter of s alty sea liquid contains a huge amount of s alt (cooking), magnesium, potassium and bromine. It is noteworthy that even gold is present in the chemical composition of water. She is truly precious! In addition, it serves as a continuous source for the extraction of iodine.
But the seas and oceans are rich in more than just water. Countless useful mineral resources are mined from the bottom of the world's oceans. It is well known that oil and gas play the most important role of all. Black gold is mined mainly from the continental shelves. Gas also makes up about ninety percent of the natural reserves that are extracted from the seabed. But this is not the only value for global industry. The main we alth of deep-water deposits are ferromanganese nodules. These amazing materials, formed at great depths, can contain up to thirty different metals! The first attempt to get them from the seabed was made by the United States of America in the seventies. They chose the waters of the Hawaiian Islands as the object of research.
Geographical distribution of natural goods on the surface of the Earth
The geography of the world's natural resources is quite diverse. Recent evidence has confirmed that countries such as the United States of America, India, Russia and China use land resources most effectively. Huge areas for arable land and land cultivation enable these countries to fully use the land reserves of nature. If we talk about mineral springs, then their distribution is notquite evenly. The ores are predominantly located in the central and eastern parts of Europe.
The largest oil fields are located in the depths of the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Russia and China also have large stocks of this good. Unfortunately, the natural resources of the countries of the world are rapidly drying up. The point of no return is becoming more and more real for humanity.
Problems and prospects associated with the use of natural reserves
Environment is a complex and not fully understood world. People only slightly opened the veil of secrets and mysteries of the only "living" planet. Since the dawn of human history, they have tried to conquer the elements of nature for their own benefit. As you can see, man has always had a significant impact on the ecological state of the Earth. Over time, it got stronger and stronger. New technologies and scientific progress have played a fundamental role in this. Unfortunately, man's intrusion into nature has caused problems for the world's natural resources.
New Opportunities for Humanity
In the first centuries, the inexhaustible biological resources of nature were used more, but now, in the age of progress, people have penetrated the seabed, deep into mountain ranges and drilled wells tens of meters deep into the earth. This made it possible to find hitherto inaccessible natural resources. People have carefully studied the components of the natural environment. Minerals, ore and coal deposits have opened the door to the use of powerful energy.
Fatal errors
However, along with high scientific and technological achievements, serious environmental problems have appeared. And, unfortunately, the human hand is mostly to blame for this. His activism has become the main cause of the problems associated with natural resources. Recently, the word "ecology" has become more and more common. Everyone wants to drink clean water, breathe clean fresh air and not get sick, but few people think that this requires the conscious efforts of everyone.
Indeed, over the years of human life on Earth, the useful components of the natural environment have significantly decreased, and environmental pollution has reached its peak point. If we talk about the state of the atmosphere, then its age-old shell has become so thin that it could soon provoke an ecological catastrophe. The reason for this was uncontrolled waste emissions due to the robots of industrial enterprises. Toxic fumes and harmful gases deal the strongest blows to the state of the biosphere. Water is also not in the best condition. There are very few rivers left on the planet that would be free from pollution and debris. Together with sewage, they get a huge amount of pesticides and other fertilizers. Most sewers and drainage channels also lead their polluted waters to rivers and seas. This provokes the rapid growth of mud - algae, which harm the river flora and fauna. Every week, thousands of cubic meters of "dead" moisture enter the oceans. Nitrates and other poisons seep more and more into the soil andgroundwater.
People trying to fix things
Most of the leading countries have adopted laws to preserve the environment, but the threat of complete environmental pollution has not become less urgent.
The eternal confrontation between industrial companies and representatives of the international organization "Greenpeace" gives only temporary results. The second place in terms of pollution (after the atmosphere) is occupied by the water of the oceans. It has the property of self-cleaning, but in reality this process does not have time to achieve its goal. The accumulation of garbage in the waters causes the mass extinction of many species of animals. Oil extraction from the ocean floor is often unsuccessful, resulting in huge oil slicks on the surface of the water surface. Their oily structure does not allow oxygen to pass through and millions of living creatures living in the sea are unable to saturate their bodies with clean air.
Negative impact on wildlife
Emissions of toxic waste into rivers and seas affect even large inhabitants of the water depths. Large fish confuse garbage with food and swallow various tin and plastic items. These sad statistics show the problems and prospects for the future.
Humanity has yet to learn how to properly handle the ecosystem around it. People are created for a happy, and most importantly, he althy life on Earth. However, a number of mistakes led the world to a near ecological catastrophe. Over time, it became clear that it was possible to solve the problem radicallyonly thanks to the responsible approach of every inhabitant of the planet. And the expression that "one in the field is not a warrior" is inappropriate here. In fact, each person is capable of making a valuable contribution to preserving the natural resources of the world. With a little thought, you can take concrete steps towards a clean environment. A good start would be planting trees and collecting garbage on your property. It is impossible for a person to change the world, but everyone can change themselves!
