Natural Resources and Society

• Society is formed when people live together in villages, cities, states and countries.
• Society interacts with and changes the environment, sometimes affecting the ecological balance.
• Increased population and economic activities have led to people's interference with nature, harming the environment.
• Industrial development and intensive agriculture consume large amounts of natural resources.

Natural Resources

• A resource is any natural or artificial substance, energy, or organism used by humans for their welfare.
• Natural resources include water, land, soils, rocks, forests, animals, fossil fuels, and minerals.
• These resources are the basis of life on Earth and are used for survival and proper functioning.
• Natural resources can be consumed directly or indirectly, such as forests providing food and regulating climate.
• Artificial resources are developed by humans, like biogas, thermal electricity, and plastics.
• Natural resources can be solid, liquid, or gas, and organic or inorganic, metallic or non-metallic.

Types of Natural Resources

• Land: Used for production, residence, and recreation, is a finite resource.
• Forests: Self-sustaining communities with a vertical structure created by trees, providing wood and other products.
• Water: Covers about three-quarters of Earth’s surface and is essential for life and various activities.
• Mineral deposits: Concentrations of naturally occurring materials that can be extracted and converted into useful items.
• Food: Resources used as food or providing food for organisms, with plants serving as food for herbivores and omnivores.
• Energy: Resources that produce heat, power, or electricity, including solar energy, gravity, nuclear fission, and fossil fuels.

Categories of Natural Resources

• Inexhaustible: Cannot be exhausted by human consumption, such as solar radiation, wind power, water power, and tidal power.
• Exhaustible: Available in limited quantities and will be depleted with continuous use, such as coal.
• Renewable: Constantly available, such as water, or can be reasonably replaced or recovered, such as vegetative lands.
• Non-renewable: Cannot be easily replaced once destroyed, such as fossil fuels and minerals.

Non-renewable vs Renewable Resources

• Non-renewable resources include coal, petroleum, LPG, natural gas, nuclear plants and minerals.
• Renewable resources include water, sun, wind, biomass, soil and forests.
• Coal is used for cooking, heating, and in power plants and factories.
• Petroleum is used to run vehicles, furnaces, and power-houses.
• LPG is used for cooking and running vehicles.
• Natural gas is used for running vehicles (CNG).
• Nuclear energy is a common source of electricity but carries the risk of harm in case of an accident.
• Minerals are reducing due to extensive mining, which damages the earth.
• Only 2.5% of water on earth is fresh water; river energy is used to make electricity.
• Sun's energy is used to generate electricity for calculators, street lamps, heaters, etc.
• Wind energy can be used for grinding grain, pumping water, and generating electricity.
• Biomass energy can be produced from plant and animal wastes for heating purposes and electricity.
• Soil provides nutrients for plants and shelter, but its quality is damaged by chemicals, pollution, and deforestation.
• Forests preserve ecology, provide clean air, attract rain, and offer wood, fruits, and medicinal plants.

Damage to the Environment

• Overexploitation of resources, pollution, deforestation, mining, and destruction of natural habitats cause damage to the Earth.
• Traditional societies with small populations preserved biodiversity, but increasing consumerism leads to rapid resource depletion.
• Overexploitation: Harvesting resources faster than they can be replenished, leading to species extinction and affecting the ecological cycle.
• Mining: Extraction of ores that leads to erosion, sinkholes, biodiversity loss, and contamination of soil and water.
• Deforestation: Clearance of forests for agriculture and construction, resulting in habitat loss and potential species extinction.
• Pollution: Undesirable changes in surroundings caused by pollutants from human activity, harming plants, animals, and humans.

Pollution Types

• Non-biodegradable pollutants: Cannot be broken down into simpler substances, such as plastics, insecticides, and chemicals.
• Biodegradable pollutants: Break down naturally, such as vegetable waste, sewage, paper, and agricultural waste.

Factors Responsible for Polluting the Environment

• Exhaust fumes from vehicles
• Excessive use of chemicals in agriculture
• Plastic waste on land and sea
• Dangerous gases released into the air (CFCs, methane, carbon dioxide)

Types of Pollution

• Land pollution: Damage to the land from harmful substances, causing diseases and reducing usable land, prevented by reducing waste, segregating products, planting trees, and adopting organic forming techniques.
• Water pollution: Harmful substances and bacteria in water bodies, causing diseases, harming local earnings, and reducing drinkable water, prevented by proper treatment of waste and mindful use.
• Air pollution: Addition of harmful gases in air, causing health problems, climate change and disasters, prevented by using sustainable energy.

Climate Change

• Greenhouse effect: The Earth is becoming hotter due to burning fossil fuels, which trap heat and prevent it from escaping.
• Forests play a role in converting carbon dioxide into carbon and oxygen, and loss of forest cover contributes to the greenhouse effect.
• Greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone, as well as fluorinated gases like CFCs and HCFCs.
• Increased carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels lead to more heat being trapped and frequent floods and changes in climate.

Harmful Radiation

• Ozone layer: A layer in the atmosphere protects us from harmful radiation from the sun.
• Cleaning chemicals and coolants release ozone-depleting substances in the atmosphere, destroying the ozone layer.

Natural Disasters

• Natural disasters include floods, earthquakes, landslides, and storms.
• Exploitation of natural resources aggravates the impact of natural disasters.

Saving the Environment

• Education: Educating people about the environment will enlighten them in utilizing their knowledge and skills for saving the environment as responsible citizens.
• Learning about the environment: Focuses on knowledge and understanding of our surroundings.
• Learning through the environment: Emphasizes hands-on experience and problem-solving through exposure to the environment.
• Learning for the environment: Aims to develop responsibility towards the environment.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

• Reduce: Minimize the use of unnecessary items and packaging.
• Reuse: Use materials for other purposes, such as making pillow covers from old clothes.
• Recycling: Reusing components of waste with economic value, such as metal, paper, and plastic.

Actions for Saving the Environment

• Avoiding burning materials and preferring natural ventilation
• Reducing energy use and using public transport or renewable energy
• Preventing waste in water bodies and properly treating sewage
• Segregating waste and opting for organic food

Conservation of Resources

• Green Skills: Conducting resource audits and taking measures to conserve resources and save money.
• Soil conservation: Preventing soil erosion and improving soil fertility through various methods.
• Water conservation: Managing water by growing vegetation, constructing dams, treating sewage, and rainwater harvesting.
• Energy conservation: Using energy efficiently by switching off lights, using energy-efficient bulbs, and cooking efficiently.
• Food conservation: Practicing food storage and preservation to prevent spoilage.
• Forest conservation: Retaining existing forests and creating new ones with community participation.

Sustainable Development

• Sustainable development: Development that meets present needs without compromising future generations, balancing economic growth, environmental care, and social well-being.

Elements of Sustainable Development

• Reducing excessive use of resources and enhancing resource conservation
• Recycling and reuse of waste materials
• Scientific management of renewable resources
• Planting more trees and using environment-friendly materials
• Using environmental friendly technologies

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• Universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure peace and prosperity.
• Launched in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• Addressing issues facing businesses, governments, and society, such as poverty, gender equality, water use, energy, climate change, and biodiversity.

Green Growth

• Economic growth that is socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable.
• Balancing priorities by reducing resource consumption and enhancing social equity and job creation.

Green Economy

• System that helps in economic growth while taking care of the environment.
• Low carbon, resource-efficient, and socially inclusive.
• Promotes the use of 'green products' made by eco-sensitive industries.

Green Consumer

• Someone concerned about the environment who purchases only eco-friendly products.

Components of a Green Economy

• Renewable energy: Using renewable resources that are available in large quantities and cause less pollution.
• Green building: Buildings that cause minimum environmental damage during their construction and operation.
• Well-managed transport: Sustainable transport systems that cost less, help more people move quickly, and cause less environmental damage.
• Water management: Avoiding water pollution and recycling water for various purposes.
• Waste management: Preventing waste by separating waste before throwing and using the 3Rs—Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
• Land management: Using land in a way that meets the requirements of people without causing environmental damage.

Skill Development for Green Economy

• Green Skills: Technical skills, knowledge, values, and attitudes needed to develop and support sustainable outcomes.
• Skills support sustainable social, economic and environmental outcomes.
• Green skilling: Crucial for transitioning to cleaner production and services, requiring workers with resource management abilities.
• National Skill Development Mission: Creating consistency across sectors and States in terms of skill training activities, including green skills.

A green job

• Employment in any industry that contributes to preserving or restoring environmental quality.
• Rise in the demand for architects, engineers, technicians, plumbers, construction workers due to green buildings and increased energy efficiency.

Sectors With Potential for Green Jobs

• Agriculture: Organic farming, watershed management, rainwater harvesting.
• Construction: Planning, design, and construction of green buildings.
• Energy: Research, construction, and monitoring of power plants.
• Forestry: Reforestation and afforestation projects
• Manufacturing: Pollution control, energy efficiency, recycling waste materials.

Green Projects

• Solid Waste Management: Implemented by 'Swachh Cooperative' integrating waste pickers into Pune's system.
• Modern Chulha of ‘Society of Development and Environment Protection’: Promotes energy-efficient cooking stoves reducing wood consumption and smoke.
• Biotoilet by ‘Green Solution Foundation’: Bio-toilet solution for hygienic sanitation in areas lacking sewage systems.