Understanding Natural Resources

Renewable Resources

• Renewable resources can be replenished if used carefully, at a rate slower than replenishment.
• Examples include fish stocks, forests, livestock, biomass, water, and crops.

Non-Renewable Resources

• Non-renewable resources cannot be replaced if used up.
• They are finite resources that take millions of years to replenish.
• Examples include fossil fuels, oil, natural gas, and coal.

Flow Resources

• Flow resources are constantly produced by nature.
• They must be used where and when they occur, or they are lost.
• Human activity cannot damage their supply.
• Examples include wind and sunlight.

Other Resources

• Other resources cannot be classified as renewable, non-renewable, or flow.
• They can be considered tourist attractions.
• Examples include the aurora borealis.

Natural Resources

• A naturally formed substance used to produce goods and services for consumer use and trade.
• Not made by humans.

Types of Resources

• Renewable: forests, livestock, biomass, water, fish stock, crops
• Non-renewable: fossil fuels, oil, natural gas, coal
• Flow: wind, sunlight
• Other: Aurora Borealis

Industries

Primary Industries

• Extractive industries that take/extract raw materials from the environment.
• Examples include mining, agriculture, forestry, and fishing.

Secondary Industries

• Manufacturing and construction industries that assemble raw materials into products.
• Examples include building cars, electronics, and flow mills.

Tertiary Industries

• Service industries that support primary and secondary industries.
• Examples include: retail, transportation, entertainment, restaurants, and travel agents.

Quaternary Industries

• Knowledge-based industries that create, interpret, organize, and transmit information.
• Examples include academic research, software development, finance, and statistics.

1992 Moratorium

• A policy implemented by the Canadian government that prohibited the commercial fishing of cod on the East Coast (Newfoundland and Labrador, July 2, 1992).
• Implemented in response to declining cod populations due to overfishing and mismanagement.
• Led to job losses (30,000) and prompted economic diversification towards aquaculture and fossil fuels.

Bottom Trawling

• A fishing method that drags large nets across the ocean floor, catching many species.
• Not a sustainable method; kills all species, ruins ecosystems, rapidly depletes populations.

Bycatch

• Species caught unintentionally during bottom trawling.

Aquaculture

• Breeding and farming/harvesting seafood in fresh or saltwater environments.

Long-lining

• Fishing method with long lines and baited hooks trailed off a boat.
• Catches target fish without damaging ecosystems.

Groundfish

• Fish that live on or near the ocean floor.
• Examples: Cod, haddock, halibut.

Shellfish

• Invertebrates with shells.
• Examples: Lobster, crab, shrimp, mussels, oysters.

Kelp

• A type of seaweed found in oceans, used in aquaculture farms.

Deciduous Trees

• Trees with broad leaves that fall off during autumn

Coniferous Trees

• Trees with cones and needles that do not fall off.

Lumber

• Wood cut into boards (used for construction).

Timber

• Unprocessed wood.

Pulp

• Wood ground into small fibers, used for paper products.

Maple Syrup

• Syrup made from maple tree sap, mainly produced in Quebec, Canada.

Clear Cut

• Harvesting all or most trees in an area at once.

Shelterwood Cut

• Leaving mature trees standing to provide shade for regeneration

Strip Cut

• Removing tree crops in strips or blocks.

Selective Cut

• Harvesting mature or defective trees in uneven-aged forests.

Forest Products

• Lumber, timber, pulp, sap (maple syrup).

Forestry Industry in Canada

• Employing roughly 200,000 people, primarily in Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia.

Forestry Industry Contributions to GDP

• Contributed $33.4 billion to Canada's GDP in 2016.

Types of Trees

• Deciduous (broad leaves that fall off)
• Coniferous (cones and needles)

Hydropower

• Uses dams or diversions to flow water into turbines.
• Converts kinetic energy into electricity.

Biomass

• Organic matter (wood, wood waste, biogas, landfills, municipal waste).
• Flexible energy source for heating and cooling.

Solar

• Converts sunlight into thermal or electric energy through solar panels.
• Versatile energy source with low maintenance costs, but have expensive upfront costs

Wind

• Harnesses wind through turbines; a renewable clean resource.
• Requires large open areas or areas close to shore.

Geothermal

• Uses Earth's heat to generate steam.
• Used to spin turbines and generate electricity; requires considerable land use, expensive and causes surface instabilities.

Sustainability

• Management of resources for future generations
• Using resources at a rate lower than their replenishment.

Tragedy of the Commons

• Individuals benefit from a common resource at the expense of the community/society.

Water Issues in Canada

• Indigenous communities lack clean water access in reserves.
• Water exports are a topic of debate/discussion.

Pricing Water

• A method to incentivize conservation and development of water-saving technology.
• Potential issue of high-water costs in lower income communities

Mining Methods

• Strip mining (surface removal), open-pit (funnel shapes for deep extraction), and underground (shafts and drills for deep deposits).

Mining Minerals

• Metallic minerals (gold, iron, etc.)
• Non-metallic minerals (gypsum, potash, etc.)
• Structural minerals (limestone, clay, etc.)
• Fuels (coal, oil, etc.)

Diamond Locations & Discovery

• Mostly found in Northwest Territories, Canada, due to volcanic activity millions of years ago and subsequent erosion.

Fracking

• A controversial method for mining oil and natural gas deposits.
• Uses water, chemicals, and sand blasted into wells to fracture rock formations.
• Concerns about water contamination, seismic activity, and potential cancer-causing chemicals.

Globalization

• Interconnectedness through trade, information, ideas, and communication.
• Driven by consumerism and technological development