Resources

RESOURCES

Resources:

• What is a renewable and a non-renewable resource?

• Can you name any?

Renewable Resource:

• Something that occurs naturally.

• It is useful to humans.• Can be regenerated

within a lifetime.

Wind:

• A wind turbine device can convert kinetic energy from wind into electrical power.

• Large turbines in high numbers are known as wind farms, and are becoming an increasingly important source of renewable energy for countries who are trying to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.

Forests:

• We use trees to make many types of products.

• For the most part trees will grow back within 100 years, so they can be cut down as long as forests are replanted.

Solar Energy:

• Solar radiation or the heat from the sun is used to generate electricity.

• Taiwan’s dragon-shaped arena is the perfect example of the scalability of solar power. This 50,000 seat area generates 100% of its electricity from photovoltaic technology through its 8,844 solar panels that illuminate the track and field.

Hydropower:

• Energy in water can be harnessed and used for energy. Since water is about 800 times denser than air, even a slow flowing stream of water can produce considerable amounts of energy.

• Hydroelectric energy is a term usually reserved for large-scale hydroelectric dams. The largest of which is the Three Gorges Dam in China.

Biomass (plant Material):

• During photosynthesis, plants capture the sun’s energy. When the plants are burnt, they release the sun’s energy that they contain.

• Peat is the largest source of Biomass.

Biofuel:

• Fuels taken from biomass.

• Bioethanol is made through fermenting sugar components in plant materials.

• Biodiesel is made from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled greases.

• Biofuels provided 2.7% of the world’s transport fuel in 2010.

The production of biofuels however, are not accepted by everyone as a suitable energy source.

Geothermal Energy:

• Is from the thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth.

• From hot springs, geothermal energy has been used for bathing since Paleolithic times and for space heating since ancient Roman times, but it is now better known for electricity generation.

Non-renewable Resource:

• Is a resource that comes naturally.

• It is useful to humans, but does not renew itself at a sufficient rate for sustainable extraction in a humans lifetime.

Fossil Fuels:

• Are most widely used non-renewable resource.

• Examples: coal, oil, and natural gas. These are used for electricity and to run internal combustion engines.

• The formation of fossil fuels takes millions of years, once they are taken out of the ground they are gone.

Radioactive Fuel:

• Uranium is mined to fuel energy-generating nuclear reactors. This generates heat that is used to power turbines that generate electricity.

BC forestry management:

• The following clip shows how BC manages their forest resource using sustainable practices.

Silviculture: the practice of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests to meet diverse needs and values. • focuses on making sure that forests are treated in a way

that preserves and improves their productivity.• Silvi (forest in Latin), Culture (as in growing).

Regeneration: is the act of renewing tree cover by establishing young trees, generally promptly after the previous stand or forest has been removed.

• Takes into account suitable tree genetics and a good environmental fit for planted / seeded trees in a forest stand.

• Wrong genotype can lead to failed regeneration, or poor trees that are prone to pathogens.

Tending: involves…

• enrichment planting where humans increase the planting density in an already growing forest.

• Release Treatments involves weeding out any samplings or seedling competing with the favoured species.

• Thinning where the goal is to control growth space to influence growth, quality, and health of trees.

• Pruning is a practice where the lower branches of young trees are removed. This helps create knot free wood (that sells at a higher price).

• Forest Care involves dealing with any forest pathogens.

Harvesting Forests:There are various methods…

• Single-tree selection• Group Selection• Clearcutting• Patch Cut• Seed-tree• Shelterwood• Coppicing• Variable retention

where have you seen this symbol. Do you know what is means?

Aquaculture: (also known as aquafarming) is the cultivation of saltwater or freshwater species in controlled conditions.

• Ex: fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants

• Farming implies that this is a form of intervention in the rearing process to enhance production (fish stock), feeding, and protection from predators.

• This has been developed to meet the human demand for fish.

•2004- total world production of fisheries was 140 million tonnes, and aquaculture contributed 45 million tonnes (about 1/3).

•Wild fisheries sector does not seem to be experiencing much growth over the past decade, but the aquaculture market reached $86 billion in 2009.