Chapter 7: Resources and the Environment

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Chapter 7 Resources and the Environment
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Chapter 7.1
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Mineral Resources
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Renewable or Nonrenewable?

• The decisions that are made about earths
  resources have effects on its environment.
• Environment includes all resources, influences
  and conditions near Earths surface.
• Important to the world economy are coal, oil and
  the metal ores.
• Renewable resources one that can be replaced in
  nature at a rate close to its rate of use.
• Oxygen, tree, food grown in soil
• Nonrenewable resources exists in a fixed amount
  or is used up faster than it can be replaced.

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Earths Minerals

• Metallic elements are of greater economic
  importance than nonmetallic.
• Some metallic elements are easily separated from
  the rocks they form in e.g. gold, silver
• Most metals are chemically combined with other
  elements and must be chemically separated.
• ORE when a rock contains enough of a metallic
  element to make separation profitable.
• Ore mineral valuable minerals
• Gangue left over material

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Supply and Demand

• Minerals are not replaced as fast as or faster
  than they are used.
• Reserves are the known deposits of a mineral in
  ores worth mining.
• If demand is high and the price of a mineral goes
  up reserves may increase.
• Minerals are nonrenewable knowing the size of
  the reserve helps to estimate how long reserves
  will last.

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Use of Minerals

• The U.S. now imports platinum, magnesium, cobalt,
  tin and nickel because it has extinguished its
  reserves.
• Due to the high demand society has on metal ores
  all reserves are thought to be depleted in 60
  years.
• Nonmetals such as sand, gravel and crushed stone
  are taken from quarries (small open pits).

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Chapter 7.3
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Environmental Issues
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Risk and Disadvantages

• Nonrenewables (coal, oil) produce more pollution
  than renewables
• Mining for minerals
• Landscapes can be destroyed
• Surface compounds in the waste material can
  pollute streams with sulfuric acid
• Ore processing can leave heavy metals behind

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• Nonrenewable Energy
• Nuclear reactors produce dangerous radioactive
  materials there is no safe way established to
  store this material.
• Burning Fossil Fuels
• Pollutants irritate the nose, throat, and lungs
• Adds to acid rain
• Exploration damages natural areas

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• Renewable resources
• Have less damage impact on the environment
• Location is a drawback
• Pollution from super heated calcium-rich
  geothermal water can pollute lakes and streams

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Using Resources Wisely

• Conservation
• May include research that improves efficiency of
  the peoples use of resources
• Find better ways of controlling the environmental
  impact of mining
• Topsoil can be removed before mining them
• Reducing gasoline consumption
• Better insulation of homes
• Reducing the use and recycling can help make
  metal and nonmetal resources last longer

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Legislation

• E.P.A. Environmental Protection Agency monitors
  and sets environmental standards
• Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 was designed to
  control pollution and to encourage the
  conservation of energy, water and other natural
  resources