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Natural resources are those products and features of the earth that permit it to support life and satisfy people's needs. Minerals, land, and water are natural resources, as are such biological resources as flowers, trees, birds, wild animals, and fish. Mineral resources include oil, coal, metals, stone, and sand. Other natural resources are air, sunshine, and climate. Natural resources are used to make (1) food; (2) fuel; and (3) raw materials for the production of finished goods.

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Types of natural resources

This article discusses natural resources in general. For information on the natural resources of specific areas, see the Natural resources section in each state and province article, and in various country articles.

Uses and importance. Biological resources are the most important natural resources. All the food we eat comes from plants or animals. Since early days, people have used wood from trees for fuel and shelter. Biological resources, in turn, are dependent on other natural resources. Most plants and animals could not live without air, sunshine, soil, and water.

Mineral resources are also extremely important to modern living. Mineral fuels—including coal, oil, and natural gas—provide heat, light, and power. Minerals serve as raw materials for making finished goods, such as cars, plastics, and refrigerators.

Natural resources contribute—but are not essential—to a nation's wealth. Such wealthy nations as Canada and the United States are rich in natural resources. But some well-to-do nations, such as Denmark and Japan, have few of them. Some poor, or less developed, countries have few natural resources, though some, like Peru and Congo (Kinshasa), have many.

Conservation and development. Because modern civilization—even life itself—depends on natural resources, many people have been concerned about whether there will always be enough.

Scientists and economists believe that people can never use up all the mineral raw materials like iron, aluminum, sand, and fertilizer. There are sufficient quantities in the earth and the sea, and most of the materials can be reused. For example, scrap iron can be melted down and used again in steelmaking. But people may have to explore farther and dig deeper to get what they need. Or they may have to substitute one material for another that has become too scarce. For example, aluminum may be used in place of copper for many purposes. While copper is scarce, deposits of bauxite and clay contain more aluminum than people can ever use.

Mineral fuels are different and can all be used up. The earth contains enough mineral fuels to last only one or two centuries at current rates of use. When these supplies run out, people may depend more on solar energy to power autos and factories and on nuclear energy to heat homes. Even today, uranium and other nuclear fuels generate electricity. Such fuels will last for many centuries. Sunlight is already used to run the instruments in space satellites and may someday be widely used to provide energy. Scientists are now trying to generate power by combining the nuclei (cores) of hydrogen atoms. This process, called nuclear fusion, is a potentially limitless source of energy. See Nuclear energy; Solar energy.

Preserving the delicate balance of nature in biological resources appears to be the most difficult and important part of saving our natural resources. People have often upset this balance. For example, poor farming methods have ruined much farmland and left it barren. Each year, millions of tons of fertile topsoil that could produce good crops are washed away by rains. Chemicals sprayed on crops and washed off by rain sometimes end up in rivers and streams. Some of these chemicals kill the fish in the streams. Some entire species of birds and animals have been killed off by hunters.

Fumes from automobiles and trucks and smoke from factories poison the air. This air pollution in many cities kills trees and endangers human health. As more cars and factories are built, the problem tends to get worse. To correct these conditions, people have to reduce the amount of pollution produced by factories and automobiles. In the United States, the quality of both air and water has improved significantly in recent years because of government regulations. See Air pollution.

Even if natural resources are conserved and developed, the earth will be unable to provide enough food if the population increases too much. With much effort, the amount of land under cultivation could be doubled, and farms in many developing countries could produce three or four times as much as they now do. Improved crop varieties can greatly increase yields. All this might increase the food supply to 5 or even 10 times what it now is. But eventually the growth of world population must slow if everyone is to have enough to eat.