Basics
Name three groups that depend on natural resources.
People, plants, and animals.
Name two renewable resources that are available almost all of the time.
Sunlight and wind
Name three fossil fuels.
Coal, oil, and natural gas.
What can burning coal, oil, and natural gas release into the air?
Pollution
What are the three Rs of conservation?
Reduce, reuse, and recycle.
How do people use soil and water to meet basic needs?
People drink water and use soil to grow food.
How do wind turbines make electricity?
They use moving air to make electricity.
What makes a resource nonrenewable?
It forms so slowly that people cannot replace it within a human lifetime.
What can some gases trap in the atmosphere?
Heat
What does it mean to reuse an item?
Use it again instead of throwing it away.
Give an example of how people use natural resources to travel.
They use oil to make gas to power cars and other vehicles.
Why should people use clean water carefully even though water is renewable?
Clean water can be limited in some places, and pollution can make it less usable.
How long does it take fossil fuels to form?
Millions of years.
Name two things climate change can affect.
Weather patterns, ice, oceans, plants, and animals
Give two ways people can conserve resources at home.
Turn off lights when leaving a room and avoid wasting water.
Give an example of how people use natural resources to build.
People use wood, stone, and metals to build homes and roads.
Explain why forests and soil must be managed wisely even though they can renew.
Forests need time to regrow, and cutting too many trees too quickly can harm animal homes and forest recovery. Healthy soil also takes a long time to form, so farmers can protect it with cover crops and by preventing it from washing away.
Name two nonrenewable minerals or metals and describe where they are found.
Iron and copper are taken from rocks in the ground.
Describe two ways mining or building can affect land and wildlife.
Forests may be cleared, and animal habitats may be damaged or lost.
What does conservation mean?
Using resources carefully so they last longer and nature can stay healthy.
What are natural resources?
Materials and sources of energy that come from Earth or nature.
What is a renewable resource?
A resource that nature can replace over time.
Why can using up a nonrenewable resource in one place create a lasting problem?
The resource takes a very long time to form, so people cannot quickly replace what they have used.
Name 3 natural resources that pollution can harm
Air, water, and soil
Explain how using renewable energy and saving energy can reduce the need to burn fossil fuels.
Using more solar and wind power provides energy from renewable sources, reducing the need to burn fossil fuels.