Resource Depletion and Renewability

April 24, 2022

Written by: Caroline Kim

If you’ve kept up with the past posts, the term resource depletion will most likely ring a bell. The term is just as it sounds: using up earth’s resources faster than it can regenerate them. In other words, the issue is that there are rising demands but a strict quantity of resources that the earth can provide. This term can be applied to water consumption, farming, fuel consumption, fishing, and mining (Rinkesh). In fact, the earth’s ecological footprint is estimated to be 1.5 times faster than earth’s ability to regenerate. (Rinkesh). According to an article by Rinkesh, some of the major causes of this include overpopulation, poor farming practices, deforestation, pollution, and industrial/technological developments; the effects include water shortages, oil depletion, depletion of minerals, and extinction of various species. In fact, the article “We're Gobbling up the Earth's Resources at an Unsustainable Rate” states that “the extraction and processing of materials, fuels and food contribute half of total global greenhouse gas emissions and over 90 percent of biodiversity loss and water stress”.

On the upside, changes are being made, and alternatives are being presented such as renewable energy, which not only assist with resource depletion, but also with clean energy (decreased greenhouse gas emissions). Although it has its set of challenges and doesn’t solve all the issues caused by resource depletion, it can be effective. According to National Geographic, “Recently, renewable resource use has begun to increase. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 11 percent of the U.S. energy consumption came from renewable resources in 2017”. Some examples of renewable energy include hydropower in which streams/rivers are used to turn a turbine, power a generator, and provide electricity, which is somehow incorporated in each state in the U.S. (National Geographic Society). Another example is geothermal energy: “Geothermal energy can be harnessed by drilling wells to pump hot water or steam to a power plant. This energy is then used for heating and electricity” (National Geographic Society). Other clean energy sectors include wind, solar, and bioenergy.

Sources:

Rinkesh. “Causes, Effects and Solution of Depletion of Natural Resources.” Conserve Energy Future, 14 May 2020, https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-depletion-natural-resources.php.

“We're Gobbling up the Earth's Resources at an Unsustainable Rate.” UNEP, https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/were-gobbling-earths-resources-unsustainable-rate.

National Geographic Society. “Renewable Resources.” National Geographic Society, 30 May 2019, https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/renewable-resources/#:~:text=Renewable%20resources%20include%20biomass%20energy,from%20corn%20or%20other%20plants).

“Clean Energy.” Energy.gov, https://www.energy.gov/clean-energy.