Explore Natural Resources and How We Use Them

Natural resources are materials that come from the Earth and are used by people every day. Things like water, soil, trees, minerals, and sunlight are all natural resources. You can find natural resources all around you from the wood in your desk to the water you drink.

As you explore Ecosystems and how living things depend on each other, you will see how natural resources are a key part of every ecosystem. Learning about resource use helps you understand how people and nature are connected.

One of the most important ideas in resource use is knowing whether a resource can be replaced. Renewable resources are natural materials that can grow back or be replaced over time. Trees, fish, and water are examples of renewable resources.

Non-renewable resources are materials that take millions of years to form and cannot be replaced once they are used up. Oil, natural gas, coal, and minerals like gold and iron ore are non-renewable. Alberta's oil and gas deposits took millions of years to form, so once we use them, they are gone.

Understanding this difference helps you make smart choices about how resources are used, which connects to Conservation protecting resources so they last longer.

Canada is rich in natural resources, and different regions use different resources. In British Columbia, vast forests provide timber for building homes and making paper. These forests are carefully managed so new trees can grow back, making forestry a renewable resource industry.

In the Prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, farmers grow large amounts of wheat because the soil and climate are perfect for it. Wheat is used to make bread, pasta, and cereal foods you might eat every day.

In Northern Ontario, the Canadian Shield a large region of ancient rock contains valuable minerals like granite, gold, nickel, iron ore, silver, and copper. Mining companies extract these minerals and ship them to factories where they are made into products like cars, bridges, and tools.

Quebec uses the powerful flow of the St. Lawrence River to create hydroelectric power. Water spins turbines at dams to generate clean electricity for homes and businesses. This connects to what you will learn about Sustainable Environmental Protection Practices.

Canada has the longest coastline in the world, and its rivers, lakes, and oceans provide drinking water, support farming, and create habitats for wildlife. Without protection, waterways can become polluted and unsafe.

Pollution happens when harmful materials enter the environment and damage air, water, or soil. Protecting natural habitats the places where plants and animals live keeps ecosystems healthy. You can learn more about how people affect the environment in Human Effects.

Recycling is one way you can help protect resources. When materials like paper, plastic, and metal are recycled, they are reused instead of being thrown away in landfills. This reduces the need to harvest or mine new raw materials.

Bees also play a vital role in protecting our food supply. When bees visit flowers to collect nectar, they transfer pollen from one plant to another a process called pollination. Without bees, many crops could not grow.

Natural Resources: Materials that come from the Earth and are used by people, such as water, soil, trees, and minerals.

Renewable Resources: Natural materials that can grow back or be replaced by nature over time. For example, trees can be replanted and fish can reproduce.

Non-Renewable Resources: Materials that take millions of years to form and cannot be replaced once used up, like oil, coal, and minerals.

Conservation: Using resources wisely and carefully so they last longer and are available for future generations.

Sustainable Development: Using resources in a way that meets today's needs without harming the ability of future people to meet their needs.

Mining: The process of removing minerals and other materials from underground, such as gold, nickel, iron ore, and granite.

Minerals: Natural solid materials found in the Earth, like gold, silver, copper, nickel, and granite, that are removed by mining.

Forestry: The management and harvesting of forests to produce lumber and paper while allowing trees to regrow.

Timber: Wood that is cut from trees and used for building homes and making products like paper and furniture.

Agriculture: The practice of farming growing crops and raising animals for food and other products.

Hydroelectric Power: Electricity that is created by using the energy of flowing or falling water to spin turbines at a dam.

Pollution: When harmful materials enter the environment such as chemicals in water or smoke in the air and cause damage to living things.

Recycling: The process of collecting and reusing materials like paper, plastic, and metal so they do not end up in landfills and fewer new resources need to be used.

Natural Habitats: The natural places where plants and animals live, such as forests, wetlands, and rivers.

Pollination: The process where bees and other insects transfer pollen from one flower to another, allowing plants to produce seeds and grow new crops.

Harvest: To gather or collect crops, trees, or fish from nature for use by people.

Sustainable: Describes a way of using resources that can continue for a long time without running out or harming the environment.

Canadian Shield: A large region of ancient rock covering much of northern Canada that is rich in minerals like gold, nickel, and granite.

Fossil Fuels: Non-renewable energy sources like oil, natural gas, and coal that formed from ancient plants and animals over millions of years.

Catch Limits: Rules that set the maximum number of fish that can be caught to prevent overfishing and keep fish populations healthy.

You can practice identifying whether resources are renewable or non-renewable by looking at everyday items around your home. Ask yourself: Can this material grow back or be replaced quickly? If yes, it is likely renewable. If it took millions of years to form, it is non-renewable.

You can also think about how recycling at home connects to Environmental Protection every time you recycle paper or plastic, you are helping conserve natural resources and reduce pollution.

Before exploring natural resources, you may have already learned about Resource Industries the businesses that harvest and process natural resources like forestry, mining, and farming. You may also have studied Community Environmental Effects, which shows how resource use affects the communities and environments around us.

You might have explored Parks and Conservation, which teaches you how protected areas help preserve natural habitats and wildlife. Understanding Sustainable Development also prepared you to think about how we can use resources today without taking too much away from future generations.

This topic connects to several important ideas you will explore before and after learning about natural resources.

You already learned about Resource Industries the businesses that extract and process natural resources. You also explored Community Environmental Effects to understand how resource use changes communities, and Environmental Protection to learn how we guard our environment from damage.

Studying Parks and Conservation showed you how protected lands help preserve natural habitats, and Sustainable Development introduced you to the idea of meeting today's needs without harming the future.

As you continue learning, you will explore Human Effects how people's actions impact the natural world and Ecosystems, which shows how all living things and resources are connected. You will also study Sustainable Environmental Protection Practices to discover specific ways people protect the environment.

Next, you will build on this knowledge in Conservation learning strategies for protecting resources and Natural Resources and Regional Distribution, which explores how different resources are found in different parts of Canada.