1. What can make what is today a renewable resource non-renewable tomorrow? Describe some actions that can prevent this from happening.
Answer:
Renewable resources, like forests, water, and soil, can regrow naturally, but they can become non-renewable if we use them faster than nature can replenish them. For example, cutting trees faster than forests can regrow depletes forests, making timber non-renewable. Similarly, overusing groundwater, like in Punjab, lowers the water table, making it unavailable. Industrial waste polluting rivers can also stop them from supporting life, disrupting their renewal.
Actions to Prevent This:
- Sustainable Use: Cut trees slowly, allowing forests to regrow, like taking only limited timber.
- Water Conservation: Use rainwater harvesting and revive ponds to refill groundwater, as done in some Indian villages.
- Reduce Pollution: Stop dumping industrial waste in rivers to keep them clean and supportive of life.
- Plant Trees: Reforestation, like planting native trees, helps forests regenerate.
- Use Alternatives: Switch to renewable energy, like solar power, to reduce pressure on resources like water.
2. Name five ecosystem functions that serve humans.
Answer:
Ecosystem functions are natural processes that help humans by providing essential benefits, known as ecosystem services. Based on the chapter, here are five ecosystem functions that serve humans:
- Oxygen Production: Trees and plants produce oxygen, like a mature tree giving ~275 liters daily, helping us breathe.
- Water Purification: Forests and wetlands filter water, providing clean water for drinking and farming.
- Soil Fertility: Decomposing plants and animals enrich soil, helping grow food crops.
- Pollination: Bees and insects pollinate crops, ensuring food production, like fruits and vegetables.
- Climate Regulation: Forests absorb carbon dioxide, reducing rising temperatures and helping control climate change.
3. What are renewable resources? How are they different from non-renewable ones? What can people do to ensure that renewable resources continue to be available for our use and that of future generations? Give two examples.
Answer:
Renewable Resources: These are resources that can regrow or refill naturally over time, like sunlight, wind, river water, and timber from forests. For example, rivers are fed by rain and glaciers, and forests renew if we don’t cut too many trees.
Non-Renewable Resources: These take millions of years to form and cannot be replaced quickly, like coal, petroleum, and minerals (iron, copper). For example, India’s coal reserves may last only ~50 years if overused.
Differences:
- Renewable resources can replenish naturally if used sustainably; non-renewable resources cannot.
- Example: Sunlight is always available, but coal runs out after mining.
- Renewable resources need careful management to stay renewable; non-renewable resources need judicious use to last longer.
Actions to Ensure Availability:
- Sustainable Use: Use resources slowly to allow nature to restore and regenerate, like cutting timber only as fast as trees grow.
- Reduce Waste: Reuse water and avoid polluting rivers to keep them renewable.
- Protect Nature’s Cycles: Avoid deforestation and fossil fuel overuse to prevent issues like melting glaciers, which affect water security.
- Adopt Alternatives: Use renewable energy, like solar or wind, to reduce pressure on non-renewable resources.
Examples:
- Rainwater Harvesting: Collecting rainwater in ponds, as done in some Indian villages, refills groundwater to keep water renewable.
- Organic Farming: Using natural fertilizers, like in Sikkim, keeps soil fertile and renewable by avoiding chemicals.
4. Identify cultural practices in your home and neighbourhood that point to mindfulness in the use of natural resources.
Answer:
Cultural practices in our homes and neighborhoods show mindfulness by respecting and conserving natural resources. Based on the chapter, here are some examples:
- Tulasī Puja: Many homes worship the Tulsi plant, treating it as sacred and watering it carefully, which promotes plant care and conserves water.
- Sacred Groves: In some neighborhoods, forests or trees are protected as sacred sites, preventing deforestation and preserving biodiversity.
- Water Conservation Rituals: During festivals, some communities use water sparingly in rituals, like offering small amounts to deities, showing respect for water.
- Traditional Farming: Farmers in villages use cow dung as fertilizer, as taught by Vṛkṣāyurveda, to keep soil healthy without chemical harm.
- Reusing Resources: In many homes, old clothes or containers are reused for other purposes, reducing waste and conserving materials.
5. What are some considerations to keep in mind in the production of goods for our current use?
Answer:
When producing goods for our use, we must consider how to use natural resources responsibly to avoid harming nature and ensure sustainability. Based on the chapter, here are key considerations:
- Minimize Pollution: Reduce waste from production, like cement dust harming lungs and water, by following guidelines like those from the Central Pollution Control Board.
- Use Sustainable Materials: Choose eco-friendly materials, like mud or recycled plastic for buildings, as seen in Auroville’s mud-based structures.
- Conserve Resources: Use non-renewable resources, like coal, carefully and switch to renewable energy, like Rajasthan’s Bhadla Solar Park, to save them.
- Protect Ecosystems: Avoid disrupting nature’s cycles, like polluting rivers with industrial waste, to keep resources renewable.
- Fair Access: Ensure goods are produced in ways that don’t harm communities, like avoiding displacement or damage to sacred sites, and provide equal access to resources like clean water.