environmental resources
Earth's usable materials
Environmental resources are natural assets—water, air, soil, minerals, forests, wildlife—that humans draw upon for survival and economic activity.
The term frames nature as a stock to be managed: competing demands on environmental resources, sustainable use of environmental resources.
It appears frequently in policy discussions about conservation, extraction, and the costs of depletion.
- solar energyHarnessed stellar radiation
- coalCombustible sedimentary rock
- pollinationFlower reproductive transfer
- water purificationRendering liquid safe to drink
- wind energyElectricity from airflow
deforestation · oil · carbon sequestration · climate change · freshwater · hydropower · natural gas · pest control · soil fertility · biodiversity · geothermal energy · uranium · overfishing · carrying capacity · ocean floor · rare earth metals · mineral rights · biomass
environmental resourcessynthetic materials
Human-manufactured, non-natural substances
petrochemicals · plastics · synthetic chemicals · synthetic fibers
environmental resourcesnon-renewable resources
Materials consumed faster than formed
finite resources · fossil fuels · industrial waste · pollution · environmental degradation
environmental resourcesenvironmental pollutants
Substances degrading ecosystems
industrial waste · toxic emissions · environmental hazards · pollution · environmental degradation
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