REVIEW: Lesson Summary

Lesson Summary

Many products use a variety of nonrenewable and renewable resources. Image courtesy of CK-12. 

• The availability of resources depends on how much of it there is and how hard it is to extract, refine and transport
  
• Politics plays an important role in resource availability 
  
• Increased resource use generally means more waste. E-waste from developed countries is a growing problem in developing countries
  
• Nonrenewable resources are used faster than they can be replaced.
  
• Renewable resources are either so abundant or are replaced so rapidly that for all practical purposes, they can't run out
  
• Fossil fuels are the most commonly used non-renewable resources
  
• Many objects, such as a car, contain many types of resources, both renewable and nonrenewable
  
• An ore deposit must be profitable in order to be mined. Surface mines are created for mineral deposits near the surface of the Earth; underground mines are used to access deeper deposits
  
• Ore is extracted by leaching with chemicals, floatation or smelting
  
• Surface mining clears the land, completely destroying the ecosystems that were found there
  
• Mining releases pollutants, which affect the immediate area and may travel downstream or downwind to cause problems elsewhere
  
• Reclamation occurs when people attempt to return the mined land to its original state
  
• Hazardous waste is material that is toxic, chemically active, corrosive or flammable
  
• Hazardous wastes are damaging to the environment or human health
  
• Hazardous materials are found in a variety of settings, including industry, agriculture and people's homes
  
• Government regulations, like the Superfund Act, hold companies accountable for the hazardous materials they produce 
  
• Developed nations have seen the consequences of hazardous waste and are more likely to have protections in place than developing countries
  
• People can lessen the hazardous waste problem by using materials that are not hazardous or by disposing of wastes properly