Geography

Class-:8
Chapter-:1
Resource

■Resource
Anything that can be used to satisfy a need is a
resource Ex-: The water you drink when you
are thirsty, the electricity you use in your house,
the rickshaw you use to get home from school,
the textbook you use to study are all resources.
Water, electricity, rickshaw, vegetable and
textbook have something in common. They have
all been used by you, so they have utility. Utility
or usability is what makes an object or
substance a resource.
All resources have some value. Value means
worth. Some resources have economic value,
some do not. For example, metals may have an
economic value, a beautiful landscape may not.
But both are important and satisfy human needs.

■Patent: It means the exclusive right over any

idea or invention.
Time and technology are two important factors
that can change substances into resources. Both
are related to the needs of the people. People
themselves are the most important resource. It is
their ideas, knowledge, inventions and
discoveries that lead to the creation of more
resources. Each discovery or invention leads to
many others. The invention of the wheel
ultimately resulted in development of newer
modes of transport. The technology to create
hydroelectricity has turned energy in fast
flowing water into an important resource.
●Technology: It is the application of latest
knowledge
and skill in doing or making things.
■TYPES OF RESOURCES
1)NATURAL RESOURCES
2) HUMAN-MADE RESOURCES
3) HUMAN RESOURCES
●Natural Resources
Resources that are drawn from Nature and used
without much modification are called natural
resources. Ex-: water, air , soil etc.
They can be used directly. In some cases tools
and technology may be needed to use a natural
resource in the best possible way.
Natural resources can be broadly categorised
into renewable and non-renewable resources.
■Renewable resources are those which get
renewed or replenished quickly. Some of these
are unlimited and are not affected by human
activities, such as solar and wind energy. Yet
careless use of certain renewable resources like
water, soil and forest can affect their stock.
Water seems to be an unlimited renewable
resource. But shortage and drying up of natural
water sources is a major problem in many parts
of the world today.
■Non-renewable resources are those which
have a limited stock. Once the stocks are
exhausted it may take thousands of years to be
renewed or replenished. Since this period is
much more than human life spans, such
resources are considered non-renewable. Coal,
petroleum and natural gas are some examples.
●The distribution of natural resources depends
upon number of physical factors like terrain,
climate
and altitude. The distribution of resources is
unequal
because these factors differ so much over the
earth.
■Human Made Resources
Sometimes, natural substances become
resources only when their original form has
been changed. Iron ore was not a resource until
people learnt to extract iron from it. People use
natural resources to make buildings, bridges,
roads, machinery and vehicles, which are known
as human made resources. Technology is also a
human made resource.
■Human Resources
People can make the best use of nature to create
more resources when they have the knowledge,
skill and the technology to do so. That is why
human beings are a special resource. People are
human resources. Education and health help in
making people a valuable resource. Improving
the quality of people’s skills so that they are able
to create more resources is known as human
resource development.
■Human Resource refers to the number
(quantity) and abilities (mental and physical) of
the people. Though, there are differing views
regarding treatment of humans as a resource,
one cannot deny the fact that it is the skills of
human that help in transfering the physical
material into a valuable resource.
Using resources carefully and giving them time
to get renewed is called resource conservation.
Balancing the need to use resources and also
conserve them for the future is called
sustainable development.
■Sustainable Development
Carefully utilising resources so that besides
meeting the requirements of the present, also
takes care of future generations.
The future of our planet and its people is linked
with
our ability to maintain and preserve the life
support
system that nature provides. Therefore it is our
duty to
ensure that :
• all uses of renewable resources are
sustainable
• the diversity of life on the earth is conserved
• the damage to natural environmental system
is
minimised.
Some Principles of Sustainable Development
●Respect and care for all forms of life.
●Improve the quality of human life
●Conserve the earth’s vitality and diversity
●Minimise the depletion of natural resources.
●Change personal attitude and practices
towards the environment.
●Enable communities to care for their own
Environment.