Skip to content
Know.itKnow.it
Create an animated lesson
On request

Read the answer free. Creating a lesson uses your daily or stored credits; review the language and settings before starting.

What are renewable and non-renewable resources?

Class 6 ScienceNCERT chapter: Nature's Treasuresइसे हिंदी में पढ़ें

Exam-ready answer

Natural resources that are replenished by nature in a relatively short time are renewable resources, such as sunlight, air, wind, water and forests. Resources that exist in limited amounts and take millions of years to form, such as coal, petroleum, natural gas and minerals, are non-renewable resources. Once used up, non-renewable resources cannot be replaced within our lifetime.

Explanation

Everything we get from nature that is useful to us — air, water, sunlight, soil, forests, coal, petroleum and minerals — is a natural resource. We sort these resources by asking one question: if we use it up, will nature restore it soon? Sunlight reaches Earth every day, rain refills ponds and rivers through the water cycle, and new trees can grow from seeds. Such resources are renewable.

Coal, petroleum and natural gas are called fossil fuels. They formed from the remains of plants and animals that were buried deep under the earth and changed slowly by heat and pressure over millions of years. The amount present is fixed, and we are using it far faster than nature can form more, so these are non-renewable. Minerals and metal ores dug out of the earth are also limited.

Even renewable resources can run short if they are misused. Cutting trees faster than they regrow, polluting rivers and pumping out too much groundwater can make forests and clean water scarce. So both kinds of resources must be used wisely: switching off unused lights and fans, using public transport, saving water and planting trees all reduce the pressure on nature's treasures.

Points to remember

  1. Natural resources: materials and energy from nature that we use, such as air, water, soil, sunlight, forests, minerals and fossil fuels.
  2. Renewable resources are replenished naturally in a short time: sunlight, air, wind, water, forests.
  3. Non-renewable resources are limited and take millions of years to form: coal, petroleum, natural gas, minerals.
  4. Fossil fuels formed from the remains of plants and animals buried deep under the earth for millions of years.
  5. Renewable resources can also become scarce if overused or polluted, so all resources should be used wisely.

Exam tip

Make a two-column table with the definition at the top and at least three examples in each column, and mention 'millions of years' when explaining why fossil fuels are non-renewable.

Questions students also ask

Is water a renewable resource?
Yes. The water cycle of evaporation, condensation and rain keeps refilling rivers, lakes and groundwater. But clean fresh water is limited in many places, and pollution or overuse of groundwater can cause shortages, so water must be conserved.
Why are coal and petroleum called fossil fuels?
They formed from the remains of living things that were buried deep under layers of soil and rock. Over millions of years, heat and pressure slowly changed these remains into coal, petroleum and natural gas, which we now burn as fuels.
Why should we use sunlight and wind for energy?
Sunlight and wind will not run out, and using them does not release smoke the way burning coal or petrol does. Solar panels and windmills produce electricity, saving fossil fuels for the future and reducing air pollution.

Chapter labels help you find the topic in your textbook. Check your own edition: chapter names and order can change. These are Know.it explanations, not official NCERT solutions.