Day: February 13, 2023

Renewable and Non-renewable Resources

Renewable Resources

The resources which cannot be exhausted even after continuous utilisation are termed renewable resources. Examples of renewable resources are the sun, wind, and tidal energy.

Non-renewable Resources

The resources which cannot be immediately replaced once they are depleted are called non-renewable resources. Examples of non-renewable resources include fossil fuels, such as coal, petroleum, natural gas and rare minerals typically found in meteorites.

Now, let us look at the major differences between renewable and non-renewable resources.

Differences between Renewable and Non-renewable Resources

The following are the major differences between renewable and non-renewable resources.

Renewable Resources Non-renewable Resources
Depletion
Renewable resources cannot be depleted over time. Non-renewable resources deplete over time.
Sources
Renewable resources include sunlight, water, wind and also geothermal sources such as hot springs and fumaroles. Non-renewable resources includes fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum.
Environmental Impact
Most renewable resources have low carbon emissions and low carbon footprint. Non-renewable energy has a comparatively higher carbon footprint and carbon emissions.
Cost
The upfront cost of renewable energy is high. For instance, generating electricity using technologies running on renewable energy is costlier than generating it with fossil fuels. Non-renewable energy has a comparatively lower upfront cost.
Infrastructure Requirements
Infrastructure for harvesting renewable energy is prohibitively expensive and not easily accessible in most countries. Cost-effective and accessible infrastructure is available for non-renewable energy across most countries.
Area Requirements
Requires a large land/ offshore area, especially for wind farms and solar farms. Comparatively lower area requirements.

Interestingly, some resources, such as uranium, is touted as a renewable resource. However, it is still a subject of debate as uranium is not exactly a renewable resource, according to many statutory definitions.

What is Hydrological cycle

 The hydrologic cycle, also known as the water cycle is a way of describing the material flow of water throughout the Earth. This series of steps describes how water moves across the Earth and changes form. These specific steps result in the circulation of water between oceans, the atmosphere, and the land. The water cycle involves natural phenomena that include precipitation such as rain and snow, drainage from rivers, and the return of water to the atmosphere through evaporation and transpiration. This natural cycling of water through a variety of different locations on the Earth means that through the history of the Earth, the amount of water has been relatively constant. Little has been added or lost over the years, and this water has been continuously in motion.

Figure 1. A diagram showing the major components of the water cycle.

The cycle has two primary components: storage and movement. Storage is where water in the system resides or “rests” as it moves from one water reservoir to another. For example, water enters a lake through some movement such as precipitation. After it enters the lake, it stays there for some period of time in its storage phase. Eventually, the water moves back out through some movement, such as evaporation into the atmosphere, discharge into a river, or migration into the subsurface groundwater system. This continuous movement of water among the various storage reservoirs is termed the hydrologic cycle.

It is important to note that water requires energy to change states – from solid to liquid is called the enthalpy of fusion, and from liquid to gas is called the enthalpy of vaporization. The evaporation of water from the oceans and evapotranspiration from continents is a particularly important component of the hydrologic cycle that requires a change of state and input of energy. Since nature follows the law of conservation of energy, the energy to fuel this cycle must come from somewhere. In the hydrologic cycle, this energy comes from the Sun.

Various initiates by the world community in safeguarding natural resources

Montreal
Protocol 

It was finalized in the year 1987
and adopted on 15 September 1987. It is a multilateral environmental agreement
and this protocol is the only UN treaty ever up to date which was
initially approved by only 46 countries but now it is ratified by all 197 UN
member countries/states. This protocol regulates the production and consumption
of man-made chemicals which can deplete the ozone layer. 

 

Kyoto
Protocol

Second commitment of Kyoto
Protocol (2013-2020), bridges the gap between the end of the first
commitment and the start of the second commitment with further emission cuts.
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement within the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which commits its Annex
B-Parties (the countries which have adopted the targets to reduce the
greenhouse emissions) with legally binding emission reduction commitments.

Paris
Agreement

It is an agreement within
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) which focuses
on reducing the greenhouse gas emissions. It is replaced by its predecessor,
the Kyoto protocol which is also the international treaty for similar purposes
and its second commitment expires this year i.e. 2020. The Paris Agreement came
into force on 4th November 2016 and has been signed by 197 countries and as of
November 2019- 187 countries have confirmed. India has also given its consent
to this agreement. In the whole world, India stands at third after China and
the US when it comes to the emission of the greenhouse effect according to May
2019.

Vienna
Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer 1985

Initially, this convention was agreed in 1985 and it came into force on
22 September 1988. It is a multilateral agreement. Montreal protocol comes
under this convention. This convention was formed with a purpose to globally
monitor and report on the ozone depletion. Under this convention, it made
structures for the improvement of protocols and also for taking a more binding
action.

 

Convention
on Biological Diversity, 1992 (CBD)

This convention provides a legally binding framework which
came into force in 1993 with a purpose to conserve the biodiversity and use
biodiversity feasibly. The main objective of this convention is to encourage
those actions which will lead to a sustainable or viable future. The governing
body of this convention is the Conference of the Parties (COP).

Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

This convention is an international agreement between the
countries and entered into force in 1975 which aims to protect wildlife from
over-exploitation due to international trade. Basically under this agreement,
the government regulates the traded wildlife and its products that it does not
threaten the survival of the species in the wild, for example, leather goods,
animals, food etc.

Convention
on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP)

This convention came into force on 16th March 1983. This
convention aims that the contracting parties should make efforts to protect the
environment against the adverse effects of the pollution, to ensure that the
parties take several and necessary steps to fight against the release of the
air pollutants and also to create committees for the further progress and
imposition of the convention.

Convention
on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)

This convention is
an international treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment
Programme. It came into force on 1st November 1983. Since 1983 India is a party
to this convention. The primary focus of this convention is to provide for the
conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their
habitats. This convention tries to complement and co-operate the
provisions with a number of international organisations, NGOs, corporate sector
etc.

Convention
on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)

This convention came
into force on 1st January 2005 and as of February 2018, only 39 Council of
Europe member states have ratified the Convention. 

The motive of this convention is to
protect and manage the landscapes and to organise the international
co-operation on landscape issues. The parties of this convention in order to
implement the provision should undertake the activities which are set to raise
public awareness, defining the quality of landscapes etc.

Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands

This convention is an intergovernmental treaty adopted on 2nd
February 1971 and it entered into force on 21 December 1975. It provides a
framework for international and national cooperation so that they can achieve
sustainable development throughout the world by taking efforts towards the
conservation and judicious/wise use of the wetlands. As of January 2016, 170
nations have joined the Convention as Contracting Parties. 

The Ramsar convention under its
fourth strategic plan set off a period from 2016-2024 with almost the same
objectives mentioned earlier.

Stockholm
Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

This convention is a legally binding international treaty
which was adopted on 22nd May 2001 in Sweden and it came into force on 17th May
2004. Its objective is to protect human health and the environment from the
dangerous outcomes from the organic pollutants (Pesticides, Industrial
chemical, Aldrin etc.). POPs are the chemicals that remain intact in the
environment for long periods and it gets widely distributed in the overall area
which collects or gathers the fatty tissue of the living organisms which are
toxic to the humans and wildlife. These POPs circulates globally which in
result can cause damage wherever they travel. 

United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

It is an international environmental
treaty which was adopted on 9th May 1992, and it was opened for signature at
the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. It is also known
as Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit or Rio summit. It came into force on 21st
March  1994. Almost every country on earth has ratified this convention.

It is an agreement made on climate
change and mainly focuses on the prevention of dangerous actions or
interference by humans on climate change or on the environment. The parties
also agreed towards the stabilization of the greenhouse gas emissions. Every party/country
by signing to this convention have dedicated themselves to do the regular
reporting regarding the level of greenhouse emissions and also their initiation
to reduce the interference. 

World
Heritage Convention

This convention was adopted by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 1972 and as of 31st January
2016- 193 state parties (including India) have ratified to this convention. The
primary objective of this convention is to protect the world’s natural and
cultural heritage. It also manifests an idea that few places are so important
that their protection is not only the responsibility of a single nation, but is
also the duty of the international community as a whole, and not only for this
generation but for all those to come.