What are natural resources?
Natural resources are materials that people need to live. They are naturally occurring, which means they come from nature.
Watch: Learn about the different types of energy
Find out more about the different energy sources used in the UK.
We need energy to create gas and electricity, which is used to warm our homes, cook food, drive cars and turn our lights on and to power our devices.
Hi, I'm Tianna, and I'm on an onshore wind farm in Lancashire to find out about energy.
Wind is a renewable energy source, because it is something we never run out of. That's why in windy places like here, people build these big wind turbines that together make a wind farm.
In fact, this is one of the oldest in the UK. The wind makes the rotor blades turn, creating energy, which is transformed into electricity.
It is then sent through connective cables to the power grid and from there the electricity travels directly into people's homes. The wind turbines here provide enough electricity each year to power 6,000 homes.
There are wind farms across the UK. Some are onshore like this one. But the biggest are offshore in the sea. They make about a quarter of the energy that we use.
The biggest farms in the world, have thousands of turbines, so just think of how much energy they can make. And the great thing about renewable energy sources is that they aren't as bad for the environment as non-renewable energy sources.
Coal, natural gas and oil are non-renewable energy sources and they're taken from below the Earth in lots of different ways.
They're used to make most of our energy in huge buildings called plants, but this adds large amounts of carbon dioxide into the air, which is making the temperature of our planet rise.
This can cause damage to nature and people. And we are running out of these non-renewable sources, that's why more wind farms are being built.
We are also improving ways of using other renewable energy sources, such as fast running water called hydro-power, using rays from the sun called solar power and even heat from compost called natural thermal power.
But some people think we won't be able to stop using non-renewable energy sources, because of the lack of technology, high costs, people needing more energy and communities who depend on jobs created by oil, gas and coal.
What do you think?
Types of natural resources
They include things such as:
- Water
- Air
- Soil
- Wood
- Crops
- Animals
- Minerals
- Oil
- Gas
- Coal
What are fossil fuels?
Oil, gas and coal are fossil fuels.
They are used to run machinery and for transport such as cars, trains and aeroplanes. They are also used to make energy for heating and electricity.
Today, most of the electricity in the UK is made by burning fossil fuels, which can harm people and the environment.
When fossil fuels are burnt, they release harmful chemicals and gases into the air. Cars, lorries and other vehicles using fossil fuels also release harmful gases into the air. This damages the wildlife and crops that are in the environment.
What is renewable energy?
Some natural resources, such as fossil fuels, are limited, as they will run out in the future.
To continue to power machinery and heat and light homes, people need to use more renewable energy sources. Renewable means that something can be replaced.
Take a look at some examples of renewable energy:
Renewable energy sources
Image caption, Wind power
The power of the wind can be used to make electricity. Windmills have been used to grind grain for hundreds of years. Today, we use wind turbines with blades which turn in the wind to make electricity.
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