• What happens to steel production as the human population increases?
• What is a nonrenewable resource? Give examples
• Choose one natural resource that is nonrenewable. In three to five sentences, describe two impacts that come from obtaining this resource and how these impacts have been affected by human population growth.
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• What happens with the increased consumption of metals?
• Which natural resource needed to be mined to produce a digital phone?
• What form of energy can be closely connected to climate change?
• When mining occurs, what is a significant direct impact on the environment?
- Steel production typically increases as the human population grows, as steel is a crucial material for infrastructure, construction, and manufacturing industries. The demand for steel rises with increasing urbanization and industrialization.
- A nonrenewable resource is a resource that cannot be replaced or regenerated in a short period of time. Examples of nonrenewable resources include coal, oil, natural gas, and minerals like gold and copper.
- One example of a nonrenewable resource is oil. The impacts of obtaining oil include habitat destruction due to drilling and extraction activities, and pollution from oil spills and carbon emissions. Human population growth has exacerbated these impacts by increasing the demand for oil and leading to more intensive extraction techniques.
- Increased consumption of metals leads to higher demand for mining activities, which can result in habitat destruction, soil and water contamination, and displacement of communities near mining sites.
- The natural resource needed to be mined to produce a digital phone is coltan, which is used for the production of capacitors in electronic devices.
- Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, are closely connected to climate change due to the release of greenhouse gases when they are burned for energy.
- A significant direct impact on the environment from mining is deforestation, soil erosion, and contamination of water sources. Mining activities can also lead to habitat destruction and loss of biodiversity.