NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES

Renewable and non-renewable resources are energy

sources that human society uses to function on daily basis. The
difference between these two types of resources is that
renewable resources can naturally replenish themselves while
non-renewable resources cannot. This means that non-
renewable resources are limited in supply and cannot be used
sustainably.
There are four major types of non-renewable resources:
oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy. Oil, natural gas,
and coal are collectively called fossil fuels. Fossil fuels were
formed within the Earth from dead plants and animals over
millions of years hence the name “fossil” fuels. They are found
in underground layers of rock and sediment. Pressure and heat
worked together to transform the plant and animal remains into
crude oil, coal, and natural gas.
Crude oil is a liquid fuel fossil fuel that is used mostly to
produce gasoline and diesel fuel for vehicles, and for the
manufacturing of plastics. It is found in rocks below Earth’s
surface and is pumped out through wells.

Natural gas is widely used for cooking and for heating

homes. It consists mostly of methane and is found near oil
deposits below Earth’s surface. Natural gas can be pumped out
through the same wells used for extracting crude oil.

Coal is a solid fossil fuel that is used for heating homes

and generating power plants. It is found in fossilized swamps
that have been buried beneath layers of sediment. Since coal is
solid, it cannot be extracted in the same manner as crude oil or
natural gas; it must be dug up from the ground.

Nuclear energy from radioactive elements,

mainly uranium, which is extracted from mined ore and then
refined into fuel.
Advantages of Non-Renewable Energy:
1. Non-renewable resources are high in energy. Resources
such as coal and oil tend to provide us more energy in
comparison to renewable energy like solar or wind energy.
2. Huge profits can be generated in the mining of coal, selling
of oil or the construction of natural gas pipelines.
3. These resources are easy to use whether in a home or
anywhere else.
4. Consumers can find non-renewable resources at a very cost-
effective price.
5. For some people, new machines and other energy sources
cannot replace their traditional minerals like coal and oil. So,
it is also known as traditional energy.
6. Non-renewable energy is easily found anywhere and
everywhere. This implies that they can be conveniently
moved across the world. People living in areas that are not
easily approachable can make use of non-renewable energy
as well.
7. Most importantly, non-renewable recourses are job-creating.
Extracting, transporting and refining are the parts of non-
renewable sources that provide employment.
8. Most of the non-renewable sources are also quite easy to
store.
Disadvantages of Non-Renewable Energy :
Though they have a number of advantages, non-renewable
resources have many disadvantages as well. These include:
1. One of the major disadvantages of non-renewable energy is
that it is time-consuming. Mining of coal, searching for oil,
installing oil drills, building oil rigs, inserting pipes to extract
and transporting natural gases are very time-consuming
processes. It also takes a lot of effort.
2. Since non-renewable energy takes billions of years to form,
they are slowly but gradually vanishing from the earth. Using
non-renewable resources indiscriminately without thinking for
our future generations could be selfish.
3. Non-renewable energy can be dangerous and can cause
respiratory problems in humans because sources like fossil
fuels emit gases such as carbon monoxide.
4. The workers working in coal mines or oil drills are more
prone to a number of health risks. As a result, there are a
large number of diseases, injuries and even deaths.
5. Sources like coal, oil and natural gas release a large amount
of carbon dioxide when burnt. As a result of these chemicals,
they are rapidly destroying the ozone layer.
6. Oxides like sulphur oxide and others released while burning
fossil fuels convert the rain into acidic rain, which is harmful
to wildlife as well as human beings.
7. Many non-renewable sources release smog which envelopes
the buildings. Mostly in modern cities, people complain about
the same. Over time, black smog can make your building
and other property appear dark and dirty.
8. Sometimes it may be risky to transport non-renewable
sources as huge cargo ships and oil tankers crash and spill
the contents in the sea or elsewhere. It can be deadly for the
sea animals and human beings who may come in contact
with it.
9. To keep the power station working, every time we need to
keep a huge amount of fuel in reserve. This can be
expensive and occupy a lot of space.

THEIR IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENT:

The use of non-renewable energy resources has a

variety of harmful impacts on our environment either due to
the way they are extracted and processed, or in terms of how
they are used and thereafter disposed of.

Greenhouse gas emissions:

Perhaps the most well-known impact of using non-

renewable energy sources is the emission of greenhouse
gases, in particular carbon dioxide and methane, which
contribute to climate change.
 For example, coal is considered the worst emitter of
carbon dioxide. In the US, CO2 emissions from the electric
power sector calculated in 2015 indicate that 71 percent were
attributable to coal. While for example natural gas produced
around 28 percent of carbon dioxide emissions.

Indeed, natural gas emits a lot less carbon dioxide,

specifically 50 to 60 percent less compared to coal, and it also
emits 15 to 20 percent fewer heat-trapping gases compared to
gasoline when used to power a vehicle.

However, that does not mean that natural gas can help
mitigate climate change, as drilling and extracting natural gas
from wells results in the leakage of methane, which is a much
more potent greenhouse gas – it is 34 times stronger than
CO2 in terms of its potential for trapping heat.

Air pollution:

Non-renewable energy sources are not just altering our

Earth’s atmosphere by increasing the amount of greenhouse
gas emissions. They also emit a variety of pollutants
that affects people’s health and the environment.

For example, coal-fired power plants are the single largest

source of mercury emissions in the US. When mercury is
emitted into the air, it deposits on the ground or in water. This
way it can accumulate in organisms of species that inhabit the
area, passing through the food chain.

Other air pollutants emitted due to fossil fuel combustion

include sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate
matter.

Acid rain and water pollution:

It is not just the air that we breathe which gets

polluted. Dangerous pollutants that are emitted into
the air can take a part in the water cycle. This is the
case of acid rain which forms when sulphur and other
chemicals are introduced into the atmosphere from
industrial processes. Chemicals suspended in the air
then turn the rain mildly acidic.

Acid rain is corrosive to machinery and disrupts

local ecosystems. In terms of the environment, acid
rain changes the acidity of lakes and streams which
can be very harmful to fish and other aquatic
organisms; it is also damaging to trees thereby
weakening forest ecosystems.

Both fossil fuel plants and nuclear power plants require water
to run and help cool the power plant. The water they use is
also needed for other purposes, such as maintaining local
ecosystem functions or agriculture. When the plants release
that water back into the environment, its temperature is
changed and as a result its quality has been degraded.

Heated water that is reintroduced to the environment contains

lower levels of dissolved oxygen which can stress native
wildlife by for example increasing the heart rate of fish or
decreasing fertility.

It is also important not to forget environmental impacts

that come about as a result of the extraction of non-renewable
resources or the disposal of the waste they generate.

For instance, huge volumes of excess rock or soil are

dumped in other locations such as nearby valleys affecting
those ecosystems.

When it comes to the land that is being mined, in the long

term these sites are left with poor soil quality and sometimes
due to the chemicals used the lands ends up being polluted as
well as any nearby water reserves.

The case of nuclear energy is of particular relevant here

as both the extraction of uranium and waste disposal create
some very critical issues for which no long-term solution has
been found due to the radioactive nature of the ore being
mined.

Oil spills and other accidents:

Lastly, there is something to be said about unintended

consequences or rather unforeseen and accidental effects. Oil
spills are extremely damaging to nearby shores and
ecosystems.

To quantify this, analysts estimated British Petroleum’s oil spill

of 2010 would cost $2.5 billion in losses to the Louisiana
fishing market alone, while Florida was estimated to lose $3
billion in tourism income .

Biologists were worried that a species of algae, vital to

hundreds of species of animals, would be wiped off due to the
oil released in the Gulf of Mexico. Similarly devastating effects
on both nature and humans were seen as a result of the
nuclear disaster in Chernobyl. These were accidents which
came about due to negligence, technology failure, lack of
preparedness or a combination of all those.

But the point to make is that by continuing to use non-

renewable energy we acknowledge that such disasters are
acceptable and even preferable to switching to low carbon
and renewable energy sources.

CONSERVATION OF NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES:

Conservation of non renewable resources refers to efforts

made to reduce its consumption. Conservation of resources
can be achieved through increased efficient energy use, in
conjunction with decreased energy consumption and/or
reduced consumption from conventional energy sources.

Following steps should be taken to conserve non renewable

resources in India:

Prohibiting wastage of resources: Wastage of resources

should be discouraged. For example, using public transport in
place of individual vehicles helps to conserve valuable petrol.
Switching off fans, lights and coolers when not in use, using
cooking gas economically, use of pressure cookers, using tube
lights in place of electric bulb are some ways of conserving
non-renewable resources which could help in a big way.

New materials are being developed to substitute non-

renewable resources. For example, plastics are now used to
make products that once could be made only out of steel. The
use of atomic energy can lessen our dependence on coal and
oil.

Recycling resources: All types of metal wastes, glass and

paper and plastic can be recycled and used again. The local
kabadiwala collects all the junk and carp which is recycled and
used again to make paper, plastic containers and metal
articles. Although plastic is not a natural resource in itself (it is
man-made) but uses up lot of fuel in its manufacturing process.
Hence, recycling plastic helps to conserve fuels. Recycling
paper helps to conserve forests.

Repair and reuse: Any object or appliance that doesn’t

work should not be discarded. Instead we should repair and
reuse it. The repair and reuse helps to conserve resources as it
discourages production and wastage.

Alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar energy, are

a possible solution to the depletion of nonrenewable sources.
Both of these clean energy sources are available in unlimited
supply.
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