Use and abuse of Natural resources
Water
Use it for cooking, drinking, washing and recreation
Agriculture uses it to grow crops and industries use it in the manufacturing process
Soil
Forests
Fossil Fuels
Timber from forests is used to make furniture
Use it for growing crops, in construction and industry
To produce different types of energy
Bricks are made from a special type of soil called clay. Sand is made into glass
Rafters hold up roofs of houses and support structures to stop mines from collapsing.
Trees also make paper
Use a process called photosynthesis to help keep our air clean to breathe
Coal is burned in power stations to generate electricty
Crude oil is pumped out from below the Earth's surface and refined in special factories to make petrol we use in cars
When we waste it (leaving the tap open)
When we pollute it (throwing rubbish into it)
When factories pump their waste into rivers
When we cause soil erosion (over grazing land, planting crops on slopes)
When we pollute it (dumping waste into it)
Our great demand for fossil fuels has resulted in air pollution, acid rain, contaminated water and loss of fertile water
Helping to cause global warming and climate change
Through deforestation (chopping down trees to clear land for housing, farming and for firewood