NCERT Class 8 Social Science Exploring Society India and Beyond Part 1 Chapter 01 Natural Resources and Their Use PDF Download

Chapter 1: Natural Resources and Their Use

Concerned social scientists are clear on what we need to do: we must move toward a regenerative economy, an economy that operates in harmony with nature, repurposing used resources, minimizing waste, and replenishing depleted resources. We must return to the innate wisdom of nature herself, the ultimate regenerator and recycler of all resources.

- Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac in The Future We Choose

The Big Questions

1. How do we categorise natural resources?
2. What is the connection between the distribution of natural resources and different aspects of life?
3. What are the implications of unsustainable use / over exploitation of natural resources?

[Figure 1.1: Dudhsagar waterfall and the railway bridge, Goa, India, See in your textbook]

When Does Nature Become a Resource?

One of the meanings of the word 'Nature' is the totality of life and non-life forms that are part of our environment but have not been created by humans. When humans use these for their sustenance, or create new things from them for consumption, these elements of Nature become 'resources'. For example, trees are part of the environment; they exist independently of humans. When we cut them and convert their wood into furniture, we see the trees as a resource.

Often these entities are not easily accessible. For example, there may be petroleum in places deep under the ocean that we do not have the technology to access, or the extraction cost may be too high; or it may be culturally unacceptable like cutting trees in sacred groves. So, for an entity to be called a resource, it should be technologically accessible, and its exploitation should be economically feasible and culturally acceptable. (Usually, the word 'exploitation' has a negative connotation; in the context we use it here, it means 'extraction, utilisation and consumption of Natural resources'.)

The Earth has treasures, many of which have formed over millions of years, and which humans have taken and learnt to use. These include the most obvious ones like water, air and soil, and also the not-so-obvious ones like coal, petroleum, precious stones, metal ores, timber, etc.

[Figure 1.2: A microhydel plant in Himachal Pradesh - the power of flowing water converted into electricity, See in your textbook]

[Figure 1.3: An offshore oil rig extracts petroleum from below the seabed, See in your textbook]

Teacher's Note

Remember that for something to be a resource, it must satisfy three conditions at the same time: it must be technologically accessible, economically feasible to extract, and culturally acceptable. If even one condition fails, it is not yet a resource. This is why the same material can be a resource in one place or time but not in another.

Don't Miss Out

• In many indigenous traditions of the world, Nature is considered sacred. You have read about this. In such traditions, Nature is a nurturer and nourisher.
• Do you know of practices that reflect this?

Think About It

Take a pause. Look at yourself and the things around you. What is the origin of each of them? At some point they all lead to Nature; even the plastic button on your shirt.

In short, we apply the term 'natural resources' to materials and substances that occur in Nature and are valuable to humans.

Categories of Natural Resources

In Science, we learn the usefulness of categorisation and naming - we use some shared characteristics (or criteria) when we categorise ideas or things; we name the categories so that we can refer to them with just one word or a short phrase. When these names and meanings are shared across groups of people, it helps

[Figure 1.4: Gentle ploughing causes minimal disturbance to the underground ecosystem and retains soil moisture, See in your textbook]

[Figure 1.5: Honey from a beehive, See in your textbook]

[Figure 1.6: Tulasi puja for wellbeing, See in your textbook]

Teacher's Note

When you categorise natural resources, look for the clear criterion being used: are they sorted by whether they can regenerate or not, by where they are found, or by how we use them? Different categories serve different purposes. Always identify which system of categorisation the question or book section is using, because the same resource might fit into different categories depending on the criterion chosen.

Key Points

• A natural resource is something from Nature that humans find valuable and can access through available technology, at acceptable cost, and in a culturally acceptable way.
• Nature itself includes many things like water, air, soil, forests, minerals and fossil fuels that have formed over millions of years.
• For something to count as a resource, three conditions must all be met: it must be technologically accessible, economically feasible to extract, and culturally acceptable to use.
• Categorising natural resources using shared characteristics helps us organise our thinking and communicate clearly about them.

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