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any natural material that is used by humans, such as water, petroleum, minerals, forests, and animals
natural resource
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a natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which the resource is consumed
renewable resource
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a resource that forms at a rate that is much slower than the rate at which it is consumed
nonrenewable resource
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the process of recovering valuable or useful maaterials from waste or scrap; the process of reusing some items
recycling
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a nonrenewable energy resource formed from the remains of organisms that lived long ago; examples include oil, coal, and natural gas
fossil fuel
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a liquid mixture of complex hydrocarbon compounds; used widely as a fuel source
petroleum
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a mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons located under the surface of the Earth, often near petroleum deposits; used as a fuel
natural gas
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a fossil fuel that forms underground from partially decomposed plant material
coal
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precipitation, such as rain, sleet, or snow, that contains a high concentration of acids, often because of the pollution of the atmosphere
acid precipitation
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photochemical haze that forms when sunlight acts on industrial pollutants and burning fuels
smog
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the energy released by a fission or fusion reaction; the binding energy of the atomic nucleus
nuclear energy
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the energy released when a chemical compound reacts to produce new compounds
chemical energy
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the energy received by the Earth from the sun in the form of radiation
solar energy
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the use of a windmill to drive an electric generator
wind power
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electrical energy produced by falling water
hydroelectric energy
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organic matter that can be a source of energy
biomass
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a mixture of gasoline and alcohol that is used as a fuel
gasohol
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the energy produced by heat within the Earth
geothermal energy
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