Definitions1. Resource:

• Anything we can get from the environment to meet our needs and wants.

2. Perpetual Resources:• Resources that are renewed continuously on a human time

scale.

3. Renewable Resources:• Resources than can be replenished fairly rapidly through

natural processes, as long as they are not used up faster than they are replaced.

4. Non-Renewable Resources:• Resources that exist in fixed quantities in the earth’s crust. It

takes millions to billions of years to renew these resources.

Perpetual Resources

Solar Energy

Renewable Resources

Biomass

(forests, grasslands, wild animals)

Fresh Water

(lakes, streams, groundwater)

Fresh Air

Non-Renewable Resources

Energy Resources

(coal, oil, natural gas, uranium)

Metallic Minerals

(iron, copper, aluminum)

Non-Metallic Minerals

(silt, clay, sand)

Resources Flow ChartResources Flow Chart

Material WorldMaterial World

A Global Resource Analysis

Moulo, Ethiopia, Africa

Poutasi, Western Samoa

Outside Burrel, Albania

Soweto, South Africa

Segovia, Spain

Hafnarfjördur, Iceland

Godalming, England

Pearland, Texas, USA

Country Total energy consumption (toe) Energy consumption per capita (toe) Above/below world per capita consumption

Ethiopia 18,227 0.29 -1.35

Albania 1,052 0.33 -1.31

United States 2,269,985 7.96 +6.05

Mexico 148,991 1.50 -0.14

China 1,088,349 0.88 -0.76

France 255,043 4.23 +2.61

Japan 515,447 4.09 +2.45

Data Table #1 – Energy UsesBelow is the most recent energy use data for total energy consumption and energy consumption per capita for each country. Compare each country’s per capita consumption to the world average of 1.64 toe. Units are in thousands of toe, which is defined as ‘metric tons oil equivalent’ – roughly the energy contained in a metric ton of crude oil.

Country Fossil Fuels Nuclear Hydroelectric Renewables

Ethiopia1,0520.015

00

1380.002

17,0380.258

Albania511

0.16200

4510.143

600.019

United States1,942,807

6.92202,722

0.72324,8130.088

83,3720.297

Mexico130,612

1.2822,6070.026

2,8190.028

12,9080.127

China854,743

0.6603,8960.003

17,5270.014

212,9380.165

France139,942

2.343102,742

1.7216,2270.104

10,0010.168

Japan416,131

3.2682,5120.647

7,4320.058

8,3250.065

Data Table #2 – Energy SourcesBelow is the most recent energy source data for energy consumption by sector, using the large data categories of total fossil fuels, nuclear, hydrostatic and renewables. Values represent total consumption and per capita consumption.Analysis