Humans and Nature Depletion of Natural Resources by Humans

Humans and Nature: Depletion of Natural Resources by Humans Early in human history, people used energy for heating, lighting, and cooking. As humans began to farm larger areas of land, their energy demands changed. Domesticated animals were used for energy sources to pull plows. When the Industrial Revolution occurred, peoples energy demands further changed to meet the needs of industry. Work that was done by people and animals were then transferred over to machines. These machines required more natural resources such as iron and coal to produce large amounts of steel for tractors, pipes, and other devices. As the population increased, the demand for more products, such as clothing, shoes, and household items required more†¦show more content†¦As far as concerned its ability to supply the physical and chemical requirements for continued life and to absorb waste products. However, the late 1970s brought into focus the finite characteristics of non-renewable resources and th e Earths limited carrying capacity of these resources1. Throughout most of history, the interactions between human development and the environment have been relatively simple and localized. The complexity and scale of these interactions are now increasing, especially as resources became more scarce and competition for them increases. In particular, fossil fuels are the natural resources in question. Fossil fuels, which include oil, coal, and natural gas, are primarily used for fuel purposes. These natural resources are given the name fossil fuels because of how they are produced. The reason they are called fossil fuels is because they are all made from decayed plants and animals that have been preserved in the earths crust by pressure, bacteria and heat. It takes millions of years for these organisms to chemically change into fossil fuels2. 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