Class 10 Management-Natural Resources
Introduction:
All of us use various natural resources in some way or the other. Anything which can be utilized for the benefit of humans is called a resource. Resources which are obtained from nature are called natural resources. While using a particular resource; most of us seldom think about their judicious use. In this lesson, you will learn about the need for management of natural resources. Special emphasis on forest, wildlife, water, coal and petroleum has been given in this lesson. You will also learn about a brief overview of the management of natural resources. This chapter also contains an outline of Ganga Action Plan.
Need for Management of Natural Resources
Whatever we use in our life; comes from the earth. Some of the things are used in their natural form while some others are processed before we use them. For example; the plastic chairs which you use in your home or in a party are made from plastic. But plastic is made from petrochemicals, and petrochemicals come from petroleum which comes from the earth. The car is mostly made of steel and steel is made from iron which comes from the earth. The only thing which we use from outside the earth is energy which comes to us in the form of solar energy. Even the solar energy is processed by green plants before human beings are able to use the solar energy. Natural resources are apparently in plenty but the real scenario is somewhat different. Gandhiji once said that the earth can satisfy the need of each and every human being but it never has enough to satisfy the greed of people. This is because of our greed that we tend to exploit the natural resources.
Most of the natural resources are in limited quantity but we are using them at a greater pace than ever. Growing population is the main reason for increased exploitation of natural resources. More houses are being built, more furniture is being made, more factories are being started; to satisfy human needs. While doing so, we seldom think about what we are going to leave for the future generations. Moreover, while using a particular resource for our benefit we also create a lot of pollution. For example; while you are travelling by bus or a car; your bus or car emits many polluting gases into the atmosphere. Similarly; when iron ore is mined from the mines the process of mining creates too much of dust particles in the air. We need to think about the ways to minimize the level of pollution.
While nature showers its bounty to every person; some people have better access to resources than many others. Most of the resources are in the hands of the rich and the powerful. In other words, there is the inequitable distribution of natural resources. A proper policy and mechanism need to be in place to ensure equitable distribution of natural resources.
To sum up, there is a need for management of natural resources because of following reasons:
- There is a need for leaving enough for the future generations.
- There is a need to minimize pollution while we are processing a particular natural resource.
- There is a need to ensure equitable distribution of natural resources.
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