This MCQ module is based on: Understanding Resources – Classification and Development
Understanding Resources – Classification and Development
Study Notes and Summary
Definition of Resource: Everything available in our environment that can be used to satisfy our needs, provided it is technologically accessible, economically feasible, and culturally acceptable, can be termed as a ‘Resource’.
Interdependent Relationship: The process of transforming things into resources involves an interactive relationship between Nature, Technology, and Institutions. Human beings interact with nature through technology and create institutions to accelerate economic development.
Resources are not Free Gifts of Nature: Resources are a function of human activities. Human beings themselves are essential components of resources; they transform materials into resources.
Classification of Resources:
On the Basis of Origin:
Biotic Resources: Obtained from the biosphere and have life (e.g., human beings, flora, fauna, fisheries, livestock).
Abiotic Resources: Composed of non-living things (e.g., rocks, metals).
On the Basis of Exhaustibility:
Renewable Resources: Can be renewed or reproduced by physical, chemical, or mechanical processes (e.g., solar and wind energy, water, forests, wildlife). Continuous flow resources (e.g., wind, water) are always available.
Non-Renewable Resources: Occur over a very long geological time. They take millions of years to form and get exhausted with use (e.g., minerals, fossil fuels).
On the Basis of Ownership:
Individual Resources: Owned privately by individuals (e.g., plot, house, plantation land, well water in farms).
Community Owned Resources: Accessible to all members of the community (e.g., grazing grounds, burial grounds, village ponds, public parks, picnic spots).
National Resources: Technically all resources within political boundaries and territorial waters (up to 12 nautical miles or 22.2 km from the coast) belong to the nation (e.g., roads, canals, railways, minerals, wildlife, forest resources).
International Resources: Resources beyond 200 nautical miles of the Exclusive Economic Zone, belonging to no individual nation; require international institutions’ agreement for utilisation.
On the Basis of Status of Development:
Potential Resources: Resources found in a region but not yet utilised (e.g., wind and solar energy in Rajasthan and Gujarat).
Developed Resources: Resources whose quantity and quality have been determined for utilisation, depending on technology and feasibility.
Stock: Materials with potential to satisfy human needs but lack appropriate technology to access (e.g., hydrogen in water as a rich source of energy).
Reserves: Subset of stock that can be utilised with existing technology, but their use has not been started (e.g., forest reserves).
Development of Resources:
Resources are vital for human survival and maintaining the quality of life.
Indiscriminate use has led to:
Depletion of resources for satisfying the greed of a few individuals.
Accumulation of resources in few hands, dividing society into rich and poor.
Global ecological crises (e.g., global warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental pollution, land degradation).
Sustainable Development: Development should take place without damaging the environment and without compromising the needs of future generations.
Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992: First International Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Attended by over 100 heads of state. Aimed to address urgent problems of environmental protection and socio-economic development globally. Endorsed the Global Forest Principles and adopted Agenda 21.
Agenda 21: A declaration signed by world leaders in 1992, aiming to achieve global sustainable development. It is an agenda to combat environmental damage, poverty, and disease through global cooperation. One major objective is that each local government should draw its own local Agenda 21.
Practice MCQs
Assessment Worksheets
This assessment will be based on: Understanding Resources – Classification and Development
Olympiad Focus & Application
Real-Life Connections & General Knowledge:
Understanding the classification of common household items and natural elements (e.g., wood, water, iron ore) into different resource categories.
The concept of “resource curse” in resource-rich nations and how it links to the unequal distribution of resources.
Case-based Scenarios & Reasoning:
Scenario: A remote tribal community depends heavily on local forest products for their livelihood. Discuss how their traditional practices align with sustainable resource management, and how external commercial exploitation might disrupt this balance.
Scenario: A country with vast coal reserves faces increasing pressure to shift to renewable energy. Analyze the trade-offs between economic development based on existing resources and environmental sustainability.
Conceptual Application:
Explain how human ingenuity and technological advancement transform neutral ‘stuff’ into valuable resources.
Discuss the ethical imperative of intergenerational equity in resource management, linking it to the concept of sustainable development.
Numerical/Data Interpretation (Implicit):
Understanding the scale of resource depletion or environmental degradation requires an implicit understanding of data on resource consumption, population growth, etc.
Comparative & Analytical Points:
Differentiate between renewable and non-renewable resources, providing examples and discussing the implications for long-term planning.
Analyze the implications of different ownership classifications (individual, community, national, international) on resource access, management, and equity.
Compare the objectives and outcomes of the Rio Earth Summit with current global environmental challenges.
