Question

Why petrol is an exhaustible natural resource, whereas sunlight is not? Explain.

Answer 1

Exhaustible natural resources:

• The term exhaust refers to totally consuming or finishing something. Similarly, materials that deplete or replenish after a few hundred years are referred to as exhaustible resources.
• Basically, non-renewable or exhaustible resources are few and quickly depleted.
• Example - Fossil fuels, etc

Non-Exhaustible natural resources:

• Non-exhaustible resources are those that cannot be replenished or will never be depleted.
• Unlike exhaustible resources, inexhaustible resources are abundant, thus they will never be depleted no matter how much you utilize them.
• Example - Sunlight, wind, etc

Petrol as an exhaustible natural resource:

• Petrol is a fossil fuel formed by the breakdown of dead plants and animals in the waters over millions of years. It can only be found in a few areas. This fossil fuel is converted into gasoline. It is a scarce resource. Petrol takes hundreds of years to develop naturally and cannot be replenished as quickly as it is burned.

Sunlight as a non-exhaustible natural resource:

• Sunlight is a renewable resource that can be used directly by harnessing the sun's energy.
• Nature contains an infinite supply of sunlight, which cannot be depleted by human activity.
• The sun is non-exhaustible because it will continue to emit energy indefinitely.