Renewable resources are natural resources that are remade by natural processes as quickly as people use them.     Examples of renewable resources include sunlight and wind. They are in no danger of being used up. Metals and some other minerals are considered renewable as well because they are not destroyed when they are used. Instead, they can be recycled and used over and over again.     Living things are also renewable resources. They can reproduce to replace themselves. However, living things can be over-used or misused to the point of extinction. For example, over-fishing has caused... Show more

Renewable resources are natural resources that are remade by natural processes as quickly as people use them.    
Examples of renewable resources include sunlight and wind. They are in no danger of being used up. Metals and some other minerals are considered renewable as well because they are not destroyed when they are used. Instead, they can be recycled and used over and over again.    
Living things are also renewable resources. They can reproduce to replace themselves. However, living things can be over-used or misused to the point of extinction. For example, over-fishing has caused some of the best fishing spots in the ocean to be nearly depleted, threatening entire fish species with extinction. To be truly renewable, living things must be used wisely. They must be used in a way that meets the needs of the present generation but also preserves them for future generations.    
Nonrenewable resources are natural resources that can't be remade or else take too long to remake to keep up with human use. Examples of nonrenewable resources are coal, oil, and natural gas, all of which are fossil fuels. Fossil fuels form from the remains of plants and animals over hundreds of millions of years. We are using them up far faster than they can be replaced. At current rates of use, oil and natural gas will be used up in just a few decades, and coal will be used up in a couple of centuries. Uranium is another nonrenewable resource. It is used to produce nuclear power. Uranium is a naturally occurring chemical element that can't be remade. It will run out sooner or later if nuclear energy continues to be used.    
Soil is a very important natural resource. Plants need soil to grow, and plants are the basis of terrestrial ecosystems.    
Theoretically, soil can be remade. However, it takes millions of years for soil to form, so from a human point of view, it is a nonrenewable resource. Soil can be misused and eroded. It must be used wisely to preserve it for the future. This means taking steps to avoid soil erosion and contamination of soil by toxins such as oil spills.    

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