Human Sustainability and Resources
Aligned to HS-ESS3 — Next Generation Science Standards.
What this lesson teaches
Human use of natural resources affects Earth's systems. Sustainable choices balance present needs with the ability of future generations to meet theirs.
Worked examples
Example 1
Replacing fossil fuels with solar and wind reduces carbon emissions, lowering long-term harm to the climate system.
Example 2
Every source has a cost. Solar panels need mined lithium and rare earths, and hydropower floods valleys and displaces people.
Example 3
Sustainability is a rate question, not a yes-or-no one. A forest cut slower than it regrows is sustainable; the same forest cut faster is not.
Practice questions
- What makes a resource renewable vs. nonrenewable?
- Give one example of a sustainable practice.
- How can human activity disrupt an Earth system?
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Sustentabilidad humana y recursos naturales
El uso humano de los recursos naturales afecta los sistemas de la Tierra. Las decisiones sustentables equilibran las necesidades del presente con la capacidad de las generaciones futuras para satisfacer las suyas.
Ejemplo 1: Reemplazar los combustibles fósiles con energía solar y eólica reduce las emisiones de carbono, disminuyendo el daño a largo plazo al sistema climático.
Ejemplo 2: Toda fuente tiene un costo. Los paneles solares necesitan litio y tierras raras extraídas, y las hidroeléctricas inundan valles y desplazan personas.
Ejemplo 3: La sostenibilidad es una cuestión de ritmo, no de sí o no. Un bosque talado más lento de lo que crece es sostenible; el mismo bosque talado más rápido no.
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