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Why do we need energy?

A city scene with an airplane, train and car

We need energy for our daily lives to power our homes, schools and businesses. We need energy to make trains go, cars run and planes fly.

A city scene with an airplane, train and car

Watch: Learn about the different forms of energy

Find out more about the different energy sources used in the UK.

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Natural Resources

An illustration of different natural resources: wind, crops, oil, soil, minerals, gas, wood, livestock, coal and water

A natural resource is anything that people use that comes from nature.

Some of these are:

  • Freshwater
  • Air
  • Fossil fuels
  • Metals
  • Minerals
  • Soil
  • Wood

Natural resources are distributed on the Earth unevenly, which means that there are different amounts of them in different places.

Humans need natural resources to survive. Many of the natural resources are used to produce energy.

An illustration of different natural resources: wind, crops, oil, soil, minerals, gas, wood, livestock, coal and water

How natural resources are used

Air, water and sun are all essential for life.

Crops grown on fields provide both people and animals with food.

Wood from trees is used for building, and sometimes for heating.

Coal, gas and oil are used to make fuel for machines and energy for heating. These are called fossil fuels.

Minerals provide people with raw materials, that are used for making new materials such as steel or glass in factories.

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Natural resources in the UK

An oil drum

Since in the 18th century, the use of fossil fuels for machines has increased; coal mining in the UK allowed factories to modernise, while changing the landscape of the country.

  • The North Sea has large amounts of oil and natural gas beneath the seafloor. Oil rigs are platforms which are used for drilling into the sea floor to mine the fossil fuels.

  • There used to be many coal mines in the UK; today, most of these are closed.

  • North England and some parts of Scotland still have some active coal mines.

An oil drum
A map of the UK showing the location of some of its coal mines and oil rigs
Image caption,
A map of the UK showing the location of some of its coal mines and oil rigs
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Non-renewable energy

An image of some trees.
Image caption,
Cutting down trees to make fires is harmful for the environment.

Most of the electricity in the UK is made by burning fossil fuels, which can have a negative impact on people and the environment. Cars, lorries and other vehicles using fossil fuels release harmful gases into the air.

  • Poor air quality can have an impact on people鈥檚 health and cause illnesses.
  • When burnt, fossil fuels release chemicals which pollute the air and can create acid rain. It can pollute lakes, rivers and land, destroying wildlife and damaging crops.
  • The gases released during the burning of fossil fuels can also stop heat leaving the Earth鈥檚 atmosphere. This is called the greenhouse effect and because it makes our planet warmer, it can be harmful to the environment.
An image of some trees.
Image caption,
Cutting down trees to make fires is harmful for the environment.
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Renewable energy

An illustration of a wind turbine

Some natural resources are limited, which means they will run out at some point.

Other natural resources can be replaced, and we call them renewable.

Nuclear energy is used in nuclear power plants to create heat and then electricity. The metal that is used during the process is a limited resource.

The need for natural resources and energy is increasing. To protect the Earth, people are exploring new, more ways of sourcing energy.

Here are some examples of renewable energy sources:

An illustration of a wind turbine
Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 4, Solar panels., Solar energy The heat and light that the Sun gives can be collected and used for warming up homes and making electricity.
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Activities

Quiz: Is it renewable?

Quiz: Renewable energy

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