1.5 Using Resources Sustainably
Every resource we have met can be used well or used up. The human population is growing, and each of us now uses far more than our grandparents did. This puts a single question at the centre of the chapter: how do we meet today’s needs without destroying tomorrow’s? The answer is sustainability.
What Is Sustainable Use? Sustainable use means using natural resources wisely, so that we meet the needs of the present without harming the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In short: use renewable resources no faster than they renew, use non-renewable resources sparingly, and avoid damaging the ecosystems that support everything else.
A warning from Punjab: when use becomes overuse
Case Study: The Punjab Groundwater Crisis From the 1960s onward, farmers in Punjab adopted high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice that needed far more water than traditional crops. To get it, they pumped groundwater, helped along by cheap or free electricity that encouraged over-pumping. Heavy use of fertilisers and pesticides added to the harm by contaminating the water.
The result: water tables sank to around 30 metres in many areas, and a large majority of Punjab’s administrative blocks became over-exploited, drawing water out faster than the rains could refill it. A renewable resource, groundwater, was being treated as if it were limitless. It is not.
The Punjab story is the chapter’s central lesson: “renewable” does not mean “unlimited.” Cross the rate of renewal and even a renewable resource collapses.
A story of hope from Sikkim: doing it differently
Case Study: Sikkim Goes Organic The state of Sikkim chose another path and became India’s first fully organic state. Farmers switched from chemical fertilisers to compost, made natural pest repellents from neem and garlic, and grew several crops through the year instead of one thirsty crop. Soil health improved, the environment recovered, and many farmers’ incomes rose by around 20%. Sikkim shows that protecting resources and prospering can go together, sustainability is not the same as poverty.
What sustainable use looks like in practice
Sustainability is not only for governments and industries; it begins with everyday choices. A simple guide is the three Rs.
The Three Rs, and a Fourth
- Reduce, use less in the first place: shorter showers, fewer single-use plastics, switching off idle lights and fans.
- Reuse, give things a second life: refill bottles, repair instead of replacing, pass on old clothes and books.
- Recycle, turn waste back into raw material: paper, metal, glass and many plastics can re-enter the cycle.
- (A fourth R, Refuse, simply saying no to what we do not need, is the most powerful of all.)
Beyond the three Rs, sustainable use also means conserving water and energy, protecting forests and wetlands, choosing renewable energy like solar and wind over fossil fuels, and restoring what has been damaged by planting trees and cleaning rivers.
Think About It Punjab over-pumped water; Sikkim healed its soil. Both were made up of ordinary farmers making ordinary choices. What does this suggest about how big environmental outcomes are actually produced, and about the power of your own daily decisions?
Let’s Explore Keep a one-day resource diary. Note every time you use water, electricity, paper or plastic. At the end of the day, mark three places where you could Reduce, Reuse or Recycle. Try your plan tomorrow and see how it feels.
The Heart of the Chapter Resources become resources because of human knowledge; they are spread unevenly; healthy ecosystems serve us for free; and all of it lasts only if we use it sustainably, meeting today’s needs without stealing from tomorrow.
That completes the core ideas of the chapter. Next, the Going Deeper section connects these ideas to real life and to your exams, with quick-reference tables, a revision card, and CBSE-style practice with full solutions.