Editing Renewable resource (section)

==Air, food and water==
===Water resources===
{{Main|Water resources}}

[[Water]] can be considered a ''renewable'' material when carefully controlled usage and temperature, treatment, and release are followed. If not, it would become a non-renewable resource at that location. For example, as [[groundwater]] is usually removed from an [[aquifer]] at a rate much greater than its very slow natural recharge, it is a considered non-renewable resource. Removal of water from the pore spaces in aquifers may cause permanent compaction ([[subsidence]]) that cannot be renewed. 97.5% of the water on the Earth is salt water, and 3% is [[fresh water]]; slightly over two thirds of this is frozen in [[glacier]]s and [[Polar climate|polar]] [[ice cap]]s.<ref name="USGS dist">{{cite web|url=http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/waterdistribution.html|title=Earth's water distribution|publisher=United States Geological Survey|access-date=2009-05-13}}</ref> The remaining unfrozen freshwater is found mainly as groundwater, with only a small fraction (0.008%) present above ground or in the air.<ref>{{cite web | title=Scientific Facts on Water: State of the Resource | publisher=GreenFacts Website | access-date=2008-01-31 | url=http://www.greenfacts.org/en/water-resources/index.htm#2 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180724032145/http://www.greenfacts.org/en/water-resources/index.htm#2 | archive-date=2018-07-24 }}</ref>

[[Water pollution]] is one of the main concerns regarding water resources. It is estimated that 22% of worldwide water is used in industry.<ref name="WBCSD Water Facts & Trends">{{cite web |url=http://www.wbcsd.org/includes/getTarget.asp?type=d&id=MTYyNTA |title=WBCSD Water Facts & Trends |access-date=2009-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301011840/http://www.wbcsd.org/includes/getTarget.asp?type=d&id=MTYyNTA |archive-date=2012-03-01 }}</ref> Major industrial users include hydroelectric dams, [[Electricity generation#Other generation methods|thermoelectric power plants]] (which use water for cooling), [[ore]] and [[Petroleum|oil]] refineries (which use water in chemical processes) and manufacturing plants (which use water as a solvent), it is also used for dumping garbage.

[[Desalination]] of seawater is considered a renewable source of water, although reducing its dependence on fossil fuel energy is needed for it to be fully renewable.<ref name=LowCDesal>{{cite journal | last1=Lienhard | first1=John H. | last2=Thiel | first2=Gregory P. | last3=Warsinger | first3=David M. | last4=Banchik | first4=Leonardo D. | title=Low Carbon Desalination: Status and Research, Development, and Demonstration Needs, Report of a workshop conducted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in association with the Global Clean Water Desalination Alliance | journal=Prof. Lienhard Via Angie Locknar | date=2016-12-08 | hdl=1721.1/105755 }}</ref>

<gallery class="center" mode="packed" heights="95">
File:Sinclair Wetlands.jpg|''Panorama of a natural wetland ([[Sinclair Wetlands]], New Zealand)''
</gallery>

===Non agricultural food===
[[File:Alaska wild berries.jpg|thumb|right|Alaska wild "berries" from the [[Innoko National Wildlife Refuge]] - renewable resources]]
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/food|title=food &#124; Definition & Nutri ion|website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref> Most food has its origin in renewable resources. Food is obtained directly from plants and animals.

Hunting may not be the first source of meat in the modernised world, but it is still an important and essential source for many rural and remote groups. It is also the sole source of feeding for wild carnivores.<ref>Mammals: Carnivores. Duane E. Ullrey. Encyclopedia of Animal Science.</ref>

===Sustainable agriculture===
{{main|Sustainable agriculture}}
The phrase [[sustainable agriculture]] was coined by Australian agricultural scientist [[Gordon McClymont]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Rural Science Graduates Association |year=2002 |url=http://agbu.une.edu.au/~aaabg/rsga/im.html |title={{sic|In Memo|rium|hide=y|expected=In Memoriam}}&nbsp;— Former Staff and Students of Rural Science at UNE |publisher=[[University of New England (Australia)|University of New England]] |access-date=21 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606220152/http://agbu.une.edu.au/~aaabg/rsga/im.html |archive-date=6 June 2013 }}</ref> It has been defined as "an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will last over the long term".<ref>Gold, M. (July 2009). [http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/agnic/susag.shtml What is Sustainable Agriculture?]. United States Department of Agriculture, Alternative Farming Systems Information Center.</ref> Expansion of agricultural land reduces [[biodiversity]] and contributes to [[deforestation]]. The [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] of the United Nations estimates that in coming decades, cropland will continue to be lost to industrial and urban development, along with reclamation of wetlands, and conversion of forest to cultivation, resulting in the [[Biodiversity loss|loss of biodiversity]] and increased [[soil erosion]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/y4252e/y4252e14.htm |title=FAO World Agriculture towards 2015/2030 |publisher=[[Food and Agriculture Organization]] |year=2003 |access-date=2013-01-06}}</ref>

[[Image:Polyculture.JPG|thumb|Polyculture practices in [[Andhra Pradesh]]]]
Although [[air]] and [[sunlight]] are available everywhere on [[Earth]], [[Agriculture|crops]] also depend on [[soil]] [[nutrients]] and the availability of [[water resources|water]]. [[Monoculture]] is a method of growing only one crop at a time in a given field, which can damage land and cause it to become either unusable or suffer from reduced [[Crop yield|yields]]. Monoculture can also cause the build-up of [[pathogen]]s and pests that target one specific species. The [[Great Irish Famine|Great Irish Famine (1845–1849)]] is a well-known example of the dangers of monoculture.

[[Crop rotation]] and [[shifting cultivation|long-term crop rotations]] confer the replenishment of nitrogen through the use of [[green manure]] in sequence with cereals and other crops, and can improve [[soil structure]] and [[fertility (soil)|fertility]] by alternating deep-rooted and shallow-rooted plants. Other methods to combat lost soil nutrients are returning to natural cycles that annually flood cultivated lands (returning lost nutrients indefinitely) such as the [[Flooding of the Nile]], the long-term use of [[biochar]], and use of crop and livestock [[landrace]]s that are adapted to less than ideal conditions such as pests, drought, or lack of nutrients.

Agricultural practices are one of the single greatest contributor to the global increase in [[Erosion|soil erosion]] rates.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Committee on 21st Century Systems Agriculture|title=Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century|publisher=National Academies Press|year=2010|isbn=978-0-309-14896-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wdm4qMW1azgC&pg=PT88}}</ref> It is estimated that "more than a thousand million tonnes of southern Africa's soil are eroded every year. Experts predict that crop yields will be halved within thirty to fifty years if erosion continues at present rates."<ref>{{cite web|title=Musokotwane Environment Resource Centre for Southern Africa CEP Factsheet |url=http://www.sardc.net/imercsa/Programs/CEP/Pubs/CEPFS/CEPFS01.htm |access-date=2013-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130213002938/http://www.sardc.net/imercsa/Programs/CEP/Pubs/CEPFS/CEPFS01.htm |archive-date=2013-02-13 }}</ref> The [[Dust Bowl]] phenomenon in the 1930s was caused by severe [[drought]] combined with farming methods that did not include crop rotation, fallow fields, [[cover crop]]s, soil terracing and wind-breaking trees to prevent [[Aeolian processes|wind erosion]].<ref name=drought>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/drought/drght_history.html
|title=Drought: A Paleo Perspective&nbsp;– 20th Century Drought
|publisher=[[National Climatic Data Center]]
|access-date=2009-04-05
}}</ref>

The [[tillage]] of agricultural lands is one of the primary contributing factors to erosion, due to mechanised agricultural equipment that allows for deep plowing, which severely increases the amount of soil that is available for transport by [[water erosion]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Blanco, Humberto |author2=Lal, Rattan |chapter=Tillage erosion|title=Principles of Soil Conservation and Management|publisher=Springer|year=2010|isbn=978-90-481-8529-0|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wj3690PbDY0C&pg=PA109}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Lobb, D.A.|chapter=Soil movement by tillage and other agricultural activities|editor=Jorgenson, Sven E.|title=Applications in Ecological Engineering|publisher=Academic Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0-444-53448-4|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aRKO6ZazC8UC&pg=PA247}}</ref>
The phenomenon called ''peak soil'' describes how large-scale factory farming techniques are affecting humanity's ability to grow food in the future.<ref>{{cite web |title=Peak Soil: Why cellulosic ethanol, biofuels are unsustainable and a threat to America |url=http://culturechange.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=107&Itemid=1 |access-date=2013-01-05}}</ref> Without efforts to improve [[soil management]] practices, the availability of [[Arable land|arable soil]] may become increasingly problematic.<ref>{{cite web |title=CopperWiki Soil erosion |url=http://www.copperwiki.org/index.php?title=Soil_erosion |access-date=2013-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130217124006/http://www.copperwiki.org/index.php?title=Soil_erosion |archive-date=2013-02-17 }}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=January 2013}}
[[File:Manantenina bushfire.jpg|thumb|left|Illegal slash and burn practice in [[Madagascar]], 2010]]
Methods to combat erosion include [[no-till farming]], using a [[keyline design]], growing [[Hedge|wind breaks]] to hold the soil, and widespread use of [[compost]]. [[Fertilizer]]s and [[pesticide]]s can also have an effect of soil erosion,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Vaidya |first1=Shrijana |last2=Hoffmann |first2=Mathias |last3=Holz |first3=Maire |last4=Macagga |first4=Reena |last5=Monzon |first5=Oscar |last6=Thalmann |first6=Mogens |last7=Jurisch |first7=Nicole |last8=Pehle |first8=Natalia |last9=Verch |first9=Gernot |last10=Sommer |first10=Michael |last11=Augustin |first11=Jürgen |date=2023-01-01 |title=Similar strong impact of N fertilizer form and soil erosion state on N2O emissions from croplands |url=https://repository.publisso.de/resource/frl:6449503/data |journal=Geoderma |language=en |volume=429 |page=116243 |doi=10.1016/j.geoderma.2022.116243 |issn=0016-7061|doi-access=free |bibcode=2023Geode.42916243V }}</ref> which can contribute to [[soil salinity]] and prevent other species from growing. [[Phosphate]] is a primary component in the chemical fertiliser applied most commonly in modern agricultural production. However, scientists estimate that rock phosphate reserves will be depleted in 50–100 years and that ''Peak Phosphate'' will occur in about 2030.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The story of phosphorus: Global food security and food for thought |author=Cordell|journal= Global Environmental Change |date=2009-02-11 |display-authors=etal |doi=10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2008.10.009 |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=292–305|bibcode=2009GEC....19..292C }}</ref>

[[Industrial process]]ing and [[logistics]] also have an effect on agriculture's sustainability. The way and locations crops are [[selling|sold]] requires energy for transportation, as well as the energy cost for materials, [[labour (economics)|labour]], and [[transport]]. Food sold at a local location, such a [[farmers' market]], have reduced energy overheads.

===Air===
Air is a renewable resource. All [[living organisms]] need [[oxygen]], [[nitrogen]] (directly or indirectly), [[carbon]] (directly or indirectly) and many other gases in small [[quantities]] for their [[survival skills|survival]].