Which of these natural resources is considered as non-renewable resource ?

Correct — option (2), Fossil Fuels.

NCERT's Class VIII geography book, Resources and Development, sorts natural resources into renewable and non-renewable. It says non-renewable resources "are those which have a limited stock", and that once the stocks are exhausted "it may take thousands of years to be renewed or replenished".

It gives coal, petroleum and natural gas as some examples, and all three are fossil fuels. So Fossil Fuels is the non-renewable resource among the options.

The other three are renewable. NCERT calls solar and wind energy unlimited and not affected by human activities. Timber comes from forests, which renew, though NCERT warns that careless use of forests can affect their stock.

The idea to remember: coal, petroleum and natural gas have a limited stock that takes thousands of years to replenish; sun, wind and forests renew, forests only with careful use.

Why the others are wrong

• (1)
  Timber — Timber comes from forests, and NCERT counts forests among renewable resources: those which get renewed or replenished quickly.

  Renewable does not mean it cannot run short. NCERT notes that careless use of certain renewable resources like water, soil and forest can affect their stock, which is why forests need to be used carefully.

• (3)
  Solar Energy — Solar energy is NCERT's example of a renewable resource that is unlimited and not affected by human activities.

  Rajasthan is building on it. The Economic Review 2022-23 reports solar power plants of 13,531 MW (ground mounted) commissioned in the State up to December 2022, and a potential of 142 GW assessed by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

• (4)
  Wind Energy — Wind energy is listed by NCERT alongside solar energy as a renewable resource that is unlimited and not affected by human activities.

  Using the wind to generate electricity does not use up a stock, unlike burning coal, petroleum or natural gas.

Resources can be classified in several ways. NCERT's Class X geography book lists four bases: origin (biotic and abiotic), exhaustibility (renewable and non-renewable), ownership, and status of development.

On exhaustibility, NCERT's Class VIII book says renewable resources get renewed or replenished quickly, while non-renewable resources have a limited stock that may take thousands of years to replenish, much longer than human life spans.

The same book defines resource conservation as using resources carefully and giving them time to get renewed. It describes sustainable development as using resources carefully so that the needs of the present are met while also taking care of future generations.

Key facts

• NCERT (Class VIII, Resources and Development): non-renewable resources have a limited stock; coal, petroleum and natural gas are examples.
• NCERT: renewable resources get renewed or replenished quickly; solar and wind energy are unlimited and not affected by human activities.
• NCERT: careless use of renewable resources like water, soil and forest can affect their stock.
• Economic Review 2022-23: commercial crude oil production in Rajasthan began from the Mangla field on 29 August 2009.
• Economic Review 2022-23: 13,531 MW of ground-mounted solar plants were commissioned in Rajasthan up to December 2022; MNRE assessed its solar potential at 142 GW.

Common traps

• Renewable does not mean inexhaustible. Timber renews, but careless use of forests can affect their stock.
• Fossil fuels are not "never" renewed; NCERT says it may take thousands of years, much longer than human life spans, which is why they count as non-renewable.
• Water is counted as a renewable resource by NCERT even though shortage and drying up of water sources is a major problem in many parts of the world.

UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2021 and 2018 here once those papers are published on this site.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  According to NCERT's classification of resources, which one of the following is a non-renewable resource?

  • (a)Water
  • (b)Natural gas
  • (c)Soil
  • (d)Solar energy
  Answer(2) — NCERT gives coal, petroleum and natural gas as examples of non-renewable resources with a limited stock. It names water and soil among renewable resources whose stock careless use can affect, and solar energy as an unlimited renewable resource, so options (1), (3) and (4) are wrong.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  According to the Economic Review 2022-23, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has assessed Rajasthan's potential of electricity from solar generation at :

  • (a)42 GW
  • (b)142 GW
  • (c)13,531 MW
  • (d)23,487.46 MW
  Answer(2) — The Review cites an MNRE assessment of 142 GW. Option (3), 13,531 MW, is the ground-mounted solar capacity commissioned up to December 2022, option (4) is the State's installed power capacity as on 30 November 2022, and option (1) is not the Review's figure.