Fuels such as oil, natural gas, and mineral coal – fossilized plant residues – that are buried in the Earth’s crust and reached their present state through chemical reactions over long periods of time. They are produced by the continuous decomposition of organic animal and plant matter through geological eras. Their production is extremely slow – much slower than the current consumption rate – and therefore, not renewable on the human timescale.
Environmental services
Environmental services
A set of functions performed by nature, essential to human beings, such as water and gas regulation, climatic and of physical disturbances, water supply, erosion control and sediment retention, soil formation, nutrient cycling, pollination, and many others.