Science Common Sense

1052 - What is the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources?

Imagine you have two boxes of candies.

The first box (nonrenewable) has a limited amount of candies that can't be refilled. Once they're gone, they're gone forever. Nonrenewable resources like coal, oil, and gas are like this box. We use them up, and they take millions of years to form again.

The second box (renewable) can be refilled naturally. Renewable resources like sunlight, wind, and water are like this box. We can use them, and nature will refill them again and again.

We should use the second box of candies (renewable resources) as much as possible to save the first box (nonrenewable resources) for later and to help our planet stay healthy.