Describe the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources. Give at least two advantages and two disadvantages of each.

A renewable resource is an economic substance that can be replenished in the same amount of time as it is being used. A nonrenewable resource takes longer to be replenished than the time it takes for it to be used.

An advantage of a renewable resource is that it is constant so it is sustainable and will never run out. Also, facilities that generate renewable resources require less maintenance and are usually less harmful to the environment. A disadvantage of a renewable resource is that it may be difficult to generate on a large scale comparable to nonrenewable resources such as fossil fuel. Another disadvantage is the reliability of the supply since they usually depend on weather or other sources that are not always constant.

An advantage of a nonrenewable resource is the low production cost of these resources. They are usually easy to find. Nonrenewable resources often cause pollution. They are not sustainable so eventually they will run out and there will be no source.