UP:SC15.ES.1

Vocabulary

  • renewable resource
  • nonrenewable resource
  • consumption rate
  • sustainability
  • environmental policy
  • conservation (Law of Conservation of Energy)
  • 3 R's = reduce, reuse, recycle
  • fossil fuels
  • pollution
  • energy efficiency
  • resource extraction and harnessing
  • alternative energy
  • waste
  • mining
  • reclamation
  • remediation
  • mitigation
  • biomass
  • hydroelectric
  • geothermal
  • nuclear energy
  • natural gas
  • wind turbine
  • solar power
  • hybrid
  • hydrogen fuel cell

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Examples of renewable energy sources and nonrenewable energy sources, and the uses of each.
  • The origin of different types of nonrenewable energy sources.
  • How various types of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources are harvested, how harvesting may impact the surrounding environment, and how to reduce any negative impacts of harvesting these resources.
  • How various types of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources are used, how using them may impact the environment, and how to reduce any negative impacts of using these resources.
  • The sustainability of human societies and environmental biodiversity require responsible management of natural resources, including renewable and nonrenewable energy sources.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify various types of energy resources.
  • Explain how various nonrenewable and renewable resources are used to provide energy.
  • Analyze geographical data to ascertain resource availability and sustainability.
  • Evaluate environmental strategies that promote energy resource sustainability.
  • Design and/or refine a solution to mitigate negative impacts of using nonrenewable and renewable energy sources, or evaluate available design solutions based on scientific principles, empirical evidence, and logical arguments.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • All forms of energy production and resource extraction have associated economic, social, environmental, and geopolitical benefits as well as costs and risks.
  • Scientific knowledge indicates what can happen in natural systems, not what should happen. What should happen involves ethics, values, and human decisions about the use of existing knowledge.
  • Environmental feedback, whether negative or positive, can stabilize or destabilize a system.
  • It is important to consider a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, and to take into account social, cultural, and environmental impacts when developing and/or evaluating solutions.

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect
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