What term describes various substances and energy sources we need to survive?

• A. Renewable Natural Resources
• B. Nonrenewable Natural Resources
• C. Natural Resources
• D. Ecosystem Services

Answer: (C)

Natural resources are the substances and energy sources we rely on to meet our survival needs. They include air, water, food, soil, minerals, and energy sources like coal, oil, solar, wind, and hydropower. Some of these resources are renewable, others nonrenewable, but the broad term that covers all the materials and energy we depend on is natural resources. Ecosystem services, by contrast, describe benefits ecosystems provide to people (like pollination or climate regulation) rather than the actual inputs we extract and use.