Question

Why petrol is exhaustible natural resource, whereas sunlight is not? Explain.

Answer 1

The natural resources which are present in a limited quantity in nature and can be exhausted (used up) by human activities are called exhaustible natural resources, e.g. coal, petroleum, natural gas, minerals, forests, wildlife, etc.

It requires millions of years for the conversion of the dead organisms into petroleum from which petrol is separated. So, once the present stock of it gets exhausted, no new supplies of it will be available to us in the near future, whereas sunlight is present in an unlimited quantity in nature, so it is an inexhaustible natural resource. It is not likely to be exhausted by human activities.