Non-renewable Resources
The effects of using non-renewable resources are outlined in the "Humans and the Environment" section of the website. Non-renewable resources are any resources that cannot be recreated, and once they are gone, they are gone. The two main categories of non-renewable resources are fossil fuels and Uranium or radioactive materials. These resources have damaging effects on the Earth and are beginning to be replaced by renewable resources.
Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels are natural fuels that are formed from the remains of living organisms. Fossil fuels include coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Fossil fuels are hugely damaging to the environment, and are a major concern presently. Coal is a sedimentary rock that takes MILLIONS of years to actually form, and yet it is a huge source of energy within the US. Petroleum is the primary source of energy in the United States. Petroleum includes oil, gas, diesel, and propane. These are burned to create a huge amount of energy, which is why they are used the most around the world, even though they are extremely harmful to the environment. Natural gas is made mostly of methane which is created from decaying plants and animals that lived millions of years ago.
Uranium
Another non-renewable resource that is widely used is Uranium. Uranium is used within nuclear power plants, and creates huge amounts of energy. Although this creates massive amounts of energy that can be used, it is extremely harmful to the environment. Nuclear power is created by splitting atoms, and this can prove to be a serious problem. With events like Chernobyl, there have been many precautions that are taken within these nuclear power plants.
Solution
The main solution to the extreme use of fossil fuels and nuclear power is obvious: cut back on the use and start to use renewable resources. There really is no in detail to this solution, it's too simple.