|
|
AFL: The abbreviation for the American Federation of Labor, which started as a collection of craft unions in 1886, this is now one half of the umbrella organization for labor unions in the United States (the AFL part of AFL-CIO). As a collection of craft unions, the AFL primarily represented skilled workers in particular occupations. However, it also contained unions representing unskilled industrial workers, which led to a rift among AFL members in 1938 and spawned the formation of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). This rift was closed in 1955, when both joined together to form the AFL-CIO, which is the primary advocate for workers and labor unions in the United States.
Visit the GLOSS*arama
|
|
|
|
                           NATURAL RESOURCES: The naturally occurring resources that are naturally a part of our natural planet which are directed toward production--including land, water, wildlife, vegetation, air, climate, sunshine, mineral deposits, and soil nutrients. Natural resources provide the materials that are used to produce all tangible products in the economy. Natural resources is an alternative term for the generic resource category of land, and is often used to emphasize the "natural" dimension of land resources. Natural resources are all of the naturally occurring materials used in the production of tangible goods. On, Under, AboveThese materials naturally exist on the surface of the land, under the surface of the land, and above the surface of the land.- On: Naturally occurring resources on the surface of the land include water (rivers, lakes, and oceans), vegetation (trees, bushes, and grass), and wildlife (rabbits, deer, fish, and crawling insects).
- Under: Naturally occurring resources under the surface of the land include mineral deposits (iron ore, bauxite, and diamonds), energy reserves (petroleum, natural gas, and coal), soil nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium), wildlife (gophers and earthworms) and ground water.
- Above: Naturally occurring resources above the surface of the land include air (oxygen, nitrogen, and assorted trace elements), precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, and hail), solar radiation (sunshine), wildlife (birds and flying insects), atmospheric conditions (the ozone layer and greenhouse gases), and outer space (meteors, twinkling stars, and a full moon).
A Modern ViewWhen the four basic resource categories (labor, capital, land, and entrepreneurship) were originally developed, agricultural production was the dominant economic activity. In that somewhat simplistic agrarian economy the key resource inputs were labor (worker), capital (shovels, hoes, and plows), land (soil), and entrepreneurship (the organizing, farmer-in-charge). Any entrepreneur seeking to organize production needed to combine workers, plows, and a plot of land.Modern production, however, is substantially more diverse. Modern industrialized economies do not make use of land in the same way as agrarian economies. A lot of production depends on mineral resources and fossil fuels found beneath the ground or the air, sunshine, and precipitation above the ground. Land is not merely farmed and cultivated as it once was, but provides a wider array of natural resources. As such, it often makes sense to use the term natural resources. The EnvironmentA term closely associated with, and often used synonymously for, natural resources is the environment, or natural environment. While the term the environment is also specified as the naturally occurring materials that are part of the planet, it is often used to emphasize the aggregation of the air, water, land, vegetation, and wildlife.One key aspect of the environment is environmental quality, which is the degree to which the natural environment is free of artificial impurities. Such impurities, or pollution, are usually the result of production and consumption activities.
Recommended Citation:NATURAL RESOURCES, AmosWEB Encyclonomic WEB*pedia, http://www.AmosWEB.com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2026. [Accessed: July 10, 2026].
Check Out These Related Terms... | | | | | |
Or For A Little Background... | | | | | |
And For Further Study... | | | | | | | |
Search Again?
Back to the WEB*pedia
|
|
|
BEIGE MUNDORTLE
[What's This?]
Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time at a flea market wanting to buy either a remote controlled World War I bi-plane or a wall poster commemorating Thor Heyerdahl's Pacific crossing aboard the Kon-Tiki. Be on the lookout for jovial bank tellers.
Your Complete Scope
This isn't me! What am I?
|
|
|
A thousand years before metal coins were developed, clay tablet "checks" were used as money by the Babylonians.
|
|
|
"Lord, where we are wrong, make us willing to change; where we are right, make us easy to live with. " -- Peter Marshall, US Senate chaplain
|
|
DSE
Detroit Stock Exchange
|
|
|
Tell us what you think about AmosWEB. Like what you see? Have suggestions for improvements? Let us know. Click the User Feedback link.
User Feedback
|
|
