Which of the following environmental resources is non-renewable?

Step 1: Analyze the question We need to pick the resource that is non-renewable, meaning it cannot be replaced naturally within a human lifetime once used up.

Step 2: Explain the concept

• Renewable resources are replenished naturally over a short time. Examples include water, rain, oxygen, sunlight, wind and forests (when managed well).
• Non-renewable resources take millions of years to form, so they are effectively finite. Examples include crude oil, coal, natural gas and minerals such as tin, iron ore and limestone.

Step 3: Examine each option

• A. Rain: Part of the water cycle (evaporation → condensation → precipitation). It is continually renewed, so it is renewable.
• B. Mineral: Minerals form through geological processes lasting millions of years. Once mined and used, they cannot be replaced in any useful time frame, so they are non-renewable.
• C. Water: It is constantly recycled through the water cycle, so it is renewable.
• D. Oxygen: Plants replace it through photosynthesis, so it is renewable.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is B. Mineral.

Exam tip: Ask yourself, "Can nature replace it quickly?" Anything in a natural cycle (water, rain, oxygen, carbon) is renewable. Anything dug out of the ground that took geological ages to form (minerals, coal, petroleum) is non-renewable. Think of Nigeria's crude oil and tin on the Jos Plateau as examples to help you remember.