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Death Rate

This number refers to the annual number of death per one thousand people. Demographers and
statisticians use information to guide resources and money. The graph below is from the National Institute
of Health and shows information about infectious disease in the US.

The Earth's Natural Resources

Our world contains many natural resources that we use to survive and some that we consume in the pursuit of
our modern lifestyles. Air, water, and plant and animal life are all natural resources that we utilize in order to
live. Rocks, minerals, and fossil fuels are examples of natural resources that we exploit to power our world and
make technology possible. Wealth and status in the world economy is often determined by a nation's access to
natural resources. These resources can be classified as renewable, inexhaustible, and non-renewable.

Renewable resources are, as the name implies, resources that can be renewed, usually through careful
management or conservation. Most of the renewable resources used in the world today come from plant and
animal material. Our food supply relies on numerous renewable resources. As long as the rate at which we
extract living material for our food supply is the same as the rate that it is replenished, we need not worry about
the future of this type of resource. However, history provides many examples of situations where demand
exceeds supply and a food resource was exhausted. In many nations, conservation laws are enforced and
agricultural methods are followed to insure the future availability of food resources. Some of the renewable
resources used by our society go toward the production of items such as clothing and housing. Cotton grown in
the southern United States has provided a renewable resource used to make clothing and other material for
many years. Timber harvested from carefully managed forests can provide the raw materials to supply materials
for future construction.

The United States has a diverse energy production portfolio. The table below lists the types of fuels consumed
in the production of electrical energy in our country.