Which of the following energy sources is considered a renewable resource of energy in environmental science?

Introduction / Context:
Energy resources are often classified as renewable or non renewable. Renewable resources can be replenished on a human time scale, while non renewable resources take millions of years to form and are depleted by continuous use. This question checks your understanding of which commonly used energy sources belong to the renewable category, an important topic in environmental science and sustainable development.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Four energy sources are listed: coal, wind energy, petroleum, and natural gas.
• Renewable means replenished naturally in a relatively short period of time.
• Non renewable resources are fossil fuels formed over geological time scales.
• We consider typical present day usage and standard textbook definitions.

Concept / Approach:
Coal, petroleum, and natural gas are fossil fuels. They originate from ancient organic matter that has been subjected to heat and pressure over millions of years. Once burned, they are effectively gone and cannot be replenished quickly, so they are classified as non renewable. Wind energy, on the other hand, depends on air motion driven by solar heating differences across the Earth surface. As long as the Sun shines and the atmosphere exists, wind will continue to be generated, so it is treated as a renewable resource of energy.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify coal as a solid fossil fuel used widely in thermal power stations and industry. It takes geological time to form and is non renewable. Step 2: Recognise petroleum as a liquid fossil fuel that also forms over millions of years and is therefore non renewable. Step 3: Note that natural gas is a gaseous fossil fuel found with petroleum or in gas fields, again formed over very long time scales. Step 4: Understand that wind energy is derived from moving air masses, which are continually driven by solar heating and the rotation of the Earth, making it a renewable energy source. Step 5: Conclude that among the options listed, only wind energy fits the definition of a renewable resource.

Verification / Alternative check:
Standard classifications of energy resources in school level science books list solar, wind, hydro, biomass, and geothermal energy as renewable. Coal, petroleum, and natural gas are always described as non renewable fossil fuels because their reserves are finite on human time scales. This matches the reasoning above and confirms that wind energy is the correct choice here.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Coal: A non renewable fossil fuel that will be exhausted if used continuously. Petroleum: Another non renewable fossil fuel, used for transport and industry. Natural gas: Also non renewable and formed over geological time, so it cannot be quickly replaced.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes think any naturally occurring substance is renewable, but the key is the replenishment time. Fossil fuels do come from nature, yet they take millions of years to form and are therefore non renewable. Another confusion is to mix up the device used to capture energy, such as a wind turbine, with the energy source itself, which in this case is the moving air. Always focus on whether the energy source can be replenished within a human time scale.

Final Answer:
The renewable resource of energy among the given options is wind energy.