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A non-renewable resource is a natural resource that cannot be produced, re-grown, regenerated, or reused on a scale which can sustain its consumption rate. These resources often exist in a fixed amount, or are consumed much faster than nature they are recreated by nature. Fossil fuels (such as coal, petroleum and natural gas) and nuclear fuel are some examples. In contrast, resources such as timber (when harvested sustainably) or metals (which can be recycled) are considered renewable resources.
A non-renewable resource is always drawn down with anabolic processes that use up energy.citation needed
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Non-renewable fossil fuels
- Further information: Peak oil
| Renewable energy |
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| Biofuels Biomass Geothermal Hydro power Solar power Tidal power Wave power Wind power |
Natural resources such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas take millions of years to form naturally and cannot be replaced as fast as they are consumed. Eventually natural resources will become too costly to harvest and humanity will need to find other sources of energy. At present, the main energy sources used by humans are non-renewable.
Some natural resources, called renewable resources, are replaced by natural processes given a reasonable amount of time. Soil, water, forests, plants, and animals are all renewable resources as long as they are properly conserved. Solar, wind, wave, and geothermal energies are based on renewable resources. Renewable resources such as the movement of water (hydropower, including tidal power; ocean surface waves used for wave power), wind (used for wind power), geothermal heat (used for geothermal power); and radiant energy (used for solar power) are practically infinite and cannot be depleted, unlike their non-renewable counterparts, which are likely to run out if not used wisely. Still, these technologies are not fully utilized.1
Economic models
Hotelling's rule is a 1931 economic model of non-renewable resource management by Harold Hotelling. It shows that efficient exploitation of a nonrenewable and nonaugmentable resource would, under otherwise stable economic conditions, lead to a depletion of the resource. The rule states that this would lead to a net price or "Hotelling rent" for it that rose annually at a rate equal to the rate of interest, reflecting the increasing scarcity of the resources.
The Hartwick's rule provides an important result about the sustainability of welfare in an economy that uses non-renewable resources.
- See also: World3, Low-carbon economy, and Hubbert's peak
See also
- Energy conservation
- Green design
- Hubbert's peak
- Liebig's law of the minimum
- Peak oil
- Overfishing
- Renewable resource
Notes
External links
- Non-Renewable Resources at NASA.gov
- Environmental Stewardship at University of Illinois.edu
