Natural resource
Natural resources are naturally occurring substances that are considered valuable in their relatively unmodified (
natural) form. A
commodity is generally considered a natural resource when the primary activities associated with it are extraction and purification, as opposed to creation. Thus,
mining,
petroleum extraction,
fishing, and
forestry are generally considered natural-resource industries, while
agriculture is not. The term was introduced to a broad audience by
E.F. Schumacher in his 1970s book
Small Is Beautiful.
Natural resources are often classified into
renewable and
non-renewable resources. Renewable resources are generally living resources (fish,
coffee, and forests, for example), which can restock (renew) themselves if they are not
overharvested. Renewable resources can restock themselves and be used indefinitely if they are used sustainably. Once renewable resources are consumed at a rate that exceeds their natural rate of replacement, the standing stock will diminish and eventually run out. The rate of sustainable use of a renewable resource is determined by the replacement rate and amount of standing stock of that particular resource. Non-living renewable natural resources include
soil, as well as
water,
wind,
tides and
solar radiation —
compare with renewable energy.
Both extraction of the basic resource and
refining it into a purer, directly usable form, (e.g.,
metals, refined oils) are generally considered natural-resource activities, even though the latter may not necessarily occur near the former.
Natural resources are
natural capital converted to
commodity inputs to
infrastructural capital processes. They include soil, timber, oil, minerals, and other goods taken more or less as they are from the Earth.
A nation's natural resources often determine its wealth and status in the world economic system, by determining its political influence.
Developed nations are those which are less dependent on natural resources for wealth, due to their greater reliance on
infrastructural capital for production. However, some see a
resource curse whereby easily obtainable natural resources could actually hurt the prospects of a national economy by fostering political corruption.
In recent years, the depletion of
natural capital and attempts to move to
sustainable development have been a major focus of
development agencies. This is of particular concern in
rainforest regions, which hold most of the Earth's natural
biodiversity - irreplaceable genetic
natural capital. Conservation of natural resources is the major focus of
Natural Capitalism,
environmentalism, the
ecology movement, and
Green Parties. Some view this depletion as a major source of social unrest and conflicts in
developing nations.
*
ecoregion*
geostrategy*
sustainable forestry*
fish*
wood*
metal*
minerals*
list of natural gas fields*
List of minerals*
petroleum politics*
mining*
refining*
prospecting*
soft energy path*
environment*
landscape*
land (economics)*
soil*
war, causes of*
water*
Statistics on Natural Resources in Canada
