Definition of Non-renewable/depletable Resources
An economic resource that cannot be replaced once used.
Non-renewable resources are natural materials that cannot be replaced within a human lifetime once they are used up. They take millions of years to form (e.g. coal/crude oil) and exist in limited supply.
Examples of non-renewable resources include:
- Crude Oil
- Coal
- Metals and minerals like copper, iron, lithium. aluminium, gold, and zinc – extracted from the earth and not renewable once depleted.
- Clean Water supplies – clean water is potentially non-renewable. For example, radiation from a nuclear power plant disaster could make water radioactive for generations.
- Genetic Pool. If species become extinct, then we lose their unique genes and chance to use that in medicines.
- Nuclear fuels such as uranium and plutonium – used in nuclear power stations.
Potentially renewable
Some resources are potentially renewable, but, overconsumption could also permanently deplete them. For example, fish stocks are generally renewable. However, if there is over-fishing then a species could be made extinct in a certain way.
Something like oil and coal take millions of years to form so are for all intents and purposes non-renewable once stocks are used.
Should We Worry About Running Out of Non-Renewable Resources?
It is rare that we completely run out of a natural resources, but as the resources becomes limited, the price will rise. As global demand for energy and raw materials grows, these supplies will become harder and more expensive to extract. The bigger problem is not so much running out of coal and oil, but the environmental costs of continuing to burn the fossil feules.
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