What are natural resources?
Big idea: Natural resources are everything we take from the environment to meet our needs — from the air we breathe to the metals in our phones.
Categories of natural resources
Renewable resources
- Can be replenished naturally
- Examples: solar energy, wind, timber, freshwater, fish
- Sustainable IF harvest rate ≤ regeneration rate
- Can become non-renewable if overexploited
Non-renewable resources
- Finite supply; formed over geological time
- Examples: fossil fuels, minerals, metals
- Cannot be replaced once depleted
- Must be conserved or substituted
Key natural resources
- Fossil fuels: Coal, oil, natural gas — energy for transport, electricity, heating
- Minerals and metals: Iron, copper, aluminium, rare earths — construction, electronics, manufacturing
- Timber: Construction, paper, fuel — can be renewable if sustainably managed
- Freshwater: Drinking, agriculture, industry — only 2.5% of Earths water is fresh
- Land/soil: Agriculture, housing, ecosystem services — finite and degradable
- Fish and wildlife: Food, materials — renewable but heavily overexploited
A resource is only renewable if we use it at or below its regeneration rate. Overfishing can make fish stocks effectively non-renewable!
Exam tip: Be ready to classify resources as renewable or non-renewable AND explain the conditions under which renewable resources can become depleted.
Resource use and development
Big idea: Resource consumption is closely linked to economic development. As countries develop, their resource use typically increases — creating tensions between growth and sustainability.
Trends in resource use
- Global resource extraction has tripled since 1970
- Per capita consumption varies hugely — HICs use 10x more than LICs
- Demand is accelerating due to population growth and rising living standards
- Some resources are peaking — e.g., peak phosphorus, peak oil debates
The development-resource link
- Industrialisation requires massive inputs of metals, fuels, and materials
- Urbanisation increases demand for construction materials and energy
- Rising consumption drives demand for consumer goods and their inputs
- The environmental Kuznets curve suggests pollution may decrease after a certain income level — but this is debated
Ecological footprint measures resource demand; biocapacity measures supply. Currently, humanity uses ~1.7 Earths worth of resources annually.
Resource distribution and conflict
- Resources are unevenly distributed globally
- This creates resource dependence and trade relationships
- Can lead to resource conflicts (e.g., oil, water, minerals)
- Resource curse: Countries rich in resources often have poor governance and conflict
Exam tip: Questions often ask you to describe trends in resource use from data. Practice identifying patterns, rates of change, and differences between regions.