Nature is full of resources used by human beings. Humanity, in general, since the most remote times, has always made use of the goods available in nature for its sustenance. However, over time, human beings also learned to cultivate and accumulate the goods extracted thanks to the development of agriculture and livestock.
Nowadays, with the advance of the capitalist system and its consolidation around the world, this logic intensified, causing a large amount of natural resources to be used and commercialized around the world. Also, most of these raw material it is transformed into other products, which are the goods produced almost always by industries.
For this reason, we can observe that the natural resources they are of vital importance for the functioning of societies, which makes some of them have a high strategic degree. An example of this is the Petroleum, which is used in the manufacture of fuels, oils, solvents, plastics and other materials, being the target of wars and disputes between countries to obtain it.
But if we keep using the planet's natural resources continuously, they will run out, right? It depends. Some of these resources can be preserved and used in the future, as long as societies know how to conserve them. To better understand this, we divide natural resources into renewable and not renovable.
You natural resources no renewable they are those that are available in nature, but that one day will run out. An example of this is oil itself, which has limited reserves in nature; another case is aluminum and copper, as well as countless other examples.
oil exploration platform
You renewable natural resources they are those that are available in nature and that remain inexhaustible because, somehow, they renew themselves or remain constant. This does not mean, however, that human beings can use them in any way, because, depending on the environmental impacts caused, they can become unusable. One example is water, cyclically renewing, but which can become useless with the pollution of rivers, lakes and water reserves. Another example of a natural resource that continually renews itself is sunlight, which can even be used for energy production.
Solar energy is a renewable natural resource
Therefore, societies should always seek to conserve natural resources, giving preference to exploiting those that are renewable and ensuring that they are always available for use. The perspective that aims to guarantee the use of natural resources for the next generations is called sustainable development.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
