Editing Non-renewable resource (section)

{{Short description|Class of natural resources}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
[[File:Coal mine Wyoming.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|A [[coal mining|coal mine]] in [[Wyoming]], United States. [[Coal]], produced over millions of years, is a finite and non-renewable resource on a human time scale.]]

A '''non-renewable resource''' (also called a '''finite resource''') is a [[natural resource]] that cannot be readily replaced by natural means at a pace quick enough to keep up with consumption.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Earth systems and environmental sciences.|date=2013|publisher=Elsevier|isbn=978-0-12-409548-9|location=[Place of publication not identified]|oclc=846463785}}</ref> An example is carbon-based fossil fuels. The original organic matter, with the aid of heat and pressure, becomes a fuel such as oil or gas. Earth [[mineral]]s and [[metal]] [[ore]]s, [[fossil fuel]]s ([[coal]], [[petroleum]], [[natural gas]]) and [[groundwater]] in certain [[aquifer]]s are all considered non-renewable resources, though individual [[Chemical element|element]]s are always conserved (except in [[nuclear reactions]], [[nuclear decay]] or [[atmospheric escape]]).

Conversely, resources such as [[timber]] (when [[Sustainable forest management|harvested sustainably]]) and wind (used to power energy conversion systems) are considered [[renewable resource]]s, largely because their localized replenishment can also occur within human lifespans.