Editing Non-renewable resource

{{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.

== Earth minerals and metal ores ==
{{Main|Mineral|Ore}}
[[File:GoldOreUSGOV.jpg|thumb|Raw gold ore that is eventually smelted down into gold metal]]
{{Further|Mining}}

Earth minerals and [[metal]] ores are examples of non-renewable resources. The metals themselves are present in vast amounts in Earth's [[crust (geology)|crust]], and their extraction by humans only occurs where they are concentrated by [[Ore genesis|natural geological processes]] (such as heat, pressure, organic activity, weathering and other processes) enough to become economically viable to extract. These processes generally take from tens of thousands to millions of years, through [[plate tectonics]], [[tectonic subsidence]] and [[crustal recycling]].

The localized deposits of metal ores near the surface which can be extracted economically by humans are non-renewable in human time-frames. There are certain [[rare earth mineral]]s and [[rare earth element|elements]] that are more scarce and exhaustible than others. These are in high demand in [[manufacturing]], particularly for the [[electronics industry]].

== Fossil fuels ==
{{Main|Fossil fuel}}
{{Further|Oil depletion}}

Natural resources such as [[coal]], [[petroleum]] (crude oil) and [[natural gas]] take thousands of years to form naturally and cannot be replaced as fast as they are being consumed. It is projected that fossil-based resources will eventually become too costly to harvest and humanity will need to shift its reliance to [[renewable energy]] such as solar or wind power.

An alternative hypothesis is that carbon-based fuel is virtually inexhaustible in human terms, if one includes all sources of carbon-based energy such as methane hydrates on the sea floor, which are much greater than all other carbon-based fossil fuel resources combined.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://worldoceanreview.com/en/wor-1/energy/methane-hydrates/ |title=Methane hydrates |website=Worldoceanreview.com |access-date=17 January 2017}}</ref> These sources of carbon are also considered non-renewable, although their rate of formation/replenishment on the sea floor is not known. However, their extraction at economically viable costs and rates has yet to be determined.

At present, the main energy source used by humans is non-renewable [[fossil fuels]]. Since the dawn of [[internal combustion engine]] technologies in the 19th century, petroleum and other fossil fuels have remained in continual demand. As a result, conventional [[infrastructure]] and [[transport]] systems, which are fitted to combustion engines, remain predominant around the globe.

The modern-day fossil fuel economy is widely criticized for its lack of renewability, as well as being a contributor to [[climate change]].<ref>{{cite book|author=America's Climate Choices: Panel on Advancing the Science of Climate Change|author2=National Research Council|title=Advancing the Science of Climate Change |year=2010|publisher=The National Academies Press|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=978-0-309-14588-6|url=http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12782|doi=10.17226/12782 }}</ref>

== Nuclear fuels ==
[[File:Arandis Mine quer.jpg|thumb|[[Rössing uranium mine]] is the longest-running and one of the largest [[open pit]] uranium mines in the world; in 2005 it produced eight percent of global uranium oxide needs (3,711 tons).<ref name="infomine">[http://www.infomine.com/minesite/minesite.asp?site=rossing Rössing] (from infomine.com, status Friday 30 September 2005)</ref> The most productive mines are the underground [[McArthur River uranium mine]] in Canada, which produces 13% of the world's uranium, and the underground poly-metallic [[Olympic Dam mine]] in Australia, which is mainly a copper mine, but contains the largest known reserve of uranium ore.]]
[[File:Uranium and thorium release from coal combustion.gif|thumb|upright=1.35|Annual release of "technologically enhanced"/concentrated [[naturally occurring radioactive material]], [[uranium]] and [[thorium]] [[radioisotopes]] naturally found in coal and concentrated in heavy/bottom [[coal ash]] and airborne [[fly ash]].<ref name="USGS" >{{cite web
  |author = U.S. Geological Survey | author-link = USGS
  |title = Radioactive Elements in Coal and Fly Ash: Abundance, Forms, and Environmental Significance
  |date = October 1997
  |url = http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/1997/fs163-97/FS-163-97.pdf
  |work = U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-163-97
  }}</ref> As predicted by [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory|ORNL]] to cumulatively amount to 2.9 million tons over the 1937–2040 period, from the combustion of an estimated 637 billion tons of coal worldwide.<ref name="ornl">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/rev26-34/text/colmain.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205103749/http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/rev26-34/text/colmain.html|url-status=dead|title=Coal Combustion – ORNL Review Vol. 26, No. 3&4, 1993|archive-date=5 February 2007}}</ref> This 2.9 million tons of [[actinide]] fuel, a resource derived from coal ash, would be classified as low grade uranium ore if it occurred naturally.]]

{{Main|Nuclear fuel}}
{{Further|Nuclear power proposed as renewable energy|Peak uranium}}

In 1987, the [[World Commission on Environment and Development]] (WCED) classified fission reactors that produce more [[fissile]] nuclear fuel than they consume (i.e. [[breeder reactor]]s) among conventional renewable energy sources, such as [[Sun|solar]] and [[Hydropower|falling water]].<ref name="Brundtland">{{cite web|title=Chapter 7: Energy: Choices for Environment and Development|url=http://www.un-documents.net/ocf-07.htm|work=Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development|first=Gro Harlem|last=Brundtland|location=Oslo|date=20 March 1987|access-date=27 March 2013|quote=Today's primary sources of energy are mainly non-renewable: natural gas, oil, coal, peat, and conventional nuclear power. There are also renewable sources, including wood, plants, dung, falling water, geothermal sources, solar, tidal, wind, and wave energy, as well as human and animal muscle-power. Nuclear reactors that produce their own fuel ("breeders") and eventually fusion reactors are also in this category}}</ref> The [[American Petroleum Institute]] likewise does not consider conventional nuclear fission as renewable, but rather that [[breeder reactor]] nuclear power fuel is considered renewable and sustainable, noting that radioactive waste from used [[spent fuel]] rods remains radioactive and so has to be very carefully stored for several hundred years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.api.org/classroom/curricula/nonrenew-resources.cfm|title=Key Characteristics of Nonrenewable Resources|author=American Petroleum Institute|access-date=2010-02-21}}</ref> With the careful monitoring of radioactive waste products also being required upon the use of other renewable energy sources, such as [[geothermal energy]].<ref>http://www.epa.gov/radiation/tenorm/geothermal.html Geothermal Energy Production Waste.</ref>

The use of [[nuclear technology]] relying on [[Nuclear fission|fission]] requires [[naturally occurring radioactive material]] as fuel. [[Uranium]], the most common fission fuel, is present in the ground at relatively low concentrations and [[uranium mining|mined]] in 19 countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf23.html|title=World Uranium Mining|publisher=World Nuclear Association|access-date=2011-02-28}}</ref> This mined uranium is used to fuel energy-generating nuclear reactors with [[Fissile|fissionable]] [[uranium-235]] which generates heat that is ultimately used to power [[turbine]]s to generate electricity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.world-nuclear.org/education/uran.html|title=What is uranium? How does it work?|publisher=World Nuclear Association|access-date=2011-02-28}}</ref>

As of 2013 only a few kilograms (picture available) of uranium have been extracted from the ocean in [[pilot program]]s and it is also believed that the uranium extracted on an industrial scale from the seawater would constantly be replenished from uranium [[leaching (metallurgy)|leached]] from the ocean floor, maintaining the seawater concentration at a stable level.<ref name="gepr.org">{{Cite web|url=http://www.gepr.org/en/contents/20130729-01/|title=The current state of promising research into extraction of uranium from seawater – Utilization of Japan's plentiful seas: Global Energy Policy Research|website=gepr.org}}</ref> In 2014, with the advances made in the efficiency of seawater uranium extraction, a paper in the journal of ''Marine Science & Engineering'' suggests that with, light water reactors as its target, the process would be [[economy of scale|economically competitive if implemented on a large scale]].<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Development of a Kelp-Type Structure Module in a Coastal Ocean Model to Assess the Hydrodynamic Impact of Seawater Uranium Extraction Technology|first1=Gary|last1=Gill|first2=Wen|last2=Long|first3=Tarang|last3=Khangaonkar|first4=Taiping|last4=Wang|date=22 March 2014|journal=Journal of Marine Science and Engineering|volume=2|issue=1|pages=81–92|doi=10.3390/jmse2010081|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Nuclear power provides about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity.<ref>[[World Nuclear Association]]. [http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=27665 Another drop in nuclear generation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107221735/http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=27665 |date=7 January 2014 }} ''World Nuclear News'', 5 May 2010.</ref> Nuclear energy production is associated with potentially dangerous [[radioactive contamination]] as it relies upon unstable elements. In particular, nuclear power facilities produce about 200,000 metric tons of [[low and intermediate level waste]] (LILW) and 10,000 metric tons of [[high level waste]] (HLW) (including spent fuel designated as waste) each year worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Factsheets/English/manradwa.html |title=Factsheets & FAQs |publisher=International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) |access-date=2012-02-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125062648/http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Factsheets/English/manradwa.html |archive-date=25 January 2012 }}</ref>

Separate from the question of the sustainability of nuclear fuel use are concerns about the high-level radioactive waste the nuclear industry generates, which if not properly contained, is [[Acute radiation syndrome|highly hazardous]] to people and wildlife. The United Nations ([[United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation|UNSCEAR]]) estimated in 2008 that average annual human radiation exposure includes 0.01 [[millisievert]] (mSv) from the legacy of past atmospheric nuclear testing plus the [[Chernobyl disaster]] and the nuclear fuel cycle, along with 2.0&nbsp;mSv from natural radioisotopes and 0.4&nbsp;mSv from [[cosmic ray]]s; all exposures [[Background radiation|vary by location]].<ref name = UNSCEAR>United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. [http://www.unscear.org/docs/reports/2008/09-86753_Report_2008_GA_Report_corr2.pdf Sources and Effects of Ionizing Radiation, UNSCEAR 2008]</ref> [[Natural uranium]] in some inefficient reactor [[nuclear fuel cycle]]s becomes part of the [[Radioactive waste|nuclear waste]] "[[nuclear fuel cycle|once through]]" stream, and in a similar manner to the scenario were this uranium remained naturally in the ground, this uranium emits various forms of radiation in a [[decay chain]] that has a [[half-life]] of about 4.5 billion years.<ref name="natortg">{{cite web |last=Mcclain |first=D.E. |author2=A.C. Miller |author3=J.F. Kalinich |title=Status of Health Concerns about Military Use of Depleted Uranium and Surrogate Metals in Armor-Penetrating Munitions |publisher=[[NATO]] |date=20 December 2007 |url=http://www.afrri.usuhs.mil/www/outreach/pdf/mcclain_NATO_2005.pdf |access-date=2012-02-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207021921/http://www.afrri.usuhs.mil/www/outreach/pdf/mcclain_NATO_2005.pdf |archive-date=7 February 2012 }}</ref> The storage of this unused uranium and the accompanying fission reaction products has raised public concerns about [[Nuclear and radiation accidents|risks of leaks and containment]], however studies conducted on the [[natural nuclear fission reactor]] in Oklo [[Gabon]], have informed geologists on the proven processes that kept the waste from this 2 billion year old natural nuclear reactor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/publications/magazines/bulletin/bull42-3/42302680518.pdf|title=The Safety of Radioactive Waste Management| author=AJ González|date= 2000|publisher=IAEA}}</ref>

== Land surface ==
Land surface can be considered both a renewable and non-renewable resource depending on the scope of comparison. [[land economics|Land]] can be reused, but new land cannot be created on demand, making it a fixed resource with perfectly [[inelastic supply]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=J.Singh|date=2014-04-17|title=Land: Meaning, Significance, Land as Renewable and Non-Renewal Resource|url=https://www.economicsdiscussion.net/factors-of-production/land-meaning-significance-land-as-renewable-and-non-renewal-resource/785|access-date=2020-06-21|website=Economics Discussion|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lambin|first=Eric F.|date=2012-12-01|title=Global land availability: Malthus versus Ricardo|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211912412000235|journal=Global Food Security|language=en|volume=1|issue=2|pages=83–87|doi=10.1016/j.gfs.2012.11.002|issn=2211-9124|url-access=subscription}}</ref> from an economic perspective.

== Renewable resources ==
{{Main|Renewable resource}}
{{Further|Renewable energy|Recycling}}
[[File:ThreeGorgesDam-China2009.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Three Gorges Dam]], the largest renewable energy generating station in the world.]]
[[Natural resource]]s, known as renewable resources, are replaced by [[Natural phenomenon|natural processes and forces]] persistent in the [[natural environment]]. There are [[Intermittent energy source|intermittent]] and reoccurring renewables, and [[Recycling|recyclable material]]s, which are utilized during a [[Biogeochemical cycle|cycle]] across a certain amount of time, and can be harnessed for any number of cycles.

The production of goods and services by [[manufacturing]] [[Product (business)|product]]s in [[economic system]]s creates many [[List of waste types|types of waste]] during production and after the [[consumer]] has made use of it. The material is then either [[Incineration|incinerated]], buried in a [[landfill]] or [[recycled]] for reuse.  Recycling turns materials of value that would otherwise become waste into valuable resources again.
[[File:ThreeGorgesDam-Landsat7.jpg|thumb|Satellite map showing areas flooded by the Three Gorges reservoir. Compare 7 November 2006 (above) with 17 April 1987 (below). The energy station required the flooding of [[archaeological]] and cultural sites and displaced some 1.3&nbsp;million people, and is causing significant [[ecological]] changes, including an increased risk of [[landslide]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://unn.people.com.cn/GB/9105724.html |title=重庆云阳长江右岸现360万方滑坡险情-地方-人民网 |work=People's Daily  |access-date=2009-08-01}} See also: {{cite web |url= http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2009-04/09/content_11157017.htm |title=探访三峡库区云阳故陵滑坡险情 |publisher=News.xinhuanet.com |access-date=2009-08-01}}</ref> The dam has been a controversial topic both domestically and abroad.<ref name="controversy">{{cite magazine |author=Lin Yang |title=China's Three Gorges Dam Under Fire |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1671000,00.html |magazine=Time |date=2007-10-12 |access-date=2009-03-28 |quote=The giant Three Gorges Dam across China's Yangtze River has been mired in controversy ever since it was first proposed }} See also: {{cite news |last=Laris |first=Michael |title=Untamed Waterways Kill Thousands Yearly |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/china/stories/death081798.htm |newspaper=The Washington Post|date=1998-08-17 |access-date=2009-03-28 |quote=Officials now use the deadly history of the Yangtze, China's longest river, to justify the country's riskiest and most controversial infrastructure project&nbsp;– the enormous Three Gorges Dam. }} and {{cite news |last=Grant |first=Stan |title=Global Challenges: Ecological and Technological Advances Around the World |url=https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/gc/date/2005-06-18/segment/01 |publisher=CNN|date=2005-06-18 |access-date=2009-03-28 |quote=China's engineering marvel is unleashing a torrent of criticism. [...] When it comes to global challenges, few are greater or more controversial than the construction of the massive Three Gorges Dam in Central China. }} and {{cite news |last=Gerin |first=Roseanne |title=Rolling on a River |url=http://www.bjreview.com.cn/eye/txt/2008-12/06/content_168792.htm |work=Beijing Review |date=2008-12-11 |access-date=2009-03-28 |quote=..the 180-billion yuan ($26.3&nbsp;billion) Three Gorges Dam project has been highly contentious. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090922231347/http://www.bjreview.com.cn/eye/txt/2008-12/06/content_168792.htm |archive-date=22 September 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>]]

In the natural environment [[water]], [[forest]]s, [[plant]]s and [[animal]]s are all renewable resources, as long as they are adequately [[Conservation biology|monitored, protected and conserved]]. [[Sustainable agriculture]] is the cultivation of plant and animal materials in a manner that preserves plant and animal [[ecosystem]]s and that can improve [[soil health]] and [[soil fertility]] over the long term. The [[overfishing]] of the oceans is one example of where an industry practice or method can threaten an ecosystem, endanger [[endangered species|species]] and possibly even determine whether or not a [[fishery]] is sustainable for use by humans. An unregulated industry practice or method can lead to a complete [[resource depletion]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing in Small-Scale Marine and Inland Capture Fisharies|url=http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/005/Y3274E/y3274e09.htm|publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization|access-date=2012-02-04}}</ref>
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The renewable energy from the [[sun]], [[wind]], [[surface wave|wave]], [[biomass]] and [[Geothermal gradient|geothermal]] energies are based on renewable resources. Renewable resources such as the movement of [[water]] ([[hydropower]], [[tidal power]] and [[wave power]]), [[wind power|wind]] and [[radiant energy]] from geothermal heat (used for [[geothermal power]]) and solar energy (used for [[Solar energy|solar power]]) are practically infinite and cannot be depleted, unlike their non-renewable counterparts, which are likely to run out if not used sparingly.

The potential wave [[energy]] on coastlines can provide 1/5 of world demand. Hydroelectric power can supply 1/3 of our total energy global needs. Geothermal energy can provide 1.5 more times the energy we need. There is enough wind to power all of humanity's needs 30 times over. Solar currently supplies only 0.1% of our world energy needs, but could power humanity's needs 4,000 times over, the entire global projected energy demand by 2050.<ref>R. Eisenberg and D. Nocera, "Preface: Overview of the Forum on Solar and Renewable Energy," Inorg. Chem. 44, 6799 (2007).</ref><ref>P. V. Kamat, "Meeting the Clean Energy Demand: Nanostructure Architectures for Solar Energy Conversion," J. Phys. Chem. C 111, 2834 (2007).</ref>

Renewable energy and [[Energy conservation|energy efficiency]] are no longer niche [[Economic sector|sector]]s that are promoted only by governments and environmentalists. The increasing levels of investment and capital from conventional financial actors suggest that [[sustainable energy]] has become mainstream and the future of energy production, as non-renewable resources decline. This is reinforced by [[climate change]] concerns, nuclear dangers and accumulating radioactive waste, [[2000s energy crisis|high oil prices]], [[peak oil]] and increasing government support for renewable energy. These factors are [[renewable energy commercialization|commercializing renewable energy]], enlarging the market and increasing the adoption of new products to replace obsolete technology and the conversion of existing infrastructure to a renewable standard.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://energy-base.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/SEFI-Global-Trends-in-Sustainable-Energy-Investment-2007.pdf |title=Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2007: Analysis of Trends and Issues in the Financing of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in OECD and Developing Countries (PDF), p. 3. |publisher=United Nations Environment Programme |access-date=2014-03-04}}</ref>

==Economic models==
In economics, a non-renewable resource is defined as [[Good (economics)|goods]] whose greater consumption today implies less consumption tomorrow.<ref>Cremer and Salehi-Isfahani 1991:18</ref> [[David Ricardo]] in his early works analysed the pricing of exhaustible resources, and argued that the price of a mineral resource should increase over time. He argued that the spot price is always determined by the mine with the highest cost of extraction, and mine owners with lower extraction costs benefit from a differential rent. The first model is defined by [[Hotelling's rule]], which is a 1931 economic model of non-renewable [[resource management]] by [[Harold Hotelling]]. It shows that efficient exploitation of a nonrenewable and nonaugmentable resource would, under otherwise stable conditions, lead to a [[resource depletion|depletion]] of the resource. The rule states that this would lead to a net price or "[[Hotelling rent]]" for it that rises annually at a rate equal to the [[rate of interest]], reflecting the increasing scarcity of the resources.<ref>{{cite journal |first=H. |last=Hotelling |year=1931 |title=The Economics of Exhaustible Resources |journal=[[Journal of Political Economy|J. Political Econ.]] |volume=39 |issue=2 |pages=137–175 |doi=10.1086/254195 |jstor=1822328 |s2cid=44026808 }}</ref> The [[Hartwick's rule]] provides an important result about the [[sustainability]] of welfare in an economy that uses non-renewable resources.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hartwick |first1=John M. |title=Intergenerational Equity and the Investing of Rents from Exhaustible Resources |journal=The American Economic Review |date=December 1977 |volume=67 |issue=5 |pages=972–974 |jstor=1828079 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1828079}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Energy|Renewable energy}}
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Clean technology]]
* [[Energy conservation]]
* [[Eurosolar]]
* [[Fossil fuel]]
* [[Fossil water]]
* [[Green design]]
* [[Hartwick's rule]]
* [[Hermann Scheer]]
* [[Hotelling's rule]]
* [[Hubbert's peak]]
* [[Liebig's law of the minimum]]
* [[Natural resource management]]
* [[Overfishing]]
* [[Peak oil]]
* [[Reserves-to-production ratio]]
* [[Sustainability]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
                                                                                                                                                                 
{{Natural resources}}
{{Population}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Non-Renewable Resource}}
[[Category:Natural resources]]
[[Category:Non-renewable resources| ]]
[[Category:Environmental conservation]]
[[Category:Space]]

[[it:Energie non rinnovabili]]