Natural resources are goods extracted directly from nature and serve human beings and other living beings to satisfy some of their needs. These resources, such as air, water, minerals, or light, are essential for life on Earth, including animals, plants, and human beings.
Natural resources are classified according to their durability: we will have renewable and non-renewable natural resources.
Renewable resources
Renewable resources are renewed naturally and much faster than non-renewable ones. This is because nature regenerates them at such a speed that they always abound.
In any case, this does not mean that the human being can use them in an abusive way since, in some cases, they could be registered as missing. Some examples would be the wood, the fish, and the Water.
There are inexhaustible renewables, and they are those natural resources whose exhaustion is impossible beyond the indiscriminate use given to them. Some examples of inexhaustible are solar energy, wind energy, and waves.
Nonrenewable resources
Nonrenewable resources exist in nature in a limited way or have a regeneration capacity that is far behind the speed with which man uses them. We speak of “reserves” then to refer to what remains of these resources.
This is why they require a very responsible use (sustainable use) by society. For example, Petroleum, gold, or iron are within this group.
Examples of natural resources
Some natural resources that are essential for the life of man, animals, and plants will be listed below:
| Air | Geothermal energy |
| Water | Silver |
| Earth/ground | Copper |
| Solar energy | Wind |
| Petroleum | Aluminum |
| Iron | Coal |
| Natural gas | Biomass |
| Gold | Hydraulic energy |
| Wood | Waves |
| Wind power | Iron |
