Natural Resources - Freie Universität Berlin

Natural resources are materials created in nature that are used and usable by humans. They include natural substances (e.g., soil, water) and energy ... SpringedirektzuInhaltDepartmentofEarthSciences/GeoLearning-e-LearningintheEnvironmentalandGeosciences Start OverviewMountainBuildingGondwanaGRtoClimateChangeWatershedManagement PathNavigationHomepageGeoLearningGlossaryNaturalResourcesNaturalResources Naturalresourcesarematerialscreatedinnaturethatareusedandusablebyhumans.Theyincludenaturalsubstances(e.g.,soil,water)andenergysupplies(e.g.,coal,gas)thatservetosatisfyhumanneedsandwants(BarschandBürger1996;Minc1976). Materialsoccurringintheenvironmentthusarenothingmorethan‘neutralmatter’untilpeoplerecognisetheirpresence,attachgreatimportancetothem,anddevelopmeanstocapitaliseonthem.Thenthenaturalmaterialsfulfilafunction(BarschandBürger1996;Mitchell2002). Naturalresourcesareacomponentoftheenvironmentalsetting.Theenvironmentalsettingembracesthetotalityofmaterials,featuresandprocessesoflandscapes.Theseenvironmentalsettingsgivetheregionsoftheworldtheirown,quitespecificanddistinctivesettingswithdifferentoptionsconcerningthetransmutationsofmaterialsandenergy.Thematerials,featuresandprocesseswhichareusableconstitutethepotentialofthelandscape.Byutilisingpartsofthispotential,humansgivethemanewfunction,anewpurpose:theymakethemintoasourceofsubsistence–intoanaturalresource(BarschandBürger1996).AsZimmermannphrasedthisprocess:„Resourcesarenot,theybecome“(Zimmermann1951). Sincethisconceptofnaturalresourceswascriticisedastooanthropocentric,todaymanyinterpretresourcesmuchmorebroadlythaninthisfunctionalorutilitariansense.“Inthatcontext,resourcesaretheabiotic,bioticandculturalattributeson,inorabovetheEarth”(Mitchell2002,6). Naturalresourcescanbeclassifiedinvariousways.Acommonlyusedoneistheclassificationofnaturalresourcesaccordingtotheirexhaustibilityandregenerativepower.Non-renewableresourcesaredifferentiatedfromrenewableresources(BarschandBürger1996)(seefigure).     Figure  Classificationofnaturalresources; afterdatafromEndersandQuerner1993.