Sustainable resources are replenished at or above the rate of consumption and can be natural or man-made. They don’t need to be quickly replenished like renewable resources. Sustainable resources apply to energy, food production, fishing, logging, and deforestation. Consumers can promote sustainable practices by making informed choices.
Sustainable resources are those resources that are replenished at or above the rate of consumption. This can be done either by natural processes or by man-made methods, often prescribed or at least promoted by a government agency. It can also be considered a resource whose use does not exhaust its supply, as in the case of wind energy.
Renewable and sustainable resources are not the same thing. Unlike a renewable resource, a sustainable resource does not need to be replenished quickly, as long as it is consumed slowly. For example, if oil consumption fell to a level where it did not strain world supply, it would be considered sustainable, even though it is generally not considered a renewable resource. Such resources can be a product of consumption, replenishment, or a combination of both.
When it comes to the search for alternative energy sources, sustainable sources have become a very important area of study. The world’s preferred energy sources are currently all based on fossil fuels: oil, coal and natural gas. These resources typically do not recharge at very high rates and are therefore considered unsustainable. Once depleted, the supplies will take hundreds of thousands of years to rebuild, if they rebuild themselves.
In addition to energy supply, sustainable resources also apply to many other aspects of human life. Food production can be sustainable or unsustainable, for example. Fishing provides an illustration of this concept. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that of the 187 commercially valuable fish species it tracks, more than 40 have been harvested beyond a sustainability point. With the proper policies in place, however, fishing can be sustained.
The same can be true for other problems such as logging and deforestation. Trees can replenish over time, but to ensure this, policies regarding harvesting and replanting must be in place. Without such policies, deforestation can rapidly increase to the point where wood and other forest products are no longer sustainable.
Consumers can also help promote practices that rely on sustainable resources by learning about the products they buy. While most have no choice where their energy comes from, they can make choices about the food they eat, the furniture they buy, and perhaps even the type of fuel their vehicles run on. For example, choosing ethanol, which comes from corn, sugar or other agricultural products, favors the use of renewable resources.
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