THE COMPARATIVE SUSTAINABILITY OF RESOURCES

This paper attempts the classification of resources in terms of their sustainability. In order to make this classification, an analysis of traditional resource classification is undertaken and, in order to incorporate different types of renewable resource, a general classification of all natural resources available to mankind is adopted. Resources are then described as: continuous natural resources, critical zone resources and depletable resources. The concept of sustainability in then examined critically and described in its constituent parts in order that each resource can be analysed in terms of its contribution to each element of sustainability. Breaking down the concept of sustainability into its constituient parts and analysing resources in terms of how they impact upon each element of sustainability ought to result in a more precise understanding of the nature of resource sustainability.