The importance of non-renewable natural resources for national security

Abstract

Non-renewable natural resources are an inevitable and very important factor of social and economic development of any country. Nowadays, these are globally ever scarcer. The need for these resources has been growing enormously fast due to anthropogenic factors: the increase in the world population, the increased volume of commercial and industrial activities, as well as the rapid growth of the world economy. Consequently, the control of these resources is one of the main goals of the national security of any country. Throughout the history of human society, quantity and quality of non-renewable natural resources on Earth has been constantly decreasing, especially since the industrial revolution, resulting in rising tensions between countries. Seeking the domination over these resources has resulted in an increased number of conflicts and conflict situations, which have been often resolved by force. The paper points to the situation of non-renewable natural resources in the world - oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear energy and mineral resources, and to their importance for the national security.

Keywords

• non-renewable natural resources
• oil
• coal
• natural gas
• nuclear energy
• minerals
• national security