Batu bara, minyak bumi, gas alam, dan uranium adalah sumber daya yang tidak dapat diperbarui. Sumber daya ini terbentuk selama jutaan tahun dari materi organik purba dan proses geologis. Manusia mengekstraknya jauh lebih cepat daripada kemampuan sumber daya tersebut untuk diperbarui. Setelah dibakar atau dikonsumsi, sumber daya tersebut akan hilang. Istilah ini tidak berarti sumber daya tersebut akan hilang besok. Ini berarti persediaannya terbatas dan laju penggunaan melebihi laju pembentukannya.

Fossil fuels supply most of the world's energy. They power vehicles, generate electricity, heat buildings, and produce plastics, fertilizers, and medicines. Their use has lifted billions of people out of poverty and driven economic growth. It has also released carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, driving climate change. The tension between energy access and environmental impact is one of the defining challenges of the century. Renewable sources like solar and wind are expanding rapidly, but they still supply a smaller share of global energy than fossil fuels. Minerals like lithium and cobalt are also nonrenewable, though they can be recycled.

Common nonrenewable resources

• Coal, oil, and natural gas.
• Uranium for nuclear power.
• Minerals and metals like copper and lithium.
• Groundwater in some aquifers.

Nonrenewable does not mean we will run out soon. It means the supply will run out eventually, and the environmental costs of extraction and use are real.