The demand for Energy has been building tremendous pressure on the corresponding natural resources. As a result, not only the social and economic fabric of modern life remains strained, there is increasing tendency to deploy unhealthy political strategies to gain a major share over these natural resources.
The situation is not much different for other natural resources.
Apart from the direct effects on human lives, in terms of increasing costs and shortages of these resources, indicriminate use has beeen affecting the environmental and ecological balance also.
Here is an iintersting thoght-provoking article at Strategy + Businessin an article From Resource Managers to Resource Leaders , published on 26th March,2012, the authors Mary Stacey, Marilyn Taylor, and David Legge have very succintly bulit the case for a new way to think about natural resources — a shift in mind-set from simply managing resources to practicing resource leadership.
“Resource leadership entails thinking strategically about natural resources from the moment they are pulled from the earth through to their end use. A resource leadership approach can be implemented only through intensive attention not just throughout a company, but throughout its network of producers, suppliers, regulators, and customers.
Collaboration is as complex, time-consuming, and costly as the science and engineering of pipeline technology. This is where resource leadership can shine: It builds shared responsibility for jobs, oil security, and environmental protection across all sectors.
By embracing this responsibility for the way resources are used, natural resource producers can help the rest of the world learn to employ raw materials wisely, and can safeguard their industries from competition. They can also discover a new source of resilience: their own distinctive knowledge and capability, which is one resource that is practically guaranteed to increase in value.”
The world is too small? or Is it? 
Applauding this concept of “resource leadership” until my palms are blistered. Huzzas and Hurrahs to this post!
I wish the kind of appeal this message has made to your mind and heart is reverberated across every one! Thanks,
Even if we, the common people, keep costly and complex natural resources asides and simply conserve the usage of water, then, too, we will have rendered abig service to the mankind and the other Living Universe.
Rick has an intersting point of view on “political and economic discussions about the relationship of prices and arbitrary government price setting and their relationship to increasing the scarcity of [natural] resources with multiple alternatives or other uses” in his post “Prices and Scarcity of Natural Resources « The Liberty Scientist“.
The matter is so relevant, if we look at what is haapening in all the States that have been blessed with natural resources ,in India.Supreme Court has been adovocating auctioning the licenses for use of these resources.. Obviously, different vested interests have vastly differing views.
The matter remains an inconclusive debate.