Resources and Economic Processes

The starting point for placing the macroeconomy in an ecological context is to understand some basics of how ecosystems function and how energy moves resources around within them. “Resources” are then generalized to “gradients,” followed by making the distinction between renewable and nonrenewable resources and a consideration of the major types of renewable resources. There is discussion of the rational use of exhaustible resources, but a more detailed treatment is left for Chap. 19 The final part of the chapter looks at the relationship between technology and resource use.