Exploitation of natural resources

The exploitation of natural resources is the use of natural resources for economic growth, sometimes with a negative result in regards with the environment. It started to come out on an industrial scale in the 19th century as the extraction and processing of raw materials (such as in mining, steam power, and machinery) developed much further than it had in preindustrial areas. During the 20th century, energy use quickly increased. Today, about 80% of the world's energy use is sustained by the extraction of fossil fuels, which consists of oil, coal and natural gas.