The resources we consume can be divided into non-renewable and renewable. The former are all fossil fuels (bentonite, clay and other elements.) The latter are water, forests and other vegetation, animals, soil.
Fossil fuels were built up in the earth’s crust hundreds of thousands or millions of years ago. Their deposits are limited, and new ones will not be built in a short time. If we use them up, the next generation will have a serious problem.
Renewable means that, if properly managed, these resources are not depleted and can be used indefinitely. Animals reproduce, plants keep growing, water circulates in the atmosphere.