In the case of non-renewable resources, various strategies might be used in support of overall sustainability. If the economy is running satisfactorily without exploiting minerals, for example, it might be advisable to leave the minerals untapped and hold them in reserve for times of need. If, on the other hand, mineral exploitation is considered necessary to support the economy, then that must be seen as a temporary expediency. The society must plan some kind of successor economy in order to be ultimately sustainable. Ironically, it might be in a society's best interest to accelerate exploitation of its export resource in order to generate funding to establish the successor economic regime.
Energy is a resource whose non-sustainability is readily apparent based on current usage patterns.
The management of energy in sustainable societies will be dramatically different than in a world where maximizing the use of petroleum seems to be the primary global energy policy. Market economics are simply inappropriate as the primary regulator of energy usage. Energy usage must be regulated such that the societal resources which must be expended in order to provide energy are managed sustainably. Hence the economics of energy use is primarily the economics of resource-management, and a competitive energy industry is of little regulatory benefit. Some energy might be supplied free of charge, for example to hospitals, where energy costs are of little regulatory value.