DEVELOPMENT MODELS BASED ON SPECIALISATION IN NATURAL ENERGY RESOURCES. IMPLICATIONS AT GLOBAL AND COUNTRY SCALE

Among natural resources, energy resources have had a continuous growth of importance. Energy is the engine of the growth, and the models of development during the history followed a specific natural energy resource. After wood, coal dominated the XIXth century, and then oil and gas became the most important energy resources in the XXth century. Today, natural energy resources (meaning coal, gas and oil) represent 85% from the global energy resources (EIA, 2008). Based on these overall considerations, this paper proposes an insight into the spatial allocation of energy resources at global scale, emphasizing its influence on growth and consumption trends. In the final part Romania's situation is particularly discussed, especially with regard to the impact of natural resources location on the development of related industries such as steel production and metallurgy as well as petrochemical industry in their vicinity.