虽然人们普遍认为能源资源是有限的,但没人知道这个限度是多少。比如，原油、煤炭、天然气的探明可采储量会随技术进步而不断增加，而且随着能源价格上涨，新的开采技术还将使原来不经济的开采变得经济可行。新能源和可再生能源会因为本身成本下降和矿物能源价格上涨得到大量开发。中国未来的能源问题或许没有那么严重。
但对能源供给持不谨慎的乐观，并无益处。目前确认的新能源和可再生能源，相对于常规能源，总量太小和价格过高，因而不能有效替代。如果不对能源需求加以控制，供需缺口将逐步扩大。不需要短缺出现，稀缺预期本身就足以推动能源价格上涨。现在不抑制能源需求，后果就是今后更高的能源价格，其经济后果是持续的成本推动型通货膨胀甚至是滞胀。
有一点是确定的：中国的人均能耗还很低，经济增长、城市化和提高生活水平会提高能源消费量，中国能源消费的上升空间还比较大。由于人口众多，一旦消费增长，任何资源都将稀缺。

Although it is generally agreed that energy resources are limited, but no one knows how much the limit. For example, crude oil, coal, natural gas proved reserves recoverable with technological advances and ever-increasing, and along with rising energy prices and new mining technology will also enable the economic exploitation of the original does not become economically feasible. New and renewable sources of energy because of their lower cost of energy and mineral prices have been a large number of development. China's future energy problems may not be that serious.
But hold on energy supplies imprudent optimism, no good at all. Currently recognized in the new and renewable sources of energy, compared to conventional energy sources, the total amount is too small and the prices were too high, which is not an effective alternative. If we do not control energy demand, supply and demand gap will be gradually expanded. Do not have a shortage of the emergence of the expected scarcity in itself is enough to push up energy prices. We do not curb energy demand, the result is the next higher energy prices, the economic consequences of a sustained cost-push inflation or even stagflation.
One thing is certain: China's per capita energy consumption is still very low, economic growth, urbanization and improve their standard of living will increase energy consumption, the rise of China's energy consumption is still relatively large space. Due to a large population, once the consumption growth, any resources will be scarce.