Resources are the available volumes of hydrocarbon without reference to constraints as to their accessibility and/or cost. Resources impose an upper bound on what ultimately can be produced; thus, it is the relevant concept for determining the likely dates of peak production and ultimate exhaustion.
而这些预言的一个主要的问题，就是他们常常把“资源”同“储量”混为一谈。须知“资源”是指在不考虑可开采性和/或成本限制情况下，碳氢化合物的可利用量。“资源”代表着最终可生产量的最大值，因此，它是决定产量到达最高峰以及最终枯竭日期的相关概念。