I'm not catching your key point.
There is a number of issues and motivations every individual/organization/state that
could drive space exploration. It takes alot of money, engineering, and sustenance to maintain
space endeavors. Resources may not be the only driving force yet its a reality.
Take the Moon as an example, keploping a habitat on the surface is easier said than done.
Spare parts, repairs, water, air, food, energy, among others has to maintain the site. It would be
less difficult to sustain operations by placing the habitat closer to sources of water,
hydrocarbons, minerals where it can be extracted, manufactured, and placed in service locally.
Constant re-supply from Earth for every necessity may be problematic or impractical. Sites
that have a key variety of resources would have to be located.
Again this is speculative. Initiatives are best viewed as long term projects rather than expecting
quick results now. Global climatic change, the competition for resources, depletion of resources
(oil, fish, water), may not affect us so much now, but in years to come may put huge stress on nation
states and populations. Acquiring experience, technology, and engineering in interplanetary
development may be one other tool for the future.