How long will the Earth's metals and minerals last?
Some of the Earth's natural resources are - at least theoretically - finite, such as metals and minerals as well as oil, coal and natural gas, while other natural resources such as wind, solar and water are renewable. How long will the Earth's metals and minerals last? Photo: Pixabay.
All limited natural resources will be used up sooner or later, including the metal-rich minerals that make up ores.
Erik Jonsson is a state geologist at SGU, the Geological Survey of Sweden, and a visiting lecturer and former adjunct professor at the Department of Earth Sciences at Uppsala University. Photo: Private.
All limited natural resources will be used up sooner or later, including the metal-rich minerals that make up ores. To put it in simple terms. Metals, minerals, stone, sand and gravel are examples of non-renewable resources - but in many cases they can be reused. In contrast, coal, oil, uranium, gas and some ores are examples of non-renewable resources that cannot be reused. There is talk of ‘peak oil’, a point at which global oil production reaches its highest level, after which it starts to decline irreversibly. Are we now also heading towards ‘Peak Metal’?
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