Posted on 01/20/2006 12:12:40 PM PST by libertarianPA
If all nations were to use the same services enjoyed in developed nations, even the full extraction of metals from the Earth's crust and extensive recycling may not be enough to meet metal demands in the future, according to a new study.
To investigate the environmental and social consequences of metal depletion, researchers looked at metal stocks thought to exist in the Earth, metal in use by people today, and how much is lost in landfills.
Using copper stocks in North America as a starting point, the researchers tracked the evolution of copper mining, use and loss during the 20th century. They then combined this information with other data to estimate what the global demand for copper and other metals would be if all nations were fully developed and using modern technologies.
According to the study, all of the copper in ore, plus all of the copper currently in use, would be required to bring the world to the level of the developed nations for power transmission, construction and other services and products that depend on the metal.
The study, led by Thomas Graedel of Yale University, was detailed in the Jan. 17 issue of the journal for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
For the entire globe, the researchers estimate that 26 percent of extractable copper in the Earth's crust is now lost in non-recycled wastes. For zinc, that number is 19 percent.
These metals are not at risk of immediate depletion, however, because supplies are still large enough to meet demands and mines have become more efficient at extracting these ores.
But scarce metals, such as platinum, face depletion risks this century because of the lack of suitable substitutes in such devices as catalytic converters and hydrogen fuel cells.
The researchers also found that for many metals, the average rate of usage per person continues to rise. As a result, the report says, even the more plentiful metals may face similar depletion risks in the future.
Weren't "the experts" warning us that we'd be out of metal by now like twenty years ago though?
Every generation there are experts warning us we'll run out of things - like there was no way we could possibly grow enough food for billions of people.
"Experts" said we'd run out of oil in 1852.
A wager between Julian Simon and Paul Ehrlich was made in 1980 over the price of metals a decade later; Simon had been challenging environmental scientists to the bet for some time. Ehrlich, John Harte and John Holdren selected a basket of five metals that they thought would rise in price with increasing scarcity and depletion.
Simon won the bet, with all five metals dropping in price.
We got brokeback sheepherders, but what we need is asteroid ropers...
Thanks for posting that...you would think they would like to at least make new asinine statements instead of 20 year old asinine statements.
could you post the link to the article as a comment. I can't get to it.
We need to invade some other planet and steal their metals. Of course then, there will be liberals calling for more aid to that planet because we took advantage of the aliens and they're underdeveloped because of it.
Probably not worth it.
Sorry. Here you go...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20060120/sc_space/earthslimitedsupplyofmetalsraisesconcern
One of the problems is that we've virtually eliminated hard rock mining in the USA. Environmental concerns are a major factor.
They mention platinum. I've panned platinum out of the Trinity River in California, while panning for gold. It's there, and the mother deposits are there, too. But you'd never be able to mine the stuff.
We have huge copper reserves, but the cost of mining, given the environmental restrictions, makes it impractical. So we get it from Africa now, for the most part.
when it comes to extracting metals from the earth we literaly have only scratched the surface.
"we're all gonna die" bump,LOL
Hey it takes 182 pre-1983 pennys to make a pound. Pound goes for $2.16. A penny is actually worth more then a penny now.
I guess we are just going to have to start mining asteroids.
How do they figure that the metals are lost in land fills? The metals were in the ground the first time we got them. If we need them that bad, we will mine the landfills. If we run out again, we can melt down some bling bling from our hip hop friends.
Earth First!
(we can mine the other planets later)
The liberals would be screaming "No green blood for oil" (copper, you name it).
Did you know some American Indian tribes used to throw Platinum back into the rivers because they thought it was godl that wasn't "ripe" yet? Just a little trivia on the subject!
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