Why resources are finite

Also, all resources occur in individual nation states; these countries will not necessarily want to export increasingly scarce resources. Declining availability will place further difficulties in the path of continued growth in economic output, and, increase the likelihood of conflict over vital resources. This declining availability of useable resources, will also impact on our ability to provide food and fresh water to a growing human population.

Rising populations will need more food and forage for domestic animals at the same time as farmland and fresh water are lost to cities. In many low-income countries, output per hectare is already falling because of soil erosion.

On-going climate change will further tend to lower agricultural output, because of high temperatures during the growing season, and probable rises in the frequency of pest outbreaks. Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF. Skip to main content. This service is more advanced with JavaScript available. Advertisement Hide. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access. Energies — Accessed 16 December Google Scholar. Ausubel J, George A Ingenuity wins every time. New Sci 26 September—39 Google Scholar. Ayres RU On the practical limits to substitution.

Barbier E Geothermal energy technology and current status: an overview. Boswell R Is gas hydrate energy within reach? Science — CrossRef Google Scholar. BP BP Statistical review of world energy Brown LR Plan B 4. Crude oil is processed through fractional distillation and cracking to produce a wide variety of useful chemicals.

Sea water is a renewable resource because there is such a large amount of it that humans will not use it all up. Sometimes natural products can be supplemented or replaced by agricultural and synthetic products. For example, until all fertilisers were obtained from natural resources such as manure.

However, the Haber process enabled humans to produce fertilisers from nitrogen in the air, and has allowed synthetic fertilisers to be produced. Additionally, the lithosphere provides many important construction materials rock, minerals, and metals , as well as sources of energy fossil fuels and uranium. Lithospheric resources have been used to advance technology and build prosperous societies. Below we will explore minerals, rock, metals, and energy sources.

Figure Learn more about these various minerals. Mineral resources and rock are foundational components for modern society. They provide raw materials that we use to construct buildings, bridges, machines, and medical equipment. These raw materials are also used to produce items that are crucial to the advancement of the economy and commerce, such as automobiles, computers, and mobile devices.

Generally, we rely on rock and mineral resources for many of the raw materials that we need to make life safe, organized, and comfortable. See this informative poster from the U. Geological Survey on how we use minerals in our everyday lives. Minerals A naturally occurring crystalline substance that is generally inorganic, occurs naturally, is solid, has a specific chemical composition and an ordered atomic arrangement.

View Source Adapted from "mineral. Wikimedia Foundation, n. Minerals are present in rock, where they can mix with other minerals. In order for human society to use minerals, they must be removed from the earth, which is done using mechanical and chemical techniques. Take a look at 40 Common Minerals and Their Uses.

Rocks can be categorized into three groups depending on the geologic processes and environments in which they were formed: igneous [igneous rock]: Rocks that are formed from the solidification of molten rock material. View Source Adapted from "sedimentary rock. View Source Adapted from "metamorphic-rock. Houghton Mifflin Company, Igneous rocks are formed by the crystallization The process of formation of solid crystals precipitating from a solution, melted, or more rarely deposited directly from a gas.

View Source Adapted from "crystallization. View Source Adapted from "lava. Sedimentary rocks are produced through the processes of deposition The geological process in which sediments, soil and rocks are added to a landform or land mass. Wind, ice, and water transport previously eroded sediment, which, at the loss of enough kinetic energy in the fluid, is deposited, building up layers of sediment. View Source Adapted from "deposition. Sedimentary rocks are the simplest example of lithification.

View Source Adapted from "lithification. Metamorphic rocks are formed by the transformation of pre-existing solid rocks under high pressure and temperature.

These forces can cause any kind of rock—igneous, sedimentary, or other metamorphic rock—to change its mineral composition, texture, or chemical composition, while retaining its solid form. Figure 26 - How rock is formed through the forces of heat, pressure, weathering and erosion. For more information about rocks click here. This image is in the public domain because it only contains materials that originally came from the United States Geological Survey, an agency of the United States Department of the Interior.

We extract building stone, crushed stone, sand, gravel, and lightweight aggregates e. We also modify and chemically treat some of these rock materials in order to form additional building products such as cement, plaster, brick, ceramics, and glass.

Read more about rare Earth metals and mobile devices in this article. History has marked the discovery and increased use of specific metals by naming certain historical ages after them. Each of these metals was discovered and prominently used in some way in the corresponding period of advancement in human history. Like their parent components minerals , metals provide a variety of desirable properties for making things, like cars, bicycles, and cellular phones.

Other metals are desired strictly because they are considered precious, beautiful and valuable, such as gold Au and silver Ag. These, and many other metals, have distinctive lusters or shiny surfaces , and are generally heavy, good conductors of heat and electricity, and malleable under heat and pressure.

These properties make them desirable for industrial and commercial use. Several primary energy resources come from the lithosphere including fossil fuels and radioactive The release of energy from an unstable atom in the form of gamma rays, alpha or beta particles, or conversion electrons. There are many naturally occurring radioactive materials, most of which do not release enough energy to be harmful.

However, exposure to high levels of radiation can cause DNA to mutate, leading to cancer or death. Humans have produced highly radioactive materials for weapons and energy production, and these concentrated sources of radiation can be very dangerous.

View Source Adapted from "radioactive. Today, fossil fuels are the predominate source of electricity and fuel energy for humans on the planet. The use of fossil fuels and uranium as energy sources is addressed in detail in the Energy Chapter.

The dead carcasses of plants and animals that lived and died millions of years ago make up the raw materials for the formation of fossil fuels in the lithosphere.

Over geological time spans these materials decay under intense pressures; a process that forms crude oil, coal, and methane gas. The Energy Chapter describes the formation of fossil fuels in greater depth. Uranium ore Any rock or mineral from which uranium can be extracted. Though it is not a renewable resource, nuclear energy from fissionable uranium Uranium capable of undergoing fission. Fission is the splitting of one atom into two different atoms, which releases a large amount of energy.

Not only are our resources finite, but they are actively being competed for from voices all around us… which helped form the motivation behind the post. We need to be intentional and thoughtful about the allocation of ours our attention, our time, our money.

I was intending my final paragraph to provide the alternative, positive agenda. I have to agree with Billy. I needed to read this today. Thanks for the reminder. Your email address will not be published. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Own less, live more, and create space for the things you love.

Get new posts delivered right to your inbox:. Almost all of the resources we consume during our journey are limited: Money. For example, when we lose focus on the limits of our money, we sink deeper and deeper into debt. Now check your email to confirm your subscription. There was an error submitting your subscription.

Please try again. Comments If you want to make a difference on the planet and its people, this is it: Have nothing in your home or life that you do not find to be useful, believe to be beautiful, or know that you will strive to keep in your life forever. Just some nice words to live by when cleaning the cobwebs!!