< Limits To Growth
Introduction
The production rates and estimated exhaustion rates (years to exhaustion at the current rate of consumption and also the number of years left if the world consumed at half the US per-capita rate.) for several important minerals are shown in this table, adapted from [1]
| Mineral | Exhaustion Rate, Current | Exhaustion Rate, Half US Rate | World mine Production 2005 (Tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antimony | 30 yrs | 15-20yrs | 150,000 |
| Aluminum | 1027 yrs | 510 yrs | 31,900,000 |
| Chromium | 143 yrs | 40 yrs | 18,900,000 |
| Copper | 61 yrs | 38 yrs | 15,000,000 |
| Gold | 45 yrs | 36 yrs | 2,430,000 |
| Molybdenum | n/a | n/a | 186,000 |
| Nickel | 90 yrs | 57 yrs | 1,449,000 |
| Phosphorous/Phosphate Rock | 345 yrs | 142 yrs | 154,000,000 |
| Platinum | 360 yrs | 42 yrs | 548,000 |
| Silver | 29 yrs | 9 yrs | 20,411,000 |
| Tantalum | 116 yrs | 20 yrs | 142,700 |
| Titanium | n/a | n/a | 16,134,000 |
| Tin | 40 yrs | 17 yrs | 337,000 |
| Zinc | 46 yrs | 34 yrs | 10,100,000 |
References:
- ↑ Turner, R. K., Morse-Jones, S., and Fisher, B. (2007). Perspectives on the ‘Environmental Limits’ Concept: A report to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. CSERGE, Norwich. Defra, London.
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