This is how we are depleting the planet’s resources

An earlier version of this article was published in 2017.

The planet is running out. Its resources are limited. On a regular basis, we tend to associate these terms with items such as oil, coal, natural gas, and many of the minerals that we extract from the ground or even wood. Now, what happens when we analyze the state of conservation of elements Periodic Table? We are facing a disturbing picture.

for thousands of years, Humanity has extracted resources from the earth without much care. Saved status was not a problem. Over time, we have discovered that we are not very good at preserving the natural source of our wealth. Nor chemical elements. With this wonderful and very simple drawingThe American Chemical Society wanted to explain how many of them are at risk of extinction in the short and long term.

As we saw at that timeThe table is not just a scientific description of the chemical elements that we can find in our environment. It is also a compendium of products that are used in a wide range of industrial and artisanal processes. From creating solar panels to producing cars, we depend on them to keep our world going. But it was also sold out: there are 44 whose stocks are significantly depleted. This presents a problem.

Let’s think about it match: It is ubiquitous in our environment, even if we don’t think about it (matches). But it is not the only one: hafnium, zinc (!), gallium, silver, tellurium and even helium! They are at high risk of starvation or total depletion in less than a century. many of them metal Which is extracted in a compelling and systematic way to preserve contemporary industry and production. However, if we don’t find solutions and/or alternatives, we may run out of them.

condition Galeo Very special. In 2008 there was already writing about his imminent “death”. It is a very rare, blue and white metal discovered in late 1831 and has unusual properties: its melting point is very low and it hardly oxidizes, which is why we used it in products that required products you could work with. Very high temperatures for a long time. Can you think of any? You have in front of you: your mobile phone, computer and TV are made of liquid crystal. They all depend on gallium.

What happened? This gallium is difficult to extract (there are no concentrated mines as such), and we usually find it in other materials such as zinc or aluminium. And since there is so little, it is difficult to extract and use a lot, we have pushed it over the edge vanishement. It is a problem to which we may find a solution, but it indicates the extent to which the process can be identical in the case of other equally critical materials. Our future also depends on its preservation.