Comments on: How Long Will the World’s Natural Resources Last? http://flowingdata.com/2009/04/24/how-long-will-the-worlds-natural-resources-last/ Strength in Numbers Thu, 24 May 2012 03:29:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Ressources naturelles : Combien de temps reste-t-il | GraphSeo Bourse http://flowingdata.com/2009/04/24/how-long-will-the-worlds-natural-resources-last/#comment-29643 Ressources naturelles : Combien de temps reste-t-il | GraphSeo Bourse Fri, 15 May 2009 09:50:04 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1512#comment-29643 [...] Flowing Data addthis_url = [...] [...] Flowing Data addthis_url = [...]

]]> By: Jon Custer http://flowingdata.com/2009/04/24/how-long-will-the-worlds-natural-resources-last/#comment-29595 Jon Custer Thu, 14 May 2009 20:49:31 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1512#comment-29595 I think this was touched on above -- as prices rise, previously uneconomic reserves become worth extracting. Another factor is that in most categories companies only report "proven" reserves, and when there are decades of supply left, there is no real incentive to go out and find more. You can find similar charts from the 1970s showing dire predictions that we would run out of this or that resource in 10, 15, or 30 years. Not to say that we won't *ever* run out of *anything*, it's just hard to say exactly how much we have left given changing technology and economic conditions. I read a great explanation of this re: uranium (some people apparently had been saying that a massive scaling-up of nuclear power would cause us to run out of uranium) but I can't find the link now. Just keep in mind that many of these metals are quite common in the Earth's crust, and so mining companies have no real incentive to "prove" more than a few decades' reserves at any given time. It's also important to note that recycling rates tend to increase naturally as things become more scarce. Interestingly, aluminum is one of the few common materials that it is economical to recycle -- despite the heaps and heaps of bauxite at our disposal, it is extremely energy-intensive to make new aluminum versus recycling scrap. In other words, this data is probably too complex and speculative to be distilled into a chart like this. I think this was touched on above — as prices rise, previously uneconomic reserves become worth extracting. Another factor is that in most categories companies only report “proven” reserves, and when there are decades of supply left, there is no real incentive to go out and find more. You can find similar charts from the 1970s showing dire predictions that we would run out of this or that resource in 10, 15, or 30 years. Not to say that we won’t *ever* run out of *anything*, it’s just hard to say exactly how much we have left given changing technology and economic conditions. I read a great explanation of this re: uranium (some people apparently had been saying that a massive scaling-up of nuclear power would cause us to run out of uranium) but I can’t find the link now. Just keep in mind that many of these metals are quite common in the Earth’s crust, and so mining companies have no real incentive to “prove” more than a few decades’ reserves at any given time.

It’s also important to note that recycling rates tend to increase naturally as things become more scarce. Interestingly, aluminum is one of the few common materials that it is economical to recycle — despite the heaps and heaps of bauxite at our disposal, it is extremely energy-intensive to make new aluminum versus recycling scrap.

In other words, this data is probably too complex and speculative to be distilled into a chart like this.

]]> By: Jon Peltier http://flowingdata.com/2009/04/24/how-long-will-the-worlds-natural-resources-last/#comment-28820 Jon Peltier Tue, 05 May 2009 16:20:11 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1512#comment-28820 Guillaume - "Sent to Landfill"? That's not the same as consumption. Guillaume -

“Sent to Landfill”? That’s not the same as consumption.

]]> By: Guillaume Marceau http://flowingdata.com/2009/04/24/how-long-will-the-worlds-natural-resources-last/#comment-28818 Guillaume Marceau Tue, 05 May 2009 15:41:05 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1512#comment-28818 I made a new version of the chart as well. I tried to take into account everyone's comments here about what was wrong with the original. Tell me if I missed anything. http://gmarceau.qc.ca/blog/2009/05/how-long-is-it-going-to-last.html I made a new version of the chart as well. I tried to take into account everyone’s comments here about what was wrong with the original. Tell me if I missed anything.

http://gmarceau.qc.ca/blog/200.....-last.html

]]> By: Magazine Quality vs. Informative Infovisualization | PTS Blog http://flowingdata.com/2009/04/24/how-long-will-the-worlds-natural-resources-last/#comment-28734 Magazine Quality vs. Informative Infovisualization | PTS Blog Mon, 04 May 2009 09:32:45 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1512#comment-28734 [...] Yao of FlowingData has presented us with a chart from New Scientist which asks How Long Will the World’s Natural Resources Last? The graphic is a typical magazine infographic which uses nice colors and strange effects to try to [...] [...] Yao of FlowingData has presented us with a chart from New Scientist which asks How Long Will the World’s Natural Resources Last? The graphic is a typical magazine infographic which uses nice colors and strange effects to try to [...]

]]> By: Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-05-01 at Visualizing Economics http://flowingdata.com/2009/04/24/how-long-will-the-worlds-natural-resources-last/#comment-28592 Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-05-01 at Visualizing Economics Sat, 02 May 2009 01:02:46 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1512#comment-28592 [...] Long Will the World’s Natural Resources Last? http://flowingdata.com/2009/04/24/how-long-will-the-worlds-natural-resources-last/ [...] [...] Long Will the World’s Natural Resources Last? http://flowingdata.com/2009/04.....rces-last/ [...]

]]> By: Is Everything Finite? « The Porphyrogennetos http://flowingdata.com/2009/04/24/how-long-will-the-worlds-natural-resources-last/#comment-28450 Is Everything Finite? « The Porphyrogennetos Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:18:24 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1512#comment-28450 [...] note from source: However, reader beware, this graphic feels more like eye candy than real data. I’m no [...] [...] note from source: However, reader beware, this graphic feels more like eye candy than real data. I’m no [...]

]]> By: Natural resources: how long will they last? | Think-Through http://flowingdata.com/2009/04/24/how-long-will-the-worlds-natural-resources-last/#comment-28266 Natural resources: how long will they last? | Think-Through Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:33:26 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1512#comment-28266 [...] the chart below (courtesy of flowingdata), very informative. Also interesting to see how faster we will run out of natural resources if the [...] [...] the chart below (courtesy of flowingdata), very informative. Also interesting to see how faster we will run out of natural resources if the [...]

]]> By: Ressources naturelles : Combien de temps reste-t-il | GraphSeo Bourse http://flowingdata.com/2009/04/24/how-long-will-the-worlds-natural-resources-last/#comment-28254 Ressources naturelles : Combien de temps reste-t-il | GraphSeo Bourse Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:57:59 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1512#comment-28254 [...] Flowing Data Most Popular PostsCGG veritas analyse action au 7 avrilLa politique d’Obama est-elle la [...] [...] Flowing Data Most Popular PostsCGG veritas analyse action au 7 avrilLa politique d’Obama est-elle la [...]

]]> By: Newsfilter » Newscast: Επεισόδιο 51 http://flowingdata.com/2009/04/24/how-long-will-the-worlds-natural-resources-last/#comment-28247 Newsfilter » Newscast: Επεισόδιο 51 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 08:05:13 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1512#comment-28247 [...] Παράδειγμα 1 - Διαθεσιμότητα υλικών [...] [...] Παράδειγμα 1 – Διαθεσιμότητα υλικών [...]

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