Question: How many years till we use up all of are natural resources?

Luke Humphrey answered on 29 Jun 2023:

It’s an interesting and complex question. Here are some things to consider.

* Most resources have multiple sources. Generally, we extract the resource from the easiest sources first, but then as those sources run out we begin to extract from more difficult sources. This often makes that resource more expensive. Sometimes this means we no longer use that since it becomes too expensive and/or an alternative becomes cheaper.

* Fossil fuels are running out, but using them also contributes to climate change. Is it realistically possible for humans to extract and burn all fossil fuels on the planet before the climate is changed so much that humans can no longer survive?

* Limited resources are a primary driver of conflict; in war, people often destroy their enemy’s access to resources to gain a strategic advantage. In other words, limited resources lead to war and war leads people to limit access to resources. This can become a vicious self-destructive cycle.

A good example of all of this is that one of the most important resource we’re running out of is fresh drinking water, as rivers dry up for more of the year due to climate change. You’ve probably learned about the water cycle in science class; water is pretty much the most abundant and renewable resource we have on the planet. However, it doesn’t matter if a resource is a limited pre-existing stockpile like fossil fuels or part of a renewable cycle like water, what matters is people’s ability to access that resource.

So, overall, I think we will probably never fully run out of natural resources because the scarcity itself will push us to change before that happens. Let’s make sure that change is a positive one.

Honestly you’ve asked a really difficult question which people could spend their entire lives studying, but hope this helps!