 The limits to growth and 'finite' mineral resources: re-visiting the assumptions and drinking from that half-capacity glassGavin M. Mudd International Journal of Sustainable Development, 2013, vol. 16, issue 3/4, 204-220 Abstract: The famous 1972 study 'Limits to growth' (LtG) created global controversy about its dire predictions for the 21st century - e.g., global population crash, rampant pollution and resource depletion. Amongst some of the most fervent critics was the mining industry, who argued that mineral-metals are easily recyclable, that exploration and new technology can increase known resources, and that price drives supply-demand balance. This paper will re-visit the fundamental assumptions in the LtG study, comparing them in detail with the mega-trends in the global mining industry over the past century - trends such as declining ore grades, increasing tailings and mine waste rock, more refractory ores, deeper and/or larger mines, etc. This paper therefore provides a unique and thorough assessment of the primal factors governing the sustainability of mineral resources. Keywords: mineral resources; resource depletion; limits to growth; LtG; coal; iron ore; nickel; lead; zinc; platinum group metals; PGMs; bauxite; aluminium; copper; mining industry; resource sustainability; sustainable development. (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ids:ijsusd:v:16:y:2013:i:3/4:p:204-220 Access Statistics for this article More articles in International Journal of Sustainable Development from Inderscience Enterprises Ltd |
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