By projecting global population growth and demand for nonrenewable materials over the next century, it appears unlikely that the world will run short of any element before about 2050. This provides considerable time to develop new technology to economically exploit lower grade and alternative ores to bring some 30 elements into essentially infinite supply, and to use these elements in developing substitutes to satisfy the requirements of modern civilized societies.
Two conflicting views dominate our perception o f man's long-term future. The "catastrophists" believe the earth's resources wil'i soon be exhausted, and t h a t this will lead t o a collapse c f s o c i e t v copians" argtle t h 3 t most of the essential raw matsri.r.ls are i n f i n i t e : t h a t 2 s the society exhausts one raw material , i t will turn t o lower grade, iriexhaustible substitutes.OR renewable resources, and on those elements t h a t are practicallyThe "cornuEventually the society w 11 subsist i n f i n i t e , such as iron and aluminum.will s e t t l e i n t o a steady-state o f substitution and recycle. This Research and Development A d m i n i s t r a t i o n under c o n t r a c t w i t h Union Carbide Gorp.
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