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Metallic Mineral Resources
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Energy Resources
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Nonmetallic Mineral Resources
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Abundant Metals : iron, aluminum,
manganese, titanium, silicon, magnesium
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Fossil Fuels: coal, petroleum,
natural gas, oil shale
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Fossil Fuels: raw materials for
plastics
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Scarce Metals: copper, zinc, led,
tin, gold, silver, platinum, etc.
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Nuclear Fuels: uranium, thorium,
lithium, deuterium
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Minerals for Agricultural and Industrial Use:
salt, phosphate, sulfur, nitrates, etc.
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Earth's Heat: geothermal power
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Building Materials: cement, sand,
gravel, gypsum, asbestos, etc.
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Solar Derived Energy: power in
streams, winds, ocean currents, waves, sunlight, etc.
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Water: lakes, rivers, groundwater
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Tides
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Soils
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How many people are using these resources?
Resource Use = Individual Use times Number of Individuals
History of World Population
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Time
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Population
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10,000 B.C.
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a few million
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1 A.D./B.C.
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a few hundred
million
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1000 A.D.
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about 250 million
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1650 A.D.
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about 500 million
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1825 A.D.
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1 billion
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1930 A.D.
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2 billion
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1960 A.D.
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3 billion
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1975 A.D.
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4 billion
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1988 A.D.
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5 billion
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According to the International Programs Center, U.S. Bureau of the Census,
the total population of the world, projected to 4/21/98 at 10:42:25 AM CDT
is:
5,909,935,879
(5.9 billion - 5.9 x 109) people
World Vital Events Per Time Unit: 1998
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Time unit
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Births
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Natural Deaths
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Increase
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Year
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132,625,668
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54,174,583
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78,451,085
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Month
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11,052,139
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4,514,549
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6,537,590
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Day
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363,358
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148,424
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214,934
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Hour
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15,140
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6,184
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8,956
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Minute
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252
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103
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149
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Second
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4.2
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1.7
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2.5
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(Figures may not add to totals due to rounding)
Current World birth rate = 2.25 %
Current World death rate = 0.92 %
Current World population growth rate =
birth rate - death rate = 1.33 %
Can we predict how long some resources will last?
Production history of Pennsylvania
anthracite coal from 1800 to 1998. A short ton is a US 2000 pound ton. Pennsylvania
anthracite is a resource that is almost completely mined out and is an
illustration of how the complete production history of a resource will
approximate a bell-shaped Hubbert Curve. The Hubbert Curve assumes a total
resource of 5,500 million tons. Total cumulative production of anthracite has
been about 4,300 million tons. Note that the influence of industry-wide
strikes, the Great Depression in the 1930s and World War II in the 1940s can
be seen as perturbations on the general Hubbert Curve. Data sources: USEIA,
USBoC.
A Hubbert Curve for the production
of bituminous coal in the US from 1800 through 2600. The economically
recoverable coal resource represented by the Hubbert Curve is estimated to be
1,600,000 million tons. The gray line indicates US bituminous coal production
to date. Data sources: USEIA, USBoC.
US bituminous coal production 1800
through 1998 compared with the anthracite production shown in previous
figure. The total cumulative production of coal through 1998 has been 61.8
gigatons. Data sources: USEIA, USBoC.
United States petroleum production
from 1990 through 1998. The bell-shaped curve is a Hubbert Curve for US oil
production, assuming a total economically recoverable resource of 200 Gbbl.
Cumulative US production through 1998 amounts to 177.0 Gbbl.
Comparison of world petroleum
production to US production and consumption from 1900 through 1998. The US
consumed about 26.5% of oil produced in the world in 1998. The world oil
industry has about 1000 Gbbls of proven reserves, which is about a 50 year
supply at current production rates. Data sources: USEIA, API.
A comparison of the Hubbert Curve
for world oil production with that for US oil production. The Hubbert Curve
for world production assumes a total economically recoverable resource fo
2,100 Gbbls. The cumulative world production through 1998 is about 840 Gbbls.
Data sources: USEIA, API
How has our consumption of energy resources changed through time?
United States energy
consumption 1900 through 1998. The energy units are quadrillion BTUs. US
energy consumption has grown from 9.6 quads in 1900 to 94.2 quads in
1999----an almost 10-fold increase. In 1998, 85% of the energy consumed in
the US came from the burning of fossil fuels: petroleum, natural gas, and
coal. Click here to compare with Minnesota energy
consumption.
Data sources: USEIA, MN Energy Data Book 1997.
United States energy
consumption 1900 through 1998 shown as percentages of the total energy
consumed. This graph illustrates how the mixture of energy sources used in
the US has changed during the 20th century.
Data sources: USEIA, MN Energy Data Book 1997.
Minnesota energy
consumption 1960 through 1995. The energy units are quadrillion BTUs.
Minnesota energy consumption has almost doubled since 1960. Minnesota consumes about 1.6% of all of the energy consumed in the
United States. In 1995, 79% of Minnesota's energy came from the burning of
fossil fuels: petroleum, natural gas, and coal.
Data sources: USEIA, MN Energy Data Book 1997.
Minnesota energy
consumption from 1960 through 1995 shown as percentages of the annual total.
In 1995 as compared to 1960, Minnesotans relied less on the burning of
fossils fuels as source of energy and more on nuclear power and alternative
energy sources (e.g., wood, wind, solar). During those years in which energy
totals exceed 100%, Minnesota exported some electricity to other states.
Data sources: USEIA, MN Energy Data Book 1997.
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