Are we consuming more natural resources than Earth can reproduce?

Question

I saw in a documentary that the whole population is now using 20% more natural resources than Earth can reproduce. I don't know where this 20% comes from, but it makes me think more about environment. It is as with money: we can spend more money than we earn, but if you continue doing so, you will go bankrupt? Does it mean one day Earth will go bankrupt?

Answer 1

You nailed it on the head and the two biggest consumer are China and the US.

Literally, the only way we are going to find any new sources of metals and other elements is to go into space to find them. Luckily asteroids are chock full of iron and nickel and rare elements like iridium.

The asteroid belt is between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, but we don’t have to go that far to mine them. The Asteroid Apophis is on its way to the earth to pass so close it will go under our weather satellites in the year 2026. There is a 1 in 35,000 chance it might swing around and hit the earth in the year 2036. However, it is not alone there is a lot of space junk out there that is trying to hit our little planet. We can visit and mine these NEOs without every having to go more than twice the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, Yes. One day, Earth will be bankrupt of its resources.

for example, Limestone can't be reproduced at the rate it is being mined today. and one of the biggest issues is oil of course.

everyone reading this, let's at least consider the alternatives. besides, what are we gonna lose by using the alternatives? what is the cost, for the safety of our future?

Hope this helps, Peace.

Answer 3

Natural resource are in a finite quantity. Mans potential to use them is variably infinite. Some day it will all be gone.