Yeah, but price hikes due to increased demand without correspondingly increased supply don't necessarily indicate that the supply is running out; just that it hasn't caught up with recent demand increases. For instance, I remember reading about the helium price increases in 2008, and while I certainly can't claim any expertise on the matter, what I read suggested that the main cause was the fact that several of the facilities that extract helium from natural gas were simultaneously shut down due to maintenance and equipment failures last year. There are only a handful of these facilities in the world (they use fractional distillation and are part of oil refinery complexes), and so stoppage at a few can cause significant price jumps. I have yet to see any evidence that helium production, over the long term, will be unable to keep up with rising demand. The same is true of the "metal shortage" (copper, zinc, etc.) that has been in the news in the past few years; my understanding is that the price increases were at least partially caused by bullishness in the commodities market. Now, obviously, part of the price increases really are caused by the increased extraction costs that mines face as the most easily-accessible ore is used up. That's not a new problem, though. Yes, prices for mineral resources will probably continue to slowly trend upwards, but that shouldn't prove to be any meaningful roadblock for continued development. It will also stimulate development of alternatives, of more efficient manufacturing methods, and of more effective recycling.Originally Posted by sycld
Incidentally, aluminum is the most common metal on Earth. Recycling aluminum cans certainly saves energy, but we're in no danger of depleting our aluminum supplies even if we don't recycle aluminum, so that's not really a good example to use when talking about the possibility of depleting our material resources.
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