The World Counts (2024)

FAQs

What resources will run out by 2050? ›

Gold and other elements will run out by 2050

According to him, “in this scenario it is possible that the reserves of some of these elements will be exhausted in 2050 — such as gold and antimony — or in less than 100 years — in the case of molybdenum and zinc.”

We do not produce any original information but rely on data from a large number of organizations, research institutions, news services etc. We aim to use data from respected and well known organizations.

The effects of natural resource depletion include increased costs, ecosystem dysfunction, and further climate change. Some solutions to natural resource depletion include sustainable development policies and energy efficiency with a focus on a circular economy.

Fresh Water. We are facing an unprecedented water crisis, with global freshwater demand predicted to exceed supply by 40% by 2030, says the UN. A new report puts forth urgent actions humans must take collectively to stop the imminent water crisis.

The study, published Jan. 30 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides new evidence that global warming is on track to reach 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial averages in the early 2030s, regardless of how much greenhouse gas emissions rise or fall in the coming decade.

TheWorldCounts is based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The site is being run and continuously updated by Esben Larsen and Karsten Bjerring Olsen. We work on bringing you the latest and most accurate live statistics on the state of the planet. Do you have questions or comments, or ideas?

The latest margin of error for the world population estimate is plus or minus two per cent, compared to Canada's rather precise 0.3 per cent.

8.1 Billion (current)

The term "World Population" refers to the human population (the total number of humans currently living) of the world.

We must have food, water, air, and shelter to survive. If any one of these basic needs is not met, then humans cannot survive.

What is the most scarce resource on Earth? ›

Looking farther into the future, other sources claim that things like aluminum might run dry in about 80 years. Other studies indicate that rhodium, followed by gold, platinum and tellurium, are some of the rarest elements in terms of their percentage in the planet's crust and their importance to society.

But the wide-reaching environmental and global health consequences of our current practices make it abundantly clear that we're consuming a lot more than we need to. Unless we make a change, overconsumption will destroy our ecosystems — and possibly humanity's ability to live within them.

Coal, iron ore, zinc, lead, copper, sulfur, gold, and silver are among the most abundant minerals (in relative terms), with lesser quantities of tungsten, chromite, and manganese. Japan also has large deposits of limestone.

The environment is incapable of replenishing the resources if we use them too quickly. Once these resources are gone, humans around the world will suffer due to a lack of access to essential resources like water, food, materials for housing, and materials for heating.

The five major impacts humans have on the environment include deforestation, global warming, overharvesting, pollution, and agriculture. These have contributed to vast species extinctions, incremental and continuous rises in the sea level, and record setting hot temperatures in the earth's greenhouse atmosphere.

In 2050, the world will be vastly different from what we know today, as a result of the integration of whole range of technologies, including: quantum computing, metaverse, augmented reality, nanotechnology, human brain-computer interfaces, driverless technology, artificial intelligence, workplace automation, robotics ...

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates that 90 percent of the world's electricity can and should come from renewable energy by 2050.

Nonrenewable energy resources include coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear energy. Once these resources are used up, they cannot be replaced, which is a major problem for humanity as we are currently dependent on them to supply most of our energy needs.

Water, agriculture, and air

Phosphorus, which is used for fertilization in modern agriculture, also might see a dwindling supply by as early as 2030, affecting global food supplies. Livable air and environmental quality is also expected to become a scarcer resource than it already is.