Will Mining Disappear on Earth in the Decades to Come?

Mining & Minerals - Evaluations

Lucy Donald, a recruitment specialist for the mining industry, sees some significant changes over the next decade but definitely not an end to an industry that turned truly global before most others and has been in evidence for hundreds of years. The sheer size of population growth and the speed of development in China and other Asian countries, combined with ongoing requirements in the developed world has created unprecedented demand for minerals and metals. The demand comes mainly from millions of aspiring individuals in emerging economies striving for a better standard of living and, even with dramatic increases in recycling, an overall increase in newly mined materials is required to support the emergence of developing regions. In response to its need for minerals and metals,

China has put security of supply high on its political agenda and is spending increasingly significant amounts on exploring for minerals inside China as well as reaching out to participate in the world mining and metals industry. As the standard of living grows throughout the developing world, mineral and metal demand also expands. This pattern has been followed by all developing countries throughout history. Studies have now consistently demonstrated that when per capita income in a country reaches US$5,000 to 10,000 per year, metal demand increases particularly quickly. At the same time, the centers of mining activity have been steadily moving from developed to developing countries since the mid 20th century.

[When looking into the future, it is conceivable that much of our mining for metals may be based offworld, asteroids, other planets or moons. Metal concentrates would be sent back to Earth via space trains in container designed to transfer metal ores back down to processing plants on Earth.]

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