Will the World Run Out of Essential Resources by 2050?

The world’s total demand for materials is expected to climb around 30% from just over 9 billion tonnes (Gt) in 2022 to more than 12 Gt in 2050. Continued economic expansion and population growth are expected to be the main drivers of the surging need for more materials. The biggest-consuming sectors are mature industries like construction, consumer products, packaging, and transportation, which made up around 90% of the material demand by weight in 2022. The construction sector was by far the largest among the four, alone accounting for nearly…