During the Metal Ages, they revolutionised the living standards of early societies, from farm tools to weapons. Today, metals are found in our most sophisticated technological innovations and have become essential elements in maintaining our high-tech way of life. But our metal reserves are dwindling, and we are faced with the challenge of ensuring that future generations will continue to reap the benefits of these precious resources.
Formed billions of years ago, metals are society’s lifeline. To replenish them and keep up with our growing and modernising world, there is a need to mine for more. Certain primary metals such as aluminium, copper and iron can be mined naturally. Others are produced as a byproduct of mining other metals: Cobalt, which is primarily used in lithium-ion batteries, is a by-product of copper and nickel mining, while selenium, a semiconductor with applications in electronics, is extracted from the refining of copper through the process of electrolysis.
Quantifying the amount of metal ore left in the world can be difficult, but through reports on the amount of metal reserves in the world, it is possible to get an estimate. For example, it is estimated that there are only 830 million tonnes of copper left in our reserves, enough to last only around 30 years given the current annual copper demand of about 28 million tonnes. Even though the metal is regarded as being fully sustainable, we have perhaps 200 years of resources left, if we include reserves, and both discovered and predicted deposits.
The Mess LeftBehind
Esta historia es de la edición AG 05/2020 144 de ASIAN Geographic.
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Esta historia es de la edición AG 05/2020 144 de ASIAN Geographic.
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Revealed Doctor Yellow
Japan Railways' special lemony Shinkansen is a rare sight to behold
The Mighty Yellow
Over 5,000 kilometres long and flowing through nine provinces and autonomous regions, the Yellow River is China's second largest, after the Yangtze, while its basin is deemed the cradle of Chinese civilisation
Wildlife Big Yellow Beauty
The popular "amelanistic" form of the Burmese python is considered among the most beautiful snakes - if that's your sort of thing
All That Glitters Is Gold
From Turkey to China, the yellow metal plays a central role in cultural practices and is coveted as a symbol of affluence and status
Chengdu Hotel Spotlight TRIKA TSANG INTERNATIONAL HOTEL
For an authentic taste of Tibet in the heart of Chengdu, the most luxurious option is the majestic Trika Tsang International Hotel.
Conservation Yellow in Peril
While the demand for use in traditional Chinese medicine is putting seahorses under pressure, it is damaging non-selective fishing that is driving depletion
History Spiritual Rebirth
During the Spanish Golden Age, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan achieved the first European navigation to Asia via the Pacific, arriving in the Philippines in 1521 and claiming the islands for Spain. But by converting the first Filipinos to Catholicism, Magellan also instigated the Christianisation of the entire archipelago, a spiritual rebirth celebrated through the two most important festivals in the Philippines - Fiesta Señor and Sinulog.
Green Dreams
With its tea plantations and rice paddies, dense jungles and expansive forests, the region is well known as a green paradise. But many of the most impressive Asian landscapes have names you may never have heard of. Journey with us as we reveal just some of the incredible locations that make the rest of the world green with envy!
Life On The Edge
In the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, in the remote northern Russian Far East, indigenous ethnic groups like the Chukchi and the Yupik live in the most extreme conditions, hunting seals in their traditional kayaks as they have for millennia
The Karakoram Anomaly Decoded
For decades, scientists have believed that glaciers in the Karakoram Range are defying the trend of those across the globe-resisting glacial melt due to human-induced global warming. But as we trek up the Karakoram's second-longest glacier in July, as the United Nations announces the world's hottest ever month on record, does the melting ice beneath our feet suggest the so-called Karakoram Anomaly is slowing? Or is there a ray of hope it will continue to delay the inevitable?
