Resources

As the EV revolution speeds up, and big battery projects ramp up to stabilize power grids running on intermittent renewables, global demand for lithium batteries will rise sixfold in the next 10 years. But can the world actually supply the materials?

A new study from MIT has examined modern technology​ through the lens of a 150-year-old economic theory of efficiency and resource consumption – and in almost all cases, the benefits of reducing required resources is cancelled out by the increase in consumer demand for them.

In a welcome sacrifice for the good of the planet, a UN International Resource Panel study found that saving the environment may require people work fewer hours in the future. A growing middle class has led to a rapid pace of raw material extraction around the globe.

Planetary Resources, Inc. announces plans to remotely mine asteroids for water and precious metals.

New research reveals U.S. geothermal potential greater than previously thought

New data has revealed that the lunar soil within shadowy craters is rich in useful materials, and that the moon is chemically active and has a water cycle.

We're already stretching many of our natural resources to their limits, and the world's population will jump by around 2.5 billion over the next 50 years. Here are four resources heading for a catastrophic squeeze within our lifetime.