Are We Running Out?

Preface and Acknowledgements Chapter 1. The Importance of Natural Resources The importance of natural resources and their influence on history and culture The "resource curse" and the impact of resources on economic development The sustainability of resource use Examples of unsustainable resource use: depletion and resource collapse Resource scarcity and resource wars Concluding remarks Chapter 2. The Sustainability of Mineral Resources Factors determining demand and supply of minerals The markets for minerals Common metals: iron ore and ferro-alloy metals Common metals: aluminum, magnesium, titanium, manganese, and silicon Base metals Less common metals Rare earth minerals The special case of gold and silver Diamonds Other important minerals: fluorspar, phosphate, and potash Environmental impacts of the mining industry Recycling Mineral depletion and sustainability Chapter 3. How the World Came to Be Dependent on Fossil Fuels The evolution of energy use The rise of oil The emergence of OPEC Are we running out of oil? The Alberta oil sands Growth in oil demand Natural gas Coal Fossil fuels and sustainability Chapter 4. Fossil Fuels and Climate Change The historical record of changing climates The theory of climate change: the history and the evidence The costs and benefits of strategies to deal with climate change Mitigation policies Carbon sequestration and storage Carbon pricing Regulations Potential geoengineering solutions The way ahead Chapter 5. The Alternatives to Fossil Fuels: Nuclear Power, Hydrogen, and Renewable Energy Resources Nuclear power Hydrogen Hydro power Wind power Solar energy Geothermal heat Biomass Renewable energy for transportation Can we get to a zero-carbon economy? Chapter 6. The Importance of Natural Environments: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Human attitudes to natural environments The current state of biodiversity Aggregate measures of biodiversity: the Living Planet Index, the Ecological Footprint, and the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment The economic value of biodiversity and ecosystem services International conventions Where do we go from here? Chapter 7. Forests-the Lungs of the Earth Perspectives on trees and forests: historical developments of forest use Forest resources and commercial forest products The causes of deforestation and forest degradation Toward sustainable forestry Forest certification The growth of plantation forests Public or private forests: the issue of ownership Forests and climate mitigation: the REDD+ program Concluding observations Chapter 8. Agricultural Resources and the Challenge to Feed a Future World A brief history of agriculture The main food crops Current land degradation problems Environmental impacts of modern intensive agriculture The controversy over genetically modified organisms Should we stop eating meat? The problem of price instability of agricultural products Is there a food crisis? Food security and Agricultural Sustainability Chapter 9. Are We Running out of Water? Water in culture and history Modern uses of water Failures in water management How to deal with water scarcity Market approaches to water management Water conflicts and war Concluding thoughts Chapter 10. Oceans and the Tragedy of the Commons Oceans as the last frontier in the history of exploration The law of the sea The tragedy of the commons: pollution The tragedy of the commons: fisheries Critical aspects of fisheries regulation and management Aquaculture Toward better management of the oceans Chapter 11. Conclusion: The Earth in the Balance The human population explosion The Anthropocene The Gaia hypothesis and the Medea hypothesis Darwin and Wallace Cooperation and the power of ideas The relentless pursuit of economic growth The challenges The problem of designing appropriate international institutions What must be done Endnotes Bibliography