5 Biggest Issues in the World and The Companies Working on Solving Them

2. Resource Depletion

The overall resource depletion is another ongoing crisis that is dire in nature. A finite planet only has so much before it is exhausted. Resource extraction rate has more than tripled since the year 1970. At the current rate, it is expected to double by 2060. The process of resource extraction is also responsible for half the global carbon emissions and for over 90% of water stress according to Global Resources Outlook, 2019. 

With the population level set to rise to 10 billion in 2050, the demand for energy resources is projected to grow by 50% by that time according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence of US government. 

The need for steel and copper is also projected to grow by 90% and 80% respectively by 2050. The demand for many other resources is expected to double by the mid-21st century. In the present day, we’re consuming resources 1.8 times faster than Earth’s regeneration capacity. 

One of the ways Earth can be unburdened from unsustainable resource extraction and the accompanying emissions, biodiversity loss and water stress, is to take the mining to asteroids, many of which are rich in minerals and other resources. 

In this respect, SpaceX and Blue Origin are the forefront space companies trying to unlock space at economies of scale.