Natural resources are limited.
Students will compare estimated life expectancies of some nonrenewable natural resources and will understand the role recycling and careful use play in extending the availability of these resources. The global demand for and consumption of most major nonfuel mineral commodities is projected to increase three to five percent annually, slightly more than doubling by the year 2000. There is a limit to how long an increasing population can continue to make increasing demands on our finite resources. Concentrated, easily mined reserves of nonrenewable resources are being depleted. The availability of these resources can be extended by careful use and recycling.