In 2011 the United Nations Environment Programme reported that, if nothing changes, humanity will demand 140 billion tons of minerals, ores, fossil fuels and biomass every year by 2050. This is three times our current rate of resource consumption, and far beyond what the Earth can supply. We therefore need to fairly rapidly learn to decouple natural resource use and environmental impacts from economic growth. Coping most successfully with resource depletion will requires a broad range of strategies. These are likely to include more local living, low energy lifestyles, and most importantly the use of renewable sources such as wind, sun, water, and recycling organic materials.
