Public lecture on Mineral Depletion, Economic Growth and Climate Change

Professor Ugo Bardi, of the Club of Rome, and author of Extracted: How the Quest for Mineral Wealth is Plundering the Planet , will be giving a public lecture next week. Professor Bardi will be speaking on 'Resource Depletion and Climate Change: Two Faces of the Same Coin' on Monday 12 October at 6.15pm at Lancaster University Management School. As we dig, drill, and excavate to unearth the planet's mineral bounty, the resources we exploit from the earth are gradually becoming exhausted. Mineral treasures that took millions, or even billions, of years to form are now being squandered in just centuries or sometimes just decades. Will there come a time when we actually run out of minerals? Debates already soar over how we are going to obtain energy without oil, coal, and gas. But what about the other mineral losses we face? Without mineral fertilisers and fuels, how are we going to produce the food we need? Carbon neutral technologies that combat climate change rely on these scarce minerals, too. Harry Hoster, Director of Energy Lancaster and Professor of Physical Chemistry, says: "It is an honour to have such a distinguished guest at Lancaster University.