1960s Club of Rome theories revisited

摘要

It is not the first time that a sound of warning has been given. In the 1960s, the Club of Rome sent a message to the world to the effect that mineral resources were finite and declining and could eventually present a severe limit to economic growth. In fact the Club of Rome predicted that we would have run out of copper by 1993, which is certainly not the case. However, against the background of this doom scenario, it did not appear reckless to start developing new ore bodies that were considerably lower grade and drop the cut-off at existing mines. It was argued that as known supplies became scarce, prices would rise and so projects with higher production costs would become viable.