In the early 1970s, the post-World War II boom in world metal consumption came to a halt. As time passed, it became clear that what many first thought to be a cyclical downturn was instead a long-term, substantial decline in world metal demand. In this volume, first published in 1990, editor John E. Tilton and four fellow scholars of mineral economics analyse the causes and consequences of this decline and the prospects for future growth in world metal demand. This book will be of interest...

During the past few decades there has been an advance in the research and development of solving the issue of declining energy resources. Funding by the U.S. government into energy research has risen steeply. Because of the growing importance of research and development in this field of research, in 1973 Resources for the Future undertook a study of energy-associated study, including an investigation of how research on energy R & D itself could be carried out. This title, first published i...

This textbook provides an introduction to the field of mineral economics and its use in understanding the behaviour of mineral commodity markets and in assessing both public and corporate policies in this important economic sector. The focus is on metal and non-metallic commodities rather than oil, coal, and other energy commodities.The work draws on John Tilton's teaching experience over the last 30 years at the Colorado School of Mines and the Catholic University of Chile, as wel...

Substitution has long been a common remedy for materials shortages. This study, originally published in 1983, uses tin to examine how and why substitution takes place. To provide insights into the tin industry and the practice of substitution, the case studies in this title examine three tin-using industries—beverage containers, solder, and tin chemical stabilisers. Overall, the contributors to this volume raise fundamental questions concerning the techniques for both short- and long-term ...

Over the last several decades, many low-income mineral exporting countries have seen their per capita income decline or their standard of living stagnate. In this title, prominent analysts identify reasons behind the distressing economic performance of these countries including ineffective public policies, political misuse of mineral rents, and the deleterious effects of economic nationalism on the foreign investment climate in developing countries. Originally published in 1992, this title...

Mineral exploration is an economic activity of worldwide importance. This volume, originally published in 1988, makes a substantial contribution to the understanding of mineral exploration and the major economic, political, and geologic forces that govern it. Some chapters examine the behaviour and performance of particular participants in the exploration process while others focus on specific countries. This is a valuable title for any student interested in environmental studies and the g...

The sharp rise in mineral use has revived concern about scarcity. Economist John Tilton responds by analyzing recent trends in the consumption and availability of minerals that are most integral to the needs of modern civilization. He reminds readers that, if the arguments about scarcity sound familiar, it is because the story of minerals scarcity is almost as old as human history-and so too is substitution and technological innovation. The issue at hand is the unprecedented acceleration i...

Just as people schedule regular check-ups with physicians, our planet needs regular check-ups to catch issues as early as possible, before they become more serious and harder to heal. That is the much-needed service provided on a global scale by the Worldwatch Institute in this new book, Vital Signs 2012.By taking stock of global consumption, Vital Signs 2012 offers the facts that need to guide our stewardship of the Earth's resources-and some of these facts are s...

Why the global economy has become increasingly unstable, and how financial “de-carbonization” could break the pattern of bubble-driven wealth destruction.The global economy has become increasingly, perhaps chronically, unstable. Since 2008, we have heard about the housing bubble, subprime mortgages, banks “too big to fail,” financial regulation (or the lack of it), and the European debt crisis. Wall Street has discovered that it is more profitable to make money fro...

Originally published in 1987 this book presents a comprehensive survey of the global natural gas industry: it looks at the problems of supply, the pattern of demand, the economics of the industrya nd how the industry in the 1980s was being affected by changes in other energy sectors. As a key commodity in the world economy the supply of natural gas is increasingly affecting and changing international relations between importer and supplier countries: the siberian natural gas pipeline which...

Vital Signs Volume 21 is all about growth. From natural disasters to cars to organic farming, the two dozen trends examined here indicate both increasing pressure on natural resources and scaled up efforts to live more sustainably.In 2012, world auto production set yet another record with passenger-car production rising to 66.7 million. That same year, the number of natural disasters climbed to 905, roughly one hundred more than the 10-year annual average, and 90 percent w...