Like the old saying, 'all good things come to an end', natural resources around the globe are depleting at an alarming rate. As quickly as our society moves towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution, our natural resources are depleting at a similar or even faster pace.

Technological advances into the new era of artificial intelligence, robots, self-driving cars, and 3D printers will require more minerals. However, earth's resources are limited and eventually supply won't be able to meet the demand.   

Causes of resource depletion

1) Resource depletion due to environmental pollution

Environmental pollution such as soil pollution, water pollution, air pollution, etc. may cause natural resources to disappear.

2) Resource depletion due to global warming

This is a gradual development in environmental pollution. The environmental pollution caused by humans ultimately leads to global depletion. Global warming causes a shortage of water resources. As the average temperature of the Earth rises gradually, the damage caused by it is becoming more and more surfaced.

3) Collecting human resources

It is a direct cause by man. Humans are still harvesting a lot of resources such as copper, iron, silver, gold, copper, bauxite, petroleum, uranium and so on.

When oil is mined at the current rate, it will not exist on Earth soon.

Problems of resource depletion

1) Earth Crisis

Human society is rapidly aggravating natural resources. These deteriorations are depleting and destroying natural resources, which are caused by rapid population growth, excessive resource consumption, and pollution. Rapid economic growth and the current depletion of resources, which are changing day by day, have been brought to our attention. The population is growing from limited resources, and in advanced countries, it is over-consuming a lot of resources, causing

environmental pollution. As humans' lives have improved along with economic growth, modern people have become too eaten, luxurious, weary, mobile, and too fond of the current resource depletion.

2) Quality of life

We can raise problems: population, food, industrial production, limited resources, and pollution. 

Measures against resource depletion

1) Efficient use of resources 

- Resource conservation-Restless consumption suppression 

- Resource recycling-resource conservation, reduction of waste and environmental pollution 

- Use products with high energy efficiency rating 

- Fostering resource-saving industries

2) Stable securing of resources 

- Secure new resource stores 

- Development of methods to use less quality resources 

- International exchange of resources and expansion of resources stockpiling

3) Development of renewable energy (alternative energy) 

- Development of technologies that use recycled resources such as solar energy, wind power, tidal power, geothermal energy, and bio energy 

- clean energy without environmental pollution

References:

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_business/776158.html

http://internationalrelations.org/natural-resource-depletion/

http://www.konetics.re.kr