Forecasting, particularly when applied to meaningful issues, is known irreverently as 'futurology'. There is quite a range of opinion ext.ant in the world when mineral resources are looked at. The opinions range from the doomsday view that there will be acute shortages of all essential commodities, to the optimistic outlook that new 'discoveries will prevent any possibility of shortages._x000D_
The environment is, as yet, only studied locally and quite parochially; surprisingly there is little integration when considering the spatial atmosphere, the seas in depth and the earth's crust.