Japan is a world leader in various fields of science and
technology.
This is due to a large amount of
minor metalminor metalElements that satisfy the following conditions: 1.
relatively low abundance in the earth's crust, 2.
technically difficult to extract as a single element, and
3. unevenly distributed in resource-producing
countries.
and other
metal resourcesmetal resourcesA kind of mineral resource. It is further classified into
minor metals and major metals.
.
However, it is not an easy task to obtain them.
About Metal Resources
What kind of idea do you have about metal resources such as gold and
silver?
We think that there are various ideas about them, but that many people
are not very familiar with them. Actually, we had not thought about
them seriously before we began to create this site. In fact, our lives
today would be more inconvenient without metal.
We are surrounded by metal resources!
Televisions, air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines,
cars, watches, LED lights, smartphones …. There is no end to the
number of products in which metals are used.
Our lives are supported by metal resources!
Increase in Production
How much metal is mined all over the world every year?
Take a look at the graph below.(Fig. 1.1)
Fig. 1.1 Increase in production Book 資源論書籍『資源論』をスキャンして作成
It shows the change in the production of major metal in the world.
Although the amount is down temporarily due to the
oil crisisoil crisisA general term for the two major disruptions that occurred
in the 1970s in the global economy as a result of the lack
of oils and high oil prices. In other words, oil crisis or
oil shock.
, it has been increasing overall. It
increased rapidly especially from 1950 to 1970 and after 2000. This is
respectively because European countries restored after World War Ⅱ and
Japan, Korea and Taiwan were trying to advance into developed
countries and because China and India have advanced remarkably. In
summary, African countries are developing so rapidly that it is
estimated that the production of metal will increase more and more
rapidly.It will not be long before you run out of metal resources and you
cannot live a life as you know it now. In fact, Ichiro Daigo, an
associate professor at Research Center for Advanced Science and
Technology, The University of Tokyo,
told us in our
interview:
“Ten years ago, the content of copper in ore was still 1
percent, but today we have run out of such ore and in Japan 0.6
percent is the highest quality. Recently, I’ve heard that
people have no choice but to use 0.3 percent ore. So, everyone is
vaguely aware that we will definitely run out of metal resources in
the near future.”
The day is approaching us when you run out of metal
resources.
However, you still have not been able to stop the increase. That is
why you may not be able to produce new smartphones by 2050.
Uneven Distribution
Take a look at the graph below.(Fig. 1.2)
Fig. 1.2 How much do the top three countries occupy reserves of
each metal? Data Source : より引用
It shows how much the top three countries occupy reserves of each
metal resource. Surprisingly, they account for more than 70% of the
production of most metals. However, this is just part of all metals
and most
minor metalsminor metalsElements that satisfy the following conditions: 1.
relatively low abundance in the earth's crust, 2.
technically difficult to extract as a single element, and
3. unevenly distributed in resource-producing
countries.
are also occupied by the top three countries.
Japan imports most of all the
metalsmetalsA kind of mineral resource. It is further classified into
minor metals and major metals.
you need, so it is influenced greatly by the exporters. They are not
always available even if you pay for them.
For example, if China stops exporting their resources due to their
policy, the world can no longer develop (of course Japan,
either).
In other words, it is no exaggeration to say that global economy depends
on China.
In this way, uneven distribution results in
differences in power in the world.
イットリウム博士Dr.Y
In fact, in September, 2010, exporting
rare earthrare earthA kind of minor metal. It is an indispensable element
for cutting edge technology, and there are 17
types.
to Japan was limited as a countermeasure against 2010 Senkaku boat
collision incident. Japan was damaged heavily by this.
Fights over Metal Resources
Metal resourcesMetal resourcesA kind of mineral resource. It is further classified into
minor metals and major metals.
are indispensable for cutting-edge technology such as cars, personal
computers and smartphones. For that reason, while more and more
countries are developing in technological fields now, the ecosystem
has been damaged and some villages have been destroyed to get
resources that are hard to get and whose demands grew rapidly. You
often hear the news that in the Middle East, fights over oil broke out
and many people fell victim to the war. In fact, there were
wars over metal resources, and many
people lost their lives in them. Here, we would like to talk about
Democratic Republic of Congo, which is famous as one of such
battlefields.
It is located at the center of the African Continent and rich in metal
resources, so its revenue source depends on exporting such sources.
Two major wars occurred there in 1996-1997 and 1998-2003. They are the
First Congo War and Second Congo War. They were triggered by the
ethnic conflict in Rwanda, which is next to Congo. Many countries
around Congo participated in the dispute and the scale got large. As a
result, more than 5.4 million people were killed. Although the war is
over, many refugees still have not returned to their home. At a
glance, this does not have something to do with resources, but
actually one reason a lot of countries join it is to
get resources.They cooperated militarily in order to obtain rich resources in
Congo. In addition, some groups tried to take away such resources by
force. In short, they
exploited and abused people in Congo to get resources there and
finally many people lost their lives.
This story may not be known in Japan. It cannot be helped because the
scene is too far from Japan. However, it is certain that you have
benefitted from countries such as Congo. This is a story people in
Japan must learn.
*This story came to be widely known because Humanitarian assistance
activities by United Nations were reported in the media. There must
be tragedies you do not know in the world. We sincerely hope there
will be no victims like this.
It is also true that residents who live in places which are rich in
resources are suffering. Bayan obo, where they can mine a lot of metal resources, is a major
deposit in China. The more metal was mined, the more factories were
founded and Baotou, which has Bayan obo, developed. In the process,
the local people were forced to make a great sacrifice. They were
robbed of their farmland and had to choose whether they work at
Bayan obo or leave it. What was worse, the atmosphere and water was terribly polluted
and the health of the residents also
came to be worried about. You must realize that you can have your
smartphones and home appliances thanks to such sacrifices.
Summary Chart
In this way, you can understand that the difficult situations of metal
resources are causing major international issues these days. Using
this summary chart, let's think about how we can solve the current
problems.
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