Empty soil and empty brains

At the current rate, people will exploit land-based natural minerals within fifty to one hundred years. While oil, gas and coal will be part of the hemisphere out of reach for recycling, most natural minerals built into products can be recycled for a certain time. Under the ice of the Arctic and Antarctic, vast pockets of natural minerals lie untouched. To lift them is more expensive than, e.g. mining manganese in Ghana or lithium in Congo. Prices of products will skyrocket, with serious effects on developing or poorer countries. Approx. 100 or 150 years later, the icy natural minerals will be seen only in products,e no longer in the earth.

The effects of human exploitation can scientifically be measured and predicted. What is uncertain are brain activities, meaning visions for mankind and humanity to live a life beyond an empty Earth. For generation exspecially since the middle of the 19th century when the industrialisation began man became very accustomed to exploit earth`s minerals at an increased speed. Natural minerals have always been a subject of conflict among nations, prominently seen at the 1884/85 Congo Conference in Berlin. When minerals are available in vast quantities, competition is less fearsome.

China currently dominates the market of processed rare earths, much to the disadvantage of Europe, the USA, Africa and other countries. To ease the pressure, Europe tries to develop alternatives and set up needed production capacity. These initiatives depend on real physical material that cannot be grown in a laboratory.

For modern Homo sapiens, hunting, fishing, and collecting berries from the forest is not sustainable enough. Unable to go back in time, the economy man has to move forward. The economy of production makes life comfortable and gives life meaning. Economic activities find their way into all aspects of modern society, like the political, cultural, social and education sectors.

For the increased earthly population, migrating to Mars or other planets to make a fresh new start is not an option for most of them. Democratic elected politicians think seriously only for as long as they have a chance to stay relevant and in office, leaving long-term challenges in the hands of future political generations. Not trained for it, they leave visions for a period of the coming 100, 200 or three hundred years aside, in the hands of young entrepreneurs and a few thinkers. Some of these politicians are cancer patients and have heard from their doctors that observation and prevention are always better than cure. When a problem can be seen to wait until it hits mankind, and humanity's disaster is part of the cure.

To solve today's national, local and international challenges must always be undertaken by anticipating the foreseeable future of generations yet unborn.