American dependency on natural resources

Many people I talk to have the mistaken impression that the United States is not only self-sufficient in most resources (with the generally known exception of oil), but that we are also the world’s 600-pound gorilla when it comes to most of the important natural resources we use. Not so.

In the list below, I’m focusing only on some of the main mineral resources, things that are familiar to most people. For each commodity, I’m providing the world production leader (in some cases, a very close #2 is also given) with the percentage of world mine or factory production that nation contributes, using 2008 figures from the US Geological Survey. U.S. percentage and world rank is given for comparison. For most of these resources, the U.S. consumes far more than it produces.

Aluminum (smelter): China (33%). US= 7%, #4
Cement (plant): China (50%). US= 3%, #3
Copper: Chile (35%). US= 8%, #2
Gold: China (13%). US= 10%, #3
Iron Ore: China (35%). US= 2%, #7
Raw Steel (foundry): China (38%). US= 7%, #5
Lead: China (40%). US= 12%, #3
Manganese: South Africa (21%), China (20%). US= none
Molybdenum: USA (29%, #1), China (28%)
Nickel: Russia (17%). US= none
Silver: Peru (17%). US= 5%, #7
Sulfur: USA (13%, #1)
Tin: China (45%). US= none
Tungsten: China (75%). US= est. 1%, est. #14
Zinc: China (28%). US= 7%, #4

My point is simple: Isolationist attitudes about natural resources are untenable. Modern society, especially in the United States, relies on a thoroughly globalized interdependency—whether we like it or not.