ENERGYThe Periodic Table of Endangered ElementsPublished 1 month ago on August 31, 2022
By David Cole-Hamilton green checkmark iconFeatured Creator
Article/Editing:
Carmen Ang
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periodic table showing elements and whether or not they are scarce
Click to view a larger version of the graphic.
The Periodic Table of Endangered Elements
The building blocks for everything on Earth are made from 90 different naturally occurring elements.
This visualization made by the European Chemical Society (EuChemS), shows a periodic table of these 90 different elements, highlighting which ones are in abundance and which ones are in serious threat as of 2021.
On the graphic, the area of each element relates to its number of atoms on a logarithmic scale. The color-coding shows whether there’s enough of each element, or whether the element is becoming scarce, based on current consumption levels.
Search:
Element Full Name Status
Ac Actinium Plentiful supply
Ag Silver Serious threat
AI Aluminum Plentiful supply
Ar Argon Plentiful supply
As Arsenic Serious threat
At Astatine Plentiful supply
Au Gold Limited availability
B Boron Limited availability
Ba Barium Plentiful supply
Be Beryllium Plentiful supply
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While these elements don’t technically run out and instead transform (except for helium, which rises and escapes from Earth’s atmosphere), some are being used up exceptionally fast, to the point where they may soon become extremely scarce.
One element worth pointing out on the graphic is carbon, which is three different colors: green, red, and dark gray.
Green, because carbon is in abundance (to a fault) in the form of carbon dioxide
Red, because it will soon cause a number of cataphoric problems if consumption habits don’t change
Gray because carbon-based fuels often come from conflict countries
For more elements-related content, check out our channel dedicated to raw materials and the megatrends that drive them, VC Elements.
