Flow, stock, reserve
Three states of the same material: extracted per year, extracted so far and still in use (technosphere, 1,100 Gt), and what's left underground plus how long it lasts.
FLOW85,06 Gton/yr
extracted per year
STOCK1.100 Gton
extracted and still in use
TOTAL RESERVE1.566 Gton
known mass left in the ground (fossil + metal/mineral)
NET STOCK GROWTH+30 Gton/yr
added permanently to the technosphere each year
Until now Layer 0 answered one question: how much material the world pulls out of the ground each year. This page adds two more about the same material.
Stock - how much of what we have extracted so far is still in use: in buildings, roads, bridges, machinery. Reserve - how much is left in the ground and how many years it lasts at today's rate (R/P = known reserves ÷ annual production). Each category is grouped as accumulating, dissipative, or renewable by behaviour.
Where does the annual flow go?
Stock-capable · 55,85 Gtonconstruction minerals + metals + industrial roundwood → locked into the technosphere
Dissipative · 29,02 Gtonfossil fuels + food/feed + fuelwood → burned or consumed within the year
Renewable living · 0,20 Gtonfisheries → biomass, not a finite underground stock
In-use technosphere stock
2010: 792 Gton · today: 1.100 Gton. It grew 23-fold over 1900-2010.
Composition of the stock (by mass)
Non-metallic minerals (concrete, aggregate, brick, asphalt) - %85 (935 Gton)
Metals (mostly iron & steel) - %10 (110 Gton)
Wood - %3 (33 Gton)
Plastics (growing fast) - %2 (16 Gton)
Per capita & vs GDP
The same three magnitudes - stock, net stock growth, reserve - relative to population and to the annual world economy.
IN-USE STOCK PER CAPITA135,8 t
114 t in 2010 → 136 t today: built environment of concrete, steel and wood per person
NET STOCK GROWTH PER CAPITA3,7 t/yr
mass added permanently to the technosphere per person each year
STOCK INTENSITY9,3 kg / $
9,3 kg of accumulated physical infrastructure per dollar of annual GDP - 13 times the annual-flow intensity (0,7 kg/$)
The stock is how many times the flow?
The ratio between accumulated stock and annual flow - a measure of how 'heavy' the technosphere is relative to one year of extraction.
STOCK / ANNUAL FLOW12,9 ×
in-use stock as a multiple of one year's total extraction
RETENTION RATE%54
the share of stock-capable flow that accumulates permanently; the rest leaves the same year as demolition waste
MASS-RESERVE LIFE (R/P)76 yr
fossil + metal mass reserves ÷ annual extraction of those items
MASS RESERVE PER CAPITA193 t
known mass left in the ground (fossil + metal), per person
By resource type
R/P = known reserves ÷ annual production (at today's production rate).
Accumulating: stays in the technosphereDissipative: burned or consumed within the yearRenewable: living stock, not a mined reserve
EnerjiEnergy
| Resource | Flow | Type | In-use stock | Reserve | Life (R/P) |
|---|
| oil | 5,28 Gton | ○Dissipative | - | 1.707 milyar varil | |
| natural_gas | 3,35 Gton | ○Dissipative | - | 188 trilyon m³ | |
| coal | 8,80 Gton | ○Dissipative | - | 1.074 milyar ton | |
| uranium | 60.210 ton | ○Dissipative | - | 8 milyon ton U | |
MadenMinerals
| Resource | Flow | Type | In-use stock | Reserve | Life (R/P) |
|---|
| Iron Ore | 2,60 Gton | ●Accumulating | 92,00 Gton | 190 milyar ton ham cevher | |
| Copper | 0,02 Gton | ●Accumulating | 0,65 Gton | 1.000 milyon ton | |
| Gold | 3.300 ton | ●Accumulating | 210.000 ton | 64.000 ton | |
| Other Minerals | 0,53 Gton | ●Accumulating | 15,00 Gton | 35 Gton (8 metal toplamı) | |
İnşaat MalzemeleriConstruction Materials
| Resource | Flow | Type | In-use stock | Reserve | Life (R/P) |
|---|
| Sand, Gravel & Crushed Stone | 45,00 Gton | ●Accumulating | 780 Gton | küresel rezerv rakamı tutulmuyor | - |
| Limestone | 4,50 Gton | ●Accumulating | 90,00 Gton | küresel rezerv rakamı tutulmuyor | - |
| Clay | 1,00 Gton | ●Accumulating | 25,00 Gton | küresel rezerv rakamı tutulmuyor | - |
| Gypsum | 0,16 Gton | ●Accumulating | 4,00 Gton | küresel rezerv rakamı tutulmuyor | - |
| Other Construction Materials | 0,70 Gton | ●Accumulating | 12,00 Gton | küresel rezerv rakamı tutulmuyor | - |
OrmancılıkForestry
| Resource | Flow | Type | In-use stock | Reserve | Life (R/P) |
|---|
| Industrial Roundwood | 1,33 Gton | ●Accumulating | 32,00 Gton | 557 milyar m³ dikili servet | - |
| Fuelwood | 1,23 Gton | ○Dissipative | - | 557 milyar m³ dikili servet | - |
| Other Forestry Products | 0,06 Gton | ○Dissipative | - | renewing flow - reserve concept does not apply | - |
TarımAgriculture
| Resource | Flow | Type | In-use stock | Reserve | Life (R/P) |
|---|
| Corn | 1,22 Gton | ○Dissipative | - | renewing flow - reserve concept does not apply | - |
| Wheat | 0,80 Gton | ○Dissipative | - | renewing flow - reserve concept does not apply | - |
| Rice | 0,82 Gton | ○Dissipative | - | renewing flow - reserve concept does not apply | - |
| Soybean | 0,40 Gton | ○Dissipative | - | renewing flow - reserve concept does not apply | - |
| Other Agriculture | 3,52 Gton | ○Dissipative | - | renewing flow - reserve concept does not apply | - |
| Vegetables | 1,18 Gton | ○Dissipative | - | renewing flow - reserve concept does not apply | - |
| Fruits | 0,95 Gton | ○Dissipative | - | renewing flow - reserve concept does not apply | - |
HayvancılıkLivestock
| Resource | Flow | Type | In-use stock | Reserve | Life (R/P) |
|---|
| Cattle | 0,13 Gton | ○Dissipative | - | renewing flow - reserve concept does not apply | - |
| Dairy | 0,80 Gton | ○Dissipative | - | renewing flow - reserve concept does not apply | - |
| Poultry | 0,18 Gton | ○Dissipative | - | renewing flow - reserve concept does not apply | - |
| Pork | 0,16 Gton | ○Dissipative | - | renewing flow - reserve concept does not apply | - |
| Fisheries | 0,20 Gton | ◐Renewable | - | balık biyokütlesi (yenilenebilir | - |
| Other Animal Products | 0,14 Gton | ○Dissipative | - | renewing flow - reserve concept does not apply | - |