Risk List for resources

Oil, Copper, Gold all get a lot of attention.  Not for undeserved reasons.  But there is a whole variety of lesser known “rare” elements out there that can cause a whole host of supply chain issues.  Thus the need for a list of rare elements that have economic value.  It is not a list of potential future shortages, but a list of potential supply chain bottle necks.  With China being the obvious bottleneck for many of them.

The home page forthe list is here.  Once you get to the home page the links generally come up as pdfs.

The risk list gives a quick indication of the relative risk in 2011 to the supply of the chemical elements or element groups which we need to maintain our economy and lifestyle. The position of an element on this list is determined by a number of factors which might impact on supply. These include the abundance of elements in the Earth's crust, the location of current production and reserves, and the political stability of those locations.

As demand for metals and minerals increases, driven by relentless growth in the emerging economies in Asia and South America, competition for resources is growing. Human factors such as geopolitics , resource nationalism, along with events such as strikes and accidents are the most likely to disrupt supply. Policy-makers, industry and consumers should be concerned about supply risk and the need to diversify supply from Earth resources, from recycling more and doing more with less, and also about the environmental implications of burgeoning consumption (from Minerals UK, by the British Geological Survey (BGS) Centre for Sustainable Mineral Development).

They also have a page that highlights some of the mineral resources.