Food & Drink

7 things the world is running out of

It’s no secret that humans are consuming the world’s natural resources at an alarming and unsustainable rate.

We know we’re rapidly depleting our supply of finite resources such as coal, oil and freshwater, but you’d be surprised at some of the everyday items we’re also running out of.

While the things on this list aren’t crucial to the survival of our planet, we’ll bet our last block of chocolate you will be devastated to see them go.

So take a moment to appreciate these things and enjoy them while you still can.

Here are seven things you didn’t know the world is running out of, rounded up with the help of Gizmodo.

Bacon

Ah Bacon. The most delicious of all salty cured meats. It breaks and mends hearts. And hangovers.

But according to Britain’s National Pig Association, there is an “unavoidable” worldwide shortage of bacon (tear).

A combination of factors are responsible – pig farmers are cutting production to try and minimize their losses – according to the US Department of Agriculture.

The 2012 drought in the Midwest and the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus are also to blame.

Though this doesn’t mean the world’s bacon stocks will be disappearing anytime soon, prices will certainly rise.

Wine

As news.com.au reported in October, a global wine shortage is looming.

AP Photo
There are a million wine producers worldwide who sell about 2.8 billion cases a year, but that’s still not enough to quench our thirst for vino.

Last year wine consumption rose by 1 percent but production fell by over 5 percent (and a whopping 10 percent in Europe), the lowest since the 1960s.

Most of the industry’s growth is being driven by “boutique” suppliers, who don’t have the resources to keep up with the huge demand.

Helium

You might not have realized, but helium has far more important purposes than filling party balloons.

It’s a super important commodity used in loads of products such as MRI magnets, fiber optics and LCD screens. Without out it many components of modern technology could not function.

So if it’s so precious, why is there a bottomless supply at every party shop?

Here’s what’s happening in the US, which gives some indication about the situation worldwide.

In 1925 the US government established a national helium reserve (yep, it’s a thing), which still exists in Texas. Half the world’s helium stocks – a billion cubic meters – are stored there. In 1996, the US Congress passed an act requiring that this helium reserve be sold off by 2015.

So now there’s pressure to sell it all, and fast – hence the reason why helium balloons can be bought in the hundreds for rock bottom prices.

But when supplies eventually do run out, the only other option will be to recover helium from the air, which will cost 10,000 times what it does today.

Think about that next time you suck on helium air for LOLs.

Sardines

This one might not be upsetting for some, but for lovers of canned fish, Armageddon is just around the corner. It could soon be very difficult to find a can of sardines on supermarket shelves.

Zumapress.com
Sardine populations tend to fluctuate according to water temperature as they require warm waters to breed. Now, heavy fishing and the cooling of sea temperatures has led to a sardine shortage.

A Canadian fleet of sardine-hunting ships recently returned with empty nets – that’s $32 million worth of potential sales down the drain.

And both the US and Canada haven’t done enough to decrease their fishing quotas to sustain the dwindling populations.

We could be in store for several sardine-free decades if sea temperatures don’t return to the optimal level required for our salty sea friends.

Goat cheese

This is a big call, but we reckon goat cheese is the tastiest (and most versatile) of all cheeses.

It’s soft, can be strong or delicate in flavor, and can be used in anything from salads to pastas or just lathered onto a piece of bread.

But the world may soon have to give up this wonderful delicacy.

In 2010, over 50,000 pregnant goats and sheep were culled after a major outbreak of Q fever disease in the UK.

This occurred just as people around the world seemed to acquire a taste for the delicious treat. And they were willing to pay for it.

As the amount of available product dwindles but demand increases, prices will swiftly follow.

George Paul, director of cheesemaker Bradbury & Son, told The Telegraph that retailers will either need to pay more for goat products or risk the depletion of their supplies.

So those who want the good stuff are going to have to get used to paying a lot for it.

Tequila

A big night out is never complete without a cheeky shot of tequila. But soon we all might have to learn to stick to beer and vodka.

Producing tequila is an exhaustive and expensive process. It takes about 12 years for a blue agave plant to actually produce the fructose necessary to make tequila.

Getty Images
In 2007, 20 percent of Mexico’s blue agave yield was crippled by disease, and many farmers turned their backs on the crops because they were too costly. Many burned down their crops, destroying fields upon fields of precious potential tequila.

But don’t despair. Major producers have been stocking up in preparation for the shortage. Though this means that when the shortage hits, prices will soar.

And even as farmers start to replant their fields, it will take 12 years for those crops to yield.

So if you decide to drown your sorrows, stick to gin.

Chocolate

Chocolate is delicious. Fact.

But it’s very expensive to produce, and harvesting cocoa is damn hard work. Each crop takes five years to grow, must be done by hand and in excruciating heat.

Chocolate can only be grown in latitudes within 10 degrees of the equator – a region which includes some of the world’s most unstable countries.

The majority of the world’s cocoa supply comes from West Africa, where farmers are paid 80 cents a day and child labor is yet to be outlawed.

This doesn’t make it too profitable for your average farmer.

As fair trade laws start to permeate the industry and the price of labor goes up, farmers will cop a greater loss. Soon chocolate will simply become too expensive to produce en masse.

This article originally appeared on news.com.au