I was thinking about how much Oil plays into world politics, and how as a resource it only really enjoyed a role as a sought-after resource for about a century. Before that it was coal, I guess, and before that it may have been things like arable land, timber, etc.
What do you think will be the next sought-after resource? Personally, I think it will be potable water. Sure water gets ‘recycled’, but even Cecil himself had an article on how aquifers are being depleted faster than they can recover. Population increases increase freshwater demand, and I imagine that 100 years from now it will be harder to find freshwater sources that aren’t contaminated with something or other.