Water is cyclical, unless you put it on a rocket and fire it into space, all the water there ever was is still here, wood is cyclical too, in all first world countries the rate of regrowth is at or above the rate of consumption, metal isn't renewable but there's still millions of square miles of land that can be dug up, as iron becomes harder to come by newer light weight materials will invented, more recycling etc, as with water the steel doesn't go anywhere, it's all still here on earth, old buildings will be knocked down, the steel taken and melted and re-used to build new buildings.
With copper they may also invent materials that are more efficient conductors, possibly alloyed with copper, but they'll need less of it, in any case I'm really not that worried about the future, as more people are becoming affluent that does put pressure on resources, but it also has a reverse effect on fertility, I think technologies will advance faster than the problems they solve, because everything you're saying has been said before, like 300 years ago we were all meant to starve to death, but here we are, nothing has collapsed, we're doing better than ever.
The next large multi-country war will be over oil. China's growth will drive oil consumption over the next couple of decades, and the world is already having some issues meeting demand. It's important to realize that if China's population used oil at the rate Americans do, they would consume nearly all of the world's output.
DK
Water will not be main factor contribute to WW3. It is obvious that technology achievement in water technology has improve and ease the processing of drinking water eg. UF, RO. seawater can be treated become drinking water.
WW3 will triggered when no toleration between big powers. currently US, India, China, Iran and Russia
It wouldn't *surprise* me if we have a world war over resources (or, at least, a large number of smaller, local wars over resources). Though I suspect metals... wouldn't be the top of the list. Water might be, especially if there is, for example, a large aquifer that two countries can potentially tap, and they disagree about fair division of and/or access to it.
But it also wouldn't surprise me if there's not another "world war", at least in my lifetime. We *may* have learned our lesson about that particular bit of idiocy, especially with the threat of nuclear bombs hanging over everyone's heads. There's too much to be lost, and too little to be gained, by all-out global war.
Possibly but like all the wars before it, it will quickly fall to ethnic and religious lines.
Watch the documentary "War of The World"
Wars over resources and religion have been happening for a long long time, I think the next big war will be in the U.S. itself. When we have genocidal, Nazi loving, justice, equality and sustainability hating, religious extremists, like Sagebrush around, I fear that the U.S. will collapse and the threat of religious fruitcakes getting their hands on nukes, a first trike by other nuclear powers might well be considered an option.
Quotes by Sagebrush (who frequently quotes Nazi's to further his cause)
"Execute all those who voted for OBAMA",
"Sustainability is a codeword for communism",
"Hire the handicapped, they are fun to watch",
"Justice and equality are codewords for communism",
"God has his hand on the thermostat".
Probably over oil and gas, China is even now getting aggressive over who owns the Spratly Islands, but possibly also ethnic and religous reasons as John says
It is water that is essential for life.
No. It will be fought over religion as usual
No it will be between greenies and other factions of communism fighting for power.
Some people say the rate of consumption of water and earth resources like wood ,metal or copper has to change or it is possible ww3 will be over it.
As of now metal or copper is costly and hard to come by and it not going to get better in the future, but much worse.If that case metal and copper will be like gold and very hard to come by and costly that only the rich countries will have.
And lack of water is other major problem.
