The papers delivered last year at a conference held by the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy in London, England, have been compiled and published as a book, titled Metals 2000. The contributors assess the trends for the 1990s, covering aluminum, tin, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver and platinum. They concentrate on the supply of and demand for each metal.
The paper on tin by P.C. Crowson, RTZ’s economic adviser and head of the economics department, concludes that by the end of the decade demand would likely out- pace supply. Crowson also notes the caveat of potential additional supply from China and Brazil.
In many cases the authors give an interesting historical perspective of a given metal, citing past supply and demand characteristics. Contributor S. Murray, of Consolidated Gold Fields, charts a brief history of copper starting at the Bronze Age, around the fifth millennium B.C.
The conference also underscores possible changes in technology as well as increasing concern over the environment as factors that could greatly influence the metals industry.
Metals 2000 (1989). Published by Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 44 Portland Place, London, England W1N 4BR. 29 pages. US$45.
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