Question

as the human population grows, minerals in everyday products will become scarcer. how can we address the growing scarcity of common minerals as the population increases?

a. increase the size and number of sanitary landfills.

b. expend more energy to locate and extract existing resources.

c. move human communities to uninhabited regions.

d. increase the number and efficiency of recycling programs.

Explanation:

To address mineral scarcity with population growth, we analyze each option:

• Option A: Sanitary landfills handle waste, not mineral scarcity.
• Option B: Expending more energy to extract existing resources is unsustainable and doesn't solve scarcity long - term.
• Option C: Moving communities doesn't address mineral availability.
• Option D: Recycling programs can reuse minerals from products, reducing the need for new extraction and thus addressing scarcity.

Answer:

D. Increase the number and efficiency of recycling programs.