Demand for non-renewable natural resources generally exceeds sustainable long-term supply. Under normal market conditions, this would cause price increases that would prompt growth in supply and ultimate market equilibrium. For many resources however, despite the price incentive, geopolitical, geology and business risk, as well as capital, human and environmental implications have resulted in-elastic supply and capacity is not growing sufficiently to meet long-term demand. This is creating arbitrage opportunities where significant profit margins and social benefits underwrite investment in technology advances and alternate resource sources. These include resource recovery, synthesis and replacement. These opportunities carry markedly different risk, social impact and capital expenditure profiles.