On limits..........................................

History's littered with tales of once-rare resources made plentiful by innovation.  The reason is pretty straightforward:  scarcity if often contextual.  Imagine a giant orange tree packed with fruit.  If I pluck all the oranges from the lower branches, I am effectively out of accessible fruit.  From my limited perspective, oranges are now scarce.  But once someone invents a piece of technology called a ladder, I've suddenly got new reach.  Problem solved.  Technology is a resource-liberating mechanism.  It can make the once scarce the now abundant.
-Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler,  Abundance:  The Future Is Better Than You Think

For a more recent application of "technology is a resource-liberating mechanism," think about horizontal drilling and the liberation of shale oil.  One take on the subject is here.