Energy
The Periodic Table of Endangered Elements
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The Periodic Table of Endangered Elements
The building blocks for everything on Earth are made from 90 different naturally occurring elements.
This visualization made by the European Chemical Society (EuChemS), shows a periodic table of these 90 different elements, highlighting which ones are in abundance and which ones are in serious threat as of 2021.
On the graphic, the area of each element relates to its number of atoms on a logarithmic scale. The color-coding shows whether there’s enough of each element, or whether the element is becoming scarce, based on current consumption levels.
Element | Full Name | Status |
---|---|---|
Ac | Actinium | Plentiful supply |
Ag | Silver | Serious threat |
AI | Aluminum | Plentiful supply |
Ar | Argon | Plentiful supply |
As | Arsenic | Serious threat |
At | Astatine | Plentiful supply |
Au | Gold | Limited availability |
B | Boron | Limited availability |
Ba | Barium | Plentiful supply |
Be | Beryllium | Plentiful supply |
Bi | Bismuth | Limited availability |
Br | Bromine | Plentiful supply |
C | Carbon | Plentiful supply / serious threat |
Ca | Calcium | Plentiful supply |
Cd | Cadmium | Rising threat |
Ce | Cerium | Plentiful supply |
CI | Chlorine | Plentiful supply |
Co | Cobalt | Rising threat |
Cr | Chromium | Rising threat |
Cs | Cesium | Plentiful supply |
Cu | Copper | Rising threat |
Dy | Dysprosium | Rising threat |
Er | Erbium | Plentiful supply |
Eu | Europium | Plentiful supply |
F | Flourine | Plentiful supply |
Fe | Iron | Plentiful supply |
Fr | Francium | Plentiful supply |
Ga | Gallium | Serious threat |
Gd | Gadolinium | Plentiful supply |
Ge | Germanium | Serious threat |
H | Hydrogen | Plentiful supply |
He | Helium | Serious threat |
Hf | Hafnium | Serious threat |
Hg | Mercury | Limited availability |
Ho | Holmium | Plentiful supply |
I | Iodine | Plentiful supply |
In | Indium | Serious threat |
Ir | Iridium | Rising threat |
K | Potassium | Plentiful supply |
Kr | Krypton | Plentiful supply |
La | Lanthanum | Plentiful supply |
Li | Lithium | Limited availability |
Lu | Lutetium | Plentiful supply |
Mg | Magnesium | Limited availability |
Mn | Manganese | Limited availability |
Mo | Molybdenum | Limited availability |
N | Nitrogen | Plentiful supply |
Na | Sodium | Plentiful supply |
Nb | Niobium | Limited availability |
Nd | Neodymium | Limited availability |
Ne | Neon | Plentify supply |
Ni | Nickel | Limited availability |
O | Oxygen | Plentiful supply |
Os | Osmium | Rising threat |
P | Phosphorus | Limited availability |
Pa | Protactinium | Plentiful supply |
Pb | Lead | Limited availability |
Pd | Palladium | Rising threat |
Po | Polonium | Plentiful supply |
Pr | Praseodymium | Plentiful supply |
Pt | Platinum | Rising threat |
Ra | Radium | Plentiful supply |
Rb | Rubidium | Plentiful supply |
Re | Rhenium | Plentiful supply |
Rh | Rhodium | Rising threat |
Rn | Radon | Plentify supply |
Ru | Ruthenium | Rising threat |
Sb | Antimony | Limited availability |
Sc | Scandium | Limited availability |
Se | Selenium | Limited availability |
Si | Silicon | Plentiful supply |
S | Sulfur | Plentiful supply |
Sm | Samarium | Plentiful supply |
Sn | Tin | Limited availability |
Sr | Strontium | Serious threat |
Ta | Tantalum | Serious threat |
Tb | Terbium | Plentiful supply |
Te | Tellurium | Serious threat |
Ti | Titanium | Plentiful supply |
TI | Thalium | Limited availability |
Tm | Thulium | Plentiful supply |
V | Vanadium | Limited availability |
W | Tungsten | Limited availability |
Xe | Xenon | Plentiful supply |
Y | Yttrium | Serious threat |
Yb | Ytterbium | Plentiful supply |
Zn | Zinc | Serious threat |
Zr | Zirconium | Limited availability |
Th | Thorium | Plentiful supply |
U | Uranium | Rising threat |
While these elements don’t technically run out and instead transform (except for helium, which rises and escapes from Earth’s atmosphere), some are being used up exceptionally fast, to the point where they may soon become extremely scarce.
One element worth pointing out on the graphic is carbon, which is three different colors: green, red, and dark gray.
- Green, because carbon is in abundance (to a fault) in the form of carbon dioxide
- Red, because it will soon cause a number of cataphoric problems if consumption habits don’t change
- Gray because carbon-based fuels often come from conflict countries
For more elements-related content, check out our channel dedicated to raw materials and the megatrends that drive them, VC Elements.

This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.
Maps
Mapped: Renewable Energy and Battery Installations in the U.S. in 2023
This graphic describes new U.S. renewable energy installations by state along with nameplate capacity, planned to come online in 2023.

Renewable and Battery Installations in the U.S. in 2023
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Renewable energy, in particular solar power, is set to shine in 2023. This year, the U.S. plans to get over 80% of its new energy installations from sources like battery, solar, and wind.
The above map uses data from EIA to highlight planned U.S. renewable energy and battery storage installations by state for 2023.
Texas and California Leading in Renewable Energy
Nearly every state in the U.S. has plans to produce new clean energy in 2023, but it’s not a surprise to see the two most populous states in the lead of the pack.
Even though the majority of its power comes from natural gas, Texas currently leads the U.S. in planned renewable energy installations. The state also has plans to power nearly 900,000 homes using new wind energy.
California is second, which could be partially attributable to the passing of Title 24, an energy code that makes it compulsory for new buildings to have the equipment necessary to allow the easy installation of solar panels, battery storage, and EV charging.
New solar power in the U.S. isn’t just coming from places like Texas and California. In 2023, Ohio will add 1,917 MW of new nameplate solar capacity, with Nevada and Colorado not far behind.
Top 10 States | Battery (MW) | Solar (MW) | Wind (MW) | Total (MW) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Texas | 1,981 | 6,462 | 1,941 | 10,385 |
California | 4,555 | 4,293 | 123 | 8,970 |
Nevada | 678 | 1,596 | 0 | 2,274 |
Ohio | 12 | 1,917 | 5 | 1,934 |
Colorado | 230 | 1,187 | 200 | 1,617 |
New York | 58 | 509 | 559 | 1,125 |
Wisconsin | 4 | 939 | 92 | 1,034 |
Florida | 3 | 978 | 0 | 980 |
Kansas | 0 | 0 | 843 | 843 |
Illinois | 0 | 363 | 477 | 840 |
The state of New York is also looking to become one of the nation’s leading renewable energy providers. The New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) is making real strides towards this objective with 11% of the nation’s new wind power projects expected to come online in 2023.
According to the data, New Hampshire is the only state in the U.S. that has no new utility-scale renewable energy installations planned for 2023. However, the state does have plans for a massive hydroelectric plant that should come online in 2024.
Decarbonizing Energy
Renewable energy is considered essential to reduce global warming and CO2 emissions.
In line with the efforts by each state to build new renewable installations, the Biden administration has set a goal of achieving a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and a net zero emissions economy by no later than 2050.
The EIA forecasts the share of U.S. electricity generation from renewable sources rising from 22% in 2022 to 23% in 2023 and to 26% in 2024.
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