Seven things you didn't know the world is running out of

Do you love having a glass of wine with friends? That may soon be a thing of the past. Source: Supplied

IT'S no secret that humans are consuming the world's natural resources at an alarming and unsustainable rate.

We know we're rapidly depleting our supply of finite resources such as coal, oil and freshwater, but you'd be surprised at some of the everyday items we're also running out of.

While the things on this list aren't crucial to the survival of our planet, we'll bet our last block of chocolate you will be devastated to see them go.

So take a moment to appreciate these things and enjoy them while you still can.

Here are seven things you didn't know the world is running out of, rounded up with the help of Gizmodo.

1. Chocolate

Everyone’s favourite 3pm snack. Stock up now. Source: Supplied

Chocolate is delicious. Fact.

But it's very expensive to produce, and harvesting cocoa is damn hard work. Each crop takes five years to grow, must be done by hand and in excruciating heat.

Chocolate can only be grown in latitudes within 10 degrees of the equator - a region which includes some of the world's most unstable countries.

The majority of the world's cocoa supply comes from West Africa, where farmers are paid 80 cents a day and child labour is yet to be outlawed.

This doesn't make it too profitable for your average farmer.

As fair trade laws start to permeate the industry and the price of labour goes up, farmers will cop a greater loss. Soon chocolate will simply become too expensive to produce en masse.

2. Bacon

We’d be prepared to give up some foods, but not bacon! Source: Supplied

Ah Bacon. The most delicious of all salty cured meats. It breaks and mends hearts. And hangovers.

But according to Britain's National Pig Association, there is an "unavoidable" worldwide shortage of bacon (tear).

A combination of factors are responsible - pig farmers are cutting production to try and minimise their losses, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

The 2012 drought in the midwest and the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea Virus are also to blame.

Though this doesn't mean the world's bacon stocks will be disappearing anytime soon, prices will certainly rise.

3. Helium

You should think twice the next time you go to buy a helium balloon. Helium’s a precious resource. Source: Supplied

You might not have realised, but helium has far more important purposes than filling party balloons.

It's a super important commodity used in loads of products such as MRI magnets, fibre optics and LCD screens. Without out it many pieces of modern technology could not function.

So if it's so precious, why is there a bottomless supply at every party shop?

Here's what's happening in the US, which gives some indication about the situation worldwide.

In 1925 the US government established a national helium reserve (yep, it's a thing), which still exists in Texas. Half the world's helium stocks - a billion cubic metres - are stored here. In 1996 US Congress passed an act requiring that this helium reserve be sold off by 2015.

So now there's pressure to sell it all really quickly - hence why helium balloons can be bought in the hundreds for super cheap.

But when we do eventually run out, our only other option is to recover helium from the air, which will cost 10,000 times what it does today.

Think about that next time you suck on helium air for LOLs.

4. Sardines

Ew, gross. Source: Supplied

This one might not upset you that much, but for lovers of canned fish, Armageddon is just around the corner. It could soon be very difficult to find a can of sardines on our supermarket shelves.

Sardine populations tend to fluctuate according to water temperature - they require warm waters to breed. But heavy fishing and the cooling of sea temperatures has led to a sardine shortage.

A Canadian fleet of sardine-hunting ships recently returned with empty nets - that's $US32 million worth of potential sales down the drain.

And both the US and Canada haven't done enough to decrease their fishing quotas to sustain the dwindling populations.

We could be in store for several sardine-free decades if sea temperatures don't return to the optimal level required for our salty sea friends.

5. Tequila

Tequila shot Source: Supplied

A big night out is never complete without a cheeky shot of tequila. But soon we all might have to learn to stick to beer and vodka.

Producing tequila is an exhaustive and expensive process. It takes about 12 years for a blue agave plant to actually produce the fructose necessary to make tequila.

In 2007, 20 per cent of Mexico's blue agave yield was crippled by disease and many farmers turned their back on the crops because they were too costly. Many burned down their crops, destroying fields upon fields of precious potential tequila.

But don't despair. Major producers have been stocking up in preparation for the shortage. Though this means that when the shortage hits, prices will soar.

And even as farmers start to replant their fields, it will take 12 years for those crops to yield.

So if you decide to drown your sorrows, stick to gin.

6. Wine

Wine Shop Source: Supplied

As news.com.au reported in October, a global wine shortage is looming.

There are a million wine producers worldwide who sell about 2.8 billion cases a year, but that's still not enough to quench our thirst for vino.

Last year wine consumption rose by 1 per cent but production fell by over 5 per cent (and a whopping 10 per cent in Europe), the lowest since the 1960s.

Most of the industry's growth is being driven by "boutique" suppliers, who don't have the resources to keep up with the huge demand.

7. Goat's cheese

Goat Cheese in Pieces With Olive Oli and Black Pepper Source: Supplied

This is a big call, but we reckon goat's cheese is the tastiest (and most versatile) of all cheeses.

It's soft, can be strong or delicate in flavour, and can be used in anything from salads to pastas or just lathered onto a piece of bread.

But soon we might have to give up this wonderful delicacy.

In 2010, over 50,000 goats pregnant goats and sheep were culled after a major outbreak of Q fever disease in the UK.

This occurred just as people around the world seems to acquire a taste for the delicious treat. And they were willing to pay for it.

As the amount of available product dwindles but demand increases, prices will swiftly follow.

George Paul, director of cheesemaker Bradbury & Son, told The Telegraph that retailers will either need to pay more for goat products or risk supplies depleting.

So if you want the good stuff, you're going to have to get used to paying a lot for it.