This chapter takes stock of the global environmental impact of the use of different categories of materials provided by nature (biomass, fossil fuels, metal ores and non-metallic ores). Making use of recent research by the World Bank it shows the links between the use of these materials with the satisfaction of diverse sources of human demand for goods and services (food, housing, mobility, energy, etc.). There are some good news, such as the falling ratio of fossil fuels and biomass use per unit of GDP across all regions of the world. However, this is not the case for metals and minerals, especially in Latin America and Africa, where countries rely significantly on them for exports revenues. Since final demand for these commodities is coming both from high income countries as well as from fast developing nations, the reduction of their environmental impact will be challenging. In addition, market signals are distorted by significant externalities linked to greenhouse gases emissions and biodiversity in the places where they are extracted.