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Aswad -> RE: Wanna do soething for me ? (8/19/2011 9:49:18 PM)
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Phosphors are not generally made out of phosphorous, and we're talking megatons here.
Artificial fertilizer is needed to maintain the population of the Earth, and it requires phosphorous, which is extracted from rocks that are mined. These mines have enough for 20-30 years at the current level of consumption (and growth in consumption). Phosphorous is a component of the bilipid layer of the cell membranes in most life forms. As such, we must have it for life to exist, and synthesizing it is out, as it's the actual element we're running out of.
It can be recirculated sufficiently to sustain ecological farming, enough for about 3 billion people, if we make the necessary investments (i.e. declare martial law and commandeer the equipment and workers to carry out the work that needs to be done). This is an instance of nature exhibiting this great thing called self-regulation: the catastrophic decimation of a species that has stretched beyond what the biosphere can support. The supply will be replenished as continental drift lifts new rocks up from the deep, but that's a multimillion year timescale. Recirculation and immediate birth control is the only known way to save 3 billion out of what... 12-16 billion by that time?
Course, politics and royalties and scandals and widescreen TVs and so forth are more important to a lot of people on the single blue pixel in Voyager's rear view mirror.
And the cessation of any significant food production is nowhere near as scary as terrorism or recessions or whatever.
-sigh-
Health,
al-Aswad.
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