.
There's already millions more people every year, we'll eventually run out and I don't really want to be around for when they do. Hopefully it doesn't happen in our lifetime. As with everything it's entirely preventable but we won't like always not do anything about it because why care if it doesn't affect us now? I mean I care obviously but that's people's current attitudes.
There are solutions to make potable water from polluted sources.. except for the radiation contamination..
we cant live without water, everyone needs it
Most humans
have very short attention spans. They only think about what affects them TODAY. I guess they figure tomorrow will be someone else's problem. Thank you for your thoughtful answer mu and Happy Friday to you! :)
Enough to last? Population increases will increase demand. Is the source inexhaustible? Thank you for your reply Adam.
Especially as the population increases. Thank you for your thought ful analysis Step and Happy Friday! :)
I know. Will we ever run out? Thank you for your reply pearl! :)
The Earth won't run out of water, well, not until the Sun "dies" in a few thousand million years' time - but as others point out it may become harder and costlier to purify sufficient for human consumption thanks to ever-increasing population. And that within decades or centuries.
I saw a clip on TV a few weeks ago Durdle. That the real struggle/fight will be for water sorld-wide among nations. Everything else will pale in comparison. It isn't only California and a few other states suffering from drought. All over the world there are countries suffering from drought and have been for years. I don't think the direction is going to change. That water will
become more plentiful through the years. Thank you for your reply! :)
I am afraid the clip you saw may yet prove correct - a terrifying thought.
Going back to your question about oil - what do you mean by alternatives or replacements for "oil". The crude oil from the well is a complex blend of chemicals that provide far more than just vehicle and heating fuel; and if we were to stop using just those fuels, what do we do with the vast stocks of them that would accumulate in refining the other chemicals from the crude feed-stock?
If we were to stop bringing the stuff out of the ground completely, I think society would revert to a state somewhat similar to that of the early 19C, because we would have far fewer, or no, plastics, good-quality paints and inks, fertilisers (I know some "greens" would cheer that!), pharmaceuticals, lubricants and so on.
We would not be able to discuss it on the Internet: we would not be able to build the alternative electricity-generating plant necessary (no fuels for the necessary materials processing, and for the transport and construction machinery) let alone manufacture computers. No suitable materials even.
The bleak outcome is that the style of life familiar since the discovery that coal, and later oil, can be processed to give various valuable by-products, will end. Yes, to an extent some useful materials can be extracted from vegetable matter, but the range is limited and the volume insufficient, and again how do we process and transport the products?
There are no "alternatives to oil" if you mean crude oil - the liquid from the ground - and indeed coal. There are a few alternatives to some of the chemicals they can give, but no overall replacement at all.
At least the Earth's supply of water won't run out. It is continually recycled naturally - but suppose we run out or stop using fossil fuels feed-stocks? How do we then ensure everyone can be supplied with clean drinking water and their sewage removed when we can no longer build the necessary plant and equipment?
I am speaking about whatever it is that is polluting our air/ground/environment Durdle. If our goal is clean air and a healthy planet
and operating vehicles continues to pollute it we need to find an alternative source of fuel do we not? Isn't that why we have electric cars and hybrids? Now if the plethora of other things that you mention based on fossil fuel also is causing pollution then shouldn't we find alternatives to those too? How much crap comes out of manufacturing plants/smokestacks? Is that just ugly to behold or is it also unhealthy/dangerous as well? So when I say "ALTERNATIVES" I am being very specific. If it doesn't pollute the air or soil or environment I don't care what is used or what it is used for. If it does I do. Don't you? Thank you for your thoughtful reply. :)
Oh, yes, I agree with you, but I'm not saying the non-fuels produced from oil or coal are themselves polluting. I don't think modern chemical plants produce much pollution - at least they should not - from the processes and products, but they do use a lot of fuel and this itself is obviously polluting.
Yes, a lot of work is being done on satisfactory alternatives, but I am afraid none of them are environmentally innocent; and we live in a world with an exponentially-increasing population all demanding more and more luxury and leisure as well as essentials in life.
What does seem likely is that society in developed countries like ours will have to become more parochial in providing itself with food etc. It will have to accept it can't just go on luxury sea-cruises or long-haul holiday flights; or enjoy sports like motor-racing, because the fuels necessary for these will become scarcer and costlier. It will have to rein back on the vast amount of electricity consumed on entertainments and advertising: neon signs, huge arena events etc. Private transport will become more of a luxury for the well-off than something affordable by most on reasonable, ordinary wages. We won't be browsing the menus of the world as transporting fruit and vegetables around the planet becomes as expensive as shipping the cars and computers.
There ARE alternatives to fossil minerals' fuel and non-fuel derivatives, to a point, but they are not magic cures, not devoid of all risk of pollution or other damage, and will never meet a growing demand for an ever-higher standard of living by a rapidly-growing population.
Ah. I see the problem. How do you take things away that folks have always enjoyed and thought was their right? That will be an extremely difficult thing to do. Convince them that they will have to give up a few things. The wealthy are the ones who are gonna hafta give it up because they are the ones who can afford to indulge in energy-consuming luxuries/activities. The poor are not the problem. They already do without a lot. So how do you convince the privileged that they must rethink how they live their lives? As long as it doesn't affect them personally they are all for it intellectually. But they are all NIMBY folks. It's good for the others but stay off MY property. Sigh
. Big Sigh. Thank you for your thoughtful and informative reply Durdle. So where do we go from here m'dear? :)
A very good point, Rosie. People tend to try to live up to their wealth, however much or little it is, and no-one would want to give up their luxuries and pleasures.
I wonder if the poor would be the more reluctant because they have the greater proportion of their belongings to lose.
When we stared this or a similar conversation it was brought home to me when driving past my local harbour, on my way to work. There are some, but not many, ostentatious "gin palaces" among the boats, but almost all are made from fibre-glass laminate, which lasts many years but is just not salvageable when scrapped. Glass melts at over 1000ºC so making even a fairly small amount of the raw glass and the glass-fibre itself needs a great deal of heat hence fuel. The resin binder uses chemicals derived from oil.
Not far from my home town is the headquarters of Sunseeker Yachts - the sort of extremely expensive "yachts" seen at Monte-Carlo and the like. The company making these symbols of huge private wealth, is now owned by the People's Republic of China, ironically. Neither customer nor yacht-builder's owner is likely to worry too much about the energy consumption represented by these things.
Where do we go from here?
I hate to think.... I'm just pleased I won't be around in 100 years time.
