Two-thirds of world's resources 'used up'

The Guardian ^ | March 30, 2005 | Tim Radford

[Publius6961]

Two-thirds of world's resources 'used up'

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Can't make up stuff this funny!

[Publius6961]

· An estimated 24% of the Earth's land surface is now cultivated.

How does this translate into 2/3 used up?

For example how does having wheat and other grains growing in the great plains differ from the same area growing wild grasses?

· Water withdrawals from lakes and rivers has doubled in the last 40 years. Humans now use between 40% and 50% of all available freshwater running off the land.

And after use, all that water is teleported to another galaxy? The hydrologic (renewal) cycle no longer exists?

[Publius6961]

I am not a enviro-wacko, but I have heard stories about the silt build up and the pollution of the Mississippi lately...

Ummm... yes.
If it's a river, two things are certain: erosion and siltation.

For about 6 Billion years, now.

[RightWhale]

The water in the oceans is recycled frequently. 20 years, 20 million years, something like that. How much has been part of a plant or animal at one time or another?

[conserv13]

I know that, duh...

There are ways that human activity can affect that though, both positive and negative.

[N. Theknow]

"Humans now use between 40% and 50% of all available freshwater running off the land. "

And how did the water become fresh in the first place?

Ever stop and wonder how many times, in the millenia that water has been on the planet, that a single drop of tap water from our kitchen faucet has been a drop of sweat, or urine, or sea water, rain water, steam, fog, spit, drool, any or all of the Great Lakes, any or all of the rivers of the world?

[unkus]

EARTH FIRST!!! We'll mine the other planets later.

[Publius6961]

There are ways that human activity can affect that though, both positive and negative.

...and minuscule.

[America's Resolve]

Conversely, a third of the 170 alien species in the Great Lakes are originally from the Baltic.

Friggin illegal aliens!

8^)

[Osage Orange]

And how did the water become fresh in the first place?

What is algore..? Alex...

[SierraWasp]

You don't have to be anything at all!!! Any old Freakazoid with a big mouth will do!!!

[Windsong]

"When it does that, it will eventually engulf the earth, which pretty much will ruin all the tourist spots on the planet.

Right, but Pluto will offer one helluva view..right?

[Dog Gone]

Pluto would be a safe distance. We've only got about five billion years to evacuate the planet we're currently on, and I say let's get cracking!

[GRRRRR]

Oh and what a 2.25 Billion years they will be! I can't wait.

These people are nuts. Don't they know anything?

Water is used and recycled, except for some astronaut pee floating out in space, we got the same amount of water on the planet that we started off with some jillion years ago, right after that big flood...

Animals live and die, some die and get barbeque sauce on them!

Trees are a renewable resource, a crop, just like corn etc. It just takes trees a little longer than one summer to grow to harvest size. Heck it takes pineapples 3 years to produce one stinking fruit for some fruity drink garnish!

Next then you know they will be saying we should all be driving electric cars...where are we gonna get the juice to fill them batteries???

G

[antceecee]

Here's a good place to go for an elementary geology lesson for all on the water cycle...
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclesummary.html

[editor-surveyor]

"I used up 2/3rds of my underwear."

That's not good news for your fashion future Arthur, since you've not used up 2/3 of your life. Do you plan to spend your later years with levi-burn? :o)

[UCANSEE2]

Actually, we are losing water

I disagree. See my earlier posts. Maybe you and I are both wrong, and it is exactly the same, because of your reasons, and mine?

[UCANSEE2]

Pure Unadulterated Bull Scat!!

PUBS?

Yep, England has plenty of those.

[UCANSEE2]

So, we would have Freepers Against BREEZE!

FABREEZE !!!

[HitmanLV]

What about the resoruces we don't know about yet?