4 ms·

>>In many ways its like "running out of water" which on its face is preposterous. The planet is literally covered in the stuff. The vast majority of that water

>>In many ways its like "running out of water" which on its face is preposterous. The planet is literally covered in the stuff. The vast majority of that water is not drinkable. THAT is the main issue. Obviously we won't ever run out of the H2O molecule, but there is a good chance that the availability of cheap, potable water will be a major issue in the coming decades.

ChuckMcM 10y ago
... but there is a good chance that the availability of cheap, potable water will be a major issue in the coming decades. Actually there isn't. It is possible that for a given population of people in a particular place on the planet they may find there is a shortage of water, but as long as the sun shines it will continue to evaporate trillions of tons of water which will then move over land and condense out of the atmosphere. Its also possible to get water out of the air where it didn't previously condense on its own.[1][2] [1] http://www.islandsky.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=117&Itemid=78 http://www.islandsky.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=a... [2] http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2011/03/07/the-fog-collectors-harvesting-water-from-thin-air/ http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2011/03/07/the-fog-collectors-h...
- enraged_camel 10y ago
  >>It is possible that for a given population of people in a particular place on the planet they may find there is a shortage of water Yes, that's what I meant. And this can be a MAJOR issue. Not sure why you're trying to downplay its importance. I mean you can look at places like Haiti today to understand the true effects of regional clean water shortages. They are absolutely devastating. The other thing you haven't mentioned is contamination, which is a lot more difficult for the natural water cycle to handle. For example, underground water reservoirs are an important source of clean water for many villages, towns and cities all over the world. If they get contaminated, you can't just wait for that water to evaporate and then condense back as relatively clean water.
  - ChuckMcM 10y ago
    I can see why you think I'm downplaying its importance, I assure you that I am not. I am responding (perhaps too strongly) to the notion that we can "run out of water" which literally we cannot do. The problem is people can use all of the water around them and that leads to a crisis. To address that crisis we need better water transportation. And that has times where it too is impractical, like importing water to the Bahamas because the natural water cycle doesn't produce enough water for the population. Rather than tell the Bahamas "limit the number of people who will need to consume that water" we work on ways to either transport water too, or manufacture water on site. The latter is always possible with the addition of energy. And if that makes water "too expensive" we're back to the "limit your users of water" solution.

ChuckMcM 10y ago

... but there is a good chance that the availability of cheap, potable water will be a major issue in the coming decades. Actually there isn't. It is possible that for a given population of people in a particular place on the planet they may find there is a shortage of water, but as long as the sun shines it will continue to evaporate trillions of tons of water which will then move over land and condense out of the atmosphere. Its also possible to get water out of the air where it didn't previously condense on its own.[1][2] [1] http://www.islandsky.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=117&Itemid=78 http://www.islandsky.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=a... [2] http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2011/03/07/the-fog-collectors-harvesting-water-from-thin-air/ http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2011/03/07/the-fog-collectors-h...

enraged_camel 10y ago
>>It is possible that for a given population of people in a particular place on the planet they may find there is a shortage of water Yes, that's what I meant. And this can be a MAJOR issue. Not sure why you're trying to downplay its importance. I mean you can look at places like Haiti today to understand the true effects of regional clean water shortages. They are absolutely devastating. The other thing you haven't mentioned is contamination, which is a lot more difficult for the natural water cycle to handle. For example, underground water reservoirs are an important source of clean water for many villages, towns and cities all over the world. If they get contaminated, you can't just wait for that water to evaporate and then condense back as relatively clean water.
- ChuckMcM 10y ago
  I can see why you think I'm downplaying its importance, I assure you that I am not. I am responding (perhaps too strongly) to the notion that we can "run out of water" which literally we cannot do. The problem is people can use all of the water around them and that leads to a crisis. To address that crisis we need better water transportation. And that has times where it too is impractical, like importing water to the Bahamas because the natural water cycle doesn't produce enough water for the population. Rather than tell the Bahamas "limit the number of people who will need to consume that water" we work on ways to either transport water too, or manufacture water on site. The latter is always possible with the addition of energy. And if that makes water "too expensive" we're back to the "limit your users of water" solution.