5 ms·
The total amount of water on the planet stays constant because of that nifty water cycle. The amount of potable water is going to become more scarce as populat
by CatWChainsaw 4y ago
The total amount of water on the planet stays constant because of that nifty water cycle. The amount of potable water is going to become more scarce as population increases and water transportation/sanitation infrastructure fails.
- mjfl 4y agoprecipitation naturally desalinates water, a normally very expensive process. isn't that a crucial detail? Global warming means more global freshwater.
- CatWChainsaw 4y agoStill needs treatment, unless you drink rainwater straight. And you need to collect the rain, not just let it go to runoff. Flash floods are going to damage the infrastructure to collect and purify such water as well. I don't see how that's a good thing. Global warming means sea level rise which means more people crowded into less space which means more pressure on natural ecosystems and more conflict over less resources. Plus a hotter world means we're using more of that water keeping crops hydrated.
- mjfl 4y agoHave never heard of a groundwater well? The ground collects water! It's orders of magnitude cheaper than desalination!! https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/modern-water-well-diagram-picture-id531862237 https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/modern-water-well-diagr...
- owyn 4y agoSure, until the aquifer is permanently destroyed by over-use. There was probably some sustainable rate of usage, but "as much as you can pump" seems to be the current state of affairs. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-western-droughts-permanent-loss-major.html https://phys.org/news/2019-03-western-droughts-permanent-los... https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-02-23/calls-grow-for-stronger-california-groundwater-regulation https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-02-23/calls-g...
- CatWChainsaw 4y agoAquifers are drying up across the world from overuse.