4 ms·
Fertilizer is nitrate, sulfur and potassium, not oil. Cement and plastics have solid enough replacements out there, need to be deployed finally. Steel is harder
by AstralStorm 3y ago
Fertilizer is nitrate, sulfur and potassium, not oil.
Cement and plastics have solid enough replacements out there, need to be deployed finally.
Steel is harder but there are composites, biotech and carbon options.
The only problem is trucks, diesel trains, tractors and some ships.
Ships could just go the old slow way.
Diesel trains have electric replacements, trucks and tractors are hard though mostly due to sheer numbers.
Then we have airplanes, big ones have no replacement but we can live without them.
The pharmaceuticals we can make from biomaterials, no serious mining.
Industrial heat might be a problem for a hot moment but there are some possibilities.
Water however is the key issue we will face and cannot really go around.
- pipes 3y agoAs far as I know we have no way to produce fertilizer at scale other than the haber-bosch process, and this requires fossil fuels. I'd be happy to be wrong about this!
- mrguyorama 3y agoThe haber process requires only nitrogen, hydrogen, and a metal catalyst.