[ExI] Top Soil Depletion

[BillK]

On Fri, 16 Feb 2024 at 06:12, Kelly Anderson via extropy-chat
<extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>
> I see ground water depletion as a fairly easily solved problem once
> one has sufficient energy resources. Simply desalinate and pump. With
> fusion, it's fairly easy to see how that problem gets solved by a
> future of energy abundance.
>
<snip>
>
> -Kelly
> _______________________________________________


Well, I see a few problems with that.  :)

First, fusion power is always sometime in the next 30 years ahead.
It would certainly be nice to have, but it may take a long time arriving.

Groundwater depletion needs solutions quickly. Humans (and
agriculture) cannot survive without fresh water. That's why current
expensive desalination plants are still being installed. 'Necessary'
overrides the expense.
Though some installations may be able to use solar power.

Then there are the environmental impacts. What to do with all the
brine (concentrated saltwater) polluted with chemicals that is
produced? Dumping it into the sea will harm marine life. The intake
pipes also cause harm as they suck in plankton and small sealife.

It all may be solvable eventually, but populations are faced *now*
with wells drying up and land subsidence.


BillK