Return to David's theory of evolution and theodicy II (Evolution)

by David Turell , Tuesday, November 07, 2023, 19:45 (171 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: I agreed with everything you wrote about humans destroying our own sources of food.

Here is another problem, salt:

https://www.sciencealert.com/were-disrupting-another-major-earth-cycle-and-no-ones-talk...

"While geological and hydrological processes naturally bring salt up to Earth's surface over long time spans, we're speeding up this natural flow due to mining, land development, and the use of road salts to melt ice.

"Researchers from the University of Maryland, the University of Connecticut, Virginia Tech and other institutions have all combined their expertise to document what they describe as an "existential threat" to supplies of freshwater.

***

"'Twenty years ago, all we had were case studies," says ecologist Gene Likens, from the University of Connecticut. "We could say surface waters were salty here in New York or in Baltimore's drinking water supply."

"'We now show that it's a cycle – from the deep Earth to the atmosphere – that's been significantly perturbed by human activities."

"Among the study's findings are that around 2.5 billion acres of soil worldwide have been affected by human-caused salinization, and that salt used to deice roads is also finding its way into the air.

"The increasing saltiness of sources of freshwater is one of the biggest concerns. If the trend continues, finding enough water for the world's population to drink could become a real challenge – and that's before we get to the damage to other animals and their habitats.

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"The researchers are calling for more to be done to assess our impact on the salt cycle, and to reduce that impact: one starting point could be the 44 billion pounds of salt distributed on US roads each year. Ultimately, further study and regulation is going to be required.

"This is a very complex issue because salt is not considered a primary drinking water contaminant in the US, so to regulate it would be a big undertaking," says Kaushal.

"'But do I think it's a substance that is increasing in the environment to harmful levels? Yes.'"

Comment: God gave us the perfect planet, but we are not keeping it that way.