Pollution Needing Our Greatest Potential

We talked about many types of pollution related to the Food Energy Water Nexus. I indicated that I thought the most pressing environmental challenges with this connection were air pollution, climate change (global warming), deforestation, loss of biodiversity, eutrophication, and soil erosion. Although I mourn the loss of biodiversity and make contributions to charities to fight the loss of endangered species (especially my poor Siberian tigers!), I do not believe that this is the most pressing issue. I believe the two issues that need to be confronted first to stem off the decline of the human race and life as we know it are climate change and eutrophication. Of these, I believe eutrophication will be the more devastating one, in part because it is somewhat under the radar. Eutrophication, which is nutrient pollution, leads to massive overgrowth of algae, which block sunlight and consume all dissolved oxygen in larger bodies of water. This results in large dead zones. I believe the dead zones in oceans is also linked to this, though in the more turbulent oceans waters, there could be other factors at play. The added pressures of growing human populations and over-“fishing” will create a relatively abrupt halt in food supplies. I can’t help but be reminded of the movie “Soylent Green,” as corny as it is.

There are several challenges to addressing the problem of eutrophication. First, as efforts to address undernutrition and malnutrition in developing countries grow, there will inevitably be larger pressures for Green Revolutions in these countries. A cornerstone to Green Revolution is large use of fertilizers to ensure large crop yields. Then, there is the before mentioned challenge that over use of nutrients is not discussed much in public and political circles. This will result in lack of interest and funding for developing novel solutions to the challenge. Finally, since fertilizers are helpful for farmers and small runoffs can actually benefit neighboring wildlands, finding a sweet spot of effective use of fertilizers will be extremely challenging. Addressing “too much of a good thing” and promoting moderation has been a daunting challenges no matter what the thing is. Just look at coffee, alcohol, food, antibiotics, attention, economic stimulus, political correctness, debate before making a decision, etc., etc.

Despite these challenges, I know we have the ability to address this issue. Through education, innovation, willingness to promote ideas, and the hard work of follow-through we can find the sweet spot of providing enough nutrients to grow large yields of crops without the massive run-off that leads to ecological disasters. When we set aside our differences and work towards a common goal (such as the survival of our future), we can achieve great things. Inclusion, diversity, and compromise will work to our advantage!