scary thought
by John at 8/19/2005 08:50:00 AM
A couple of nights ago, I read (near the end of Collapse by Jared Diamond) that humans now make use of about half of the Earth's photosynthetic capacity. Photosynthetic capacity is, roughly speaking, the amount of energy that can be converted and stored by plants through photosynthesis. As you know, almost all life on Earth is solar powered, with the notable exception of some deep sea dwellers that get their energy from bacteria metabolizing sulfur found near the volcanic vents. Anyway, this leaves the other half of the Earth's photosynthetic capacity available to the rest of the biosphere, to provide energy for things that aren't specifically used by humans - dolphins, for instance, or the garter snake that lives in my backyard.
By 2050 (if I remember correctly), the estimate is that humans will use almost all the photosynthetic capacity of the Earth. That means, roughly, that there will be almost nothing left for anything else.
What do you think of that?
-----
P.S. That I am almost done with Collapse means that there just might be another "30 second book reviews" coming up. Yeehaw.
By 2050 (if I remember correctly), the estimate is that humans will use almost all the photosynthetic capacity of the Earth. That means, roughly, that there will be almost nothing left for anything else.
What do you think of that?
-----
P.S. That I am almost done with Collapse means that there just might be another "30 second book reviews" coming up. Yeehaw.
