I wonder if we will have too much of life's elements in suspension.iin

10 Comments

I often think, with our more modern ways of dealing with the dead, and our ever growing population, will we come to a point where we run out of certain elements vital to new life? Of course, it would be a temporary and ugly situation if and when it happened, but is it possible??

First we have all the currently living people who are taking up 'x' amount of several elements of life. Then we have the deceased and either not yet decomposed, or cremated. So those elements are also taken out of circulation, some forever and some for at least a few hundred years. Caskets are now entombed in concrete, thus slowing the return of elements even more than in the past.

Also, we have a larger animal population, with farming and all these pets. We're also stripping more elements from the soil that aren't always responsibly and promptly returned.

Do you see where I'm going with this? Don't you think that if no great tragedy strikes the human race, and it continues on as normal, we'd end up at a point where we'd come close to, or actually deplete at least SOME of the elements vital to life? Our life, animal's lives, and plant life? Would we have to revise our policies of dealing with the dead, and have to grind up and spread the bodies over the land? Of course, not in OUR lifetimes, but in the not so distant future.

I've never thought about that!! Very interesting!! 3
Don't care. 5
I've studied this and it will happen. 2
I've studied this and it won't happen. 2
I have an opinion about this (comment!!) 0
Other answer, I'll comment!! 1
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Comments ( 10 )
  • Shackleford96
    11 years ago

    Probably. Hopefully I'll be dead by then though...

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    • [Old Memory]
      11 years ago

      Agree.

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    Mr OP, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

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  • Mormodes
    11 years ago

    I have a feeling most people in this topic don't understand just how vast our planet it, and just how many elements are on it.

    The lower mantle alone is like 5 times the size of the upper mantle. As far as elements go, and even with the exponential population growth models we are showing today, we would run out of clean water WAY before we would run out of elements.

    Running out of water would result in massive wars and famine, killing off much of the human race.

    Running out of elements is less likely to happen than a meteor striking the Earth.

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    • suckonthis9
      11 years ago

      Water is comprised of elements. Hydrogen and oxygen.

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      • anti-hero
        11 years ago

        Why are you creating a division in society?

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  • suckonthis9
    11 years ago

    What you did not consider is that we are turning much of the carbon into plastic, which will ultimately coat and smother the Earth.

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    • Avant-Garde
      11 years ago

      Why don't people go back to using glass products? I went to europe and most of their drinks came in glass. They've made great steps towards recycling and eco-friendly energies so why can't it be done elsewhere?

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      • suckonthis9
        11 years ago

        One word, Wal-Mart.

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  • thinkingaboutit
    11 years ago

    I've thought about this a lot, and dwindling resources will definitely force the race to adapt. I foresee a lot of people becoming sterile, with something like a 1:5 fertile female-male ratio. This is the science fiction in my head, but there's no doubt population control happens naturally amongst animals and us humans.

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