81–90 of 197 posts
We're going to need a lot of desalination plants powered by clean energy.
IIRC These can have thier own host of problems because the 'brine' byproduct doesn't mix well back into the ocean and can settle/pool and create marine dead zones. Although suppose that will be less of a priority if people are thirsty.
If weather patterns shift, the infrastructure built to store water will have to shift as well. Earth is a closed system, so we should expect to see water storage decline in some areas and flooding increase in some areas. It’s all climate change stuff.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
IIRC These can have thier own host of problems because the 'brine' byproduct doesn't mix well back into the ocean and can settle/pool and create marine dead zones. Although suppose that will be less of a priority if people are thirsty.
We pump brine inland to a large flat expendabe plain and flood it to allow the water to evaporate off and the salt to sette. 20-50 years later, pod racing on the salt flat.
We're going to need a lot of desalination plants powered by clean energy.
there is a second side to this systems-diagram, which is roughly.. conservation, efficiency, waste-reduction
If weather patterns shift, the infrastructure built to store water will have to shift as well. Earth is a closed system, so we should expect to see water storage decline in some areas and flooding increase in some areas. It’s all climate change stuff.
Earth isn't a closed system, we take in energy from the sun.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Farm runoff normally has the opposite effect, providing too many nutrients causing things like algal blooms.
So the brine and the farm runoff will cancel out and the result will be just right for nature. Right? Right?
Skinner: Well, I was wrong; the lizards are a godsend.
Lisa: But isn't that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we're overrun by lizards?
Skinner: No problem. We simply release wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They'll wipe out the lizards.
Lisa: But aren't the snakes even worse?
Skinner: Yes, but we're prepared for that. We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat.
Lisa: But then we're stuck with gorillas!
Skinner: No, that's the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
When water gets in short enough supply, we will burn coal, garbage, tires, anything to power desalination plants.
Desalination cones should work in tropical climates. [1] http://www.watercone.com/product.html
The same designer made this Terracooler which is also a fascinating idea.
Here in the Netherlands they decided to increase the water level of our lakes by 5cm to handle the drought season this year. Since the amount of snowfall in the Alps was lower than normal. https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/nieuws/archief/2023/04/hoger-...
It must be nice to live in a country that manages their natural resources with an eye towards long-term sustainability.
Dumb question: where did the water go?
Depends how close farmers are to water sources. They run high speed pumps at night or camouflage them in streams to get by water restrictions. There’s the famous California telephone pole picture too. https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/themarinpost/emimg/1249/S...
It fascinates me how things have obvious consequences but human race just ignore them till literally everything is burning. As it is with water shortages, climate change or Hitler.