Environmental Engineering Reference
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180,000,000
160,000,000
140,000,000
120,000,000
100,000,000
80,000,000
60,000,000
40,000,000
20,000,000
0
1900
1920
1940
1960
1980
2000
2020
Year
Figure 15.5 Yearly world production of phosphate rock.
From US Geological Survey, 2010.
is a continuous mobilization of phosphorus from concentrated sources to diluted ones. World
production of phosphorus is still climbing as a result of the demand and the fact that it still is
extracted from the best deposits (Fig. 15.5). Once these start to decline, less favorable deposits
will have to be tapped into, and a realistic anticipation of a slowdown in production could be
expected and thus reaching “peak phosphorus.”
SUSTAINABILITY IN THE CONTEXT OF DECLINING RESOURCES
Are humans capable of maintaining the current economic level in the context of declining
resources? It is hard to visualize if we consider we live in a closed system with limited
resources. Moreover, sustaining continuous growth that is venerated is even harder to envision
or even physically possible.
However, these are known problems (i.e., energy, water, materials, and environmental
degradation) that will come to pass in the future. And there are still resources that would help
in building a new way of doing business. The question is who is going to take the initiative.
Are there enough people and organizations willing to take action? This would imply accepting
trade-offs between the benefits of current practices, which are considered standard (e.g., con-
tinuous growth), and a new model based on the maximization of use of energy and natural
resources and minimization of waste. On the other hand, will consumers be gracious enough
to acknowledge companies with serious initiatives in sustainability? If they are, companies
that embrace true sustainability initiatives will be rewarded.
Regardless of what happens in the future, there is one unavoidable reality: It is not about
“saving” the planet as some claim; nature will take its course, and in that context, humans
needs to save themselves.
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