Let’s assume for a second that we run through our stock of finite resources of life too quickly, decide not to conserve, and watch as our planet runs out of food and water. What would happen after that?
First, the good news, such as it is. Water, at least, will not do a complete disappearing act, so to speak. Since it changes state, water will return in the form of rain or snow.
The catch, though, is that most of it is salt water. The fresh water we require is mostly found frozen at the poles. Rivers and streams come to our rescue, though. The problem is in ensuring that demand and supply are balanced, which gets difficult as populations continue to grow.
According to climate data, we’re rapidly draining alternate water reserves such as underground wells. So, a great deal of groundwater is either lost to evaporation or ends up in the oceans, which leaves billions of people without access to clean water.
Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that, people are already beginning to fight over these limited resources. Cases in point: the war in Sudan, and riots in Yemen.
The scarcity of water could lead to an increase in food prices, which means we may have to deal with food wars in the future too. And such wars could destroy arable land on a massive scale, meaning more destruction of crops.
Come to think of it, there’s no good news there, really.
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