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J_McJesky t1_ir1kcdk wrote

Reply to comment by fuck_all_you_people in Global Agricultural Land Use v. Agricultural Production [OC] by rosetechnology

This is what's been going on for decades. Nebraska has been doing this PLUS draining the ogallala aquifer to irrigate corn for a generation. We know the aquifer is emptying at an alarming rate and the state government is just like "eh, I'm sure technology will save us someday in the future, PUMP MORE WATER!" Such a "fuck the kids" mentality and I just don't get it.....

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fuck_all_you_people t1_ir1kp5e wrote

Dustbowl Part II: Electric Bugaloo

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J_McJesky t1_ir1l2ob wrote

"But didn't you hear? There's a water CYCLE! obviously all this water will definitely refill the aquifer faster than we're emptying it EVENTUALLY!"

People are so stupid sometimes it makes me want to cry.....

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dtreth t1_ir72x21 wrote

Republicans. You just described them to a T.

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s0cks_nz t1_ir3tnd2 wrote

Imagine. The most advanced society to ever grace the solar system, and our food production technique has already decimated 30-50% of our top soil in just one human lifetime.

An agricultural system that will basically exhaust the planet's fertility in less than 200yrs (from the start of the green revolution) just seems monumentally stupid. But here we are. And that's not even mentioning what it's done to insect populations both above and below ground.

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Northstar1989 t1_ir4mz8o wrote

Thankfully, this kind of thing is self-limiting.

The more expensive crops become (due to diminishing usable topsoil) relative to the cost of things like fertilizer and hiring land use experts to advise on how to reduce erosion, the more these will be used.

Looking at any trend and projecting it infinitely into the future without change is always a terrible idea.

Feedback looks exist everywhere. Trends will generally either accelerate, or slow down and level off, with time.

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