"The Five Biggest Threats To Human Existence"

[UndercoverElephant]

My guess is that the thing that will ultimately bring civilisation as we know it crashing down is going to be phosphorus, or "peak fertiliser". We have maybe 20 or 30 years before we start running into serious supply problems, and if the die-off hasn't already started then there will be a 2 or 3 billion extra humans to feed by then. The problem is that the only way to avoid a phosphorus-depletion, lack-of-fertiliser food crisis, leading to die-off, is to completely rethink and redesign the systems used in the modern world to treat sewage and waste water. We'd have to collect and recycle as much human and animal biological waste as possible, instead of allowing all that phosphorus to end up in the rivers and eventually the oceans. And given that nobody is even thinking about this yet, and that in the intervening time we are going to be plagued by ever-increasing other problems linked to peak-everything-else, overpopulation, water shortages and climate change, I can't imagine that the world is going to be in any fit state to make that sort of transition. The result will be a die off of humans until the population gets back down to a level where organic methods and small-scale recycling of human/animal waste becomes possible again. Once upon a time humans lived without industrial fertilisers, and it can happen again, but only if there's a lot fewer of us.

[emordnilap]

Agree UE. There are some people thinking about it but, as with most things, we're far too few to affect the world. I can only spread the word to people who show interest; most others think I'm weird.

Humanure - Should we? Could we? Would we?

We do. There's nothing simpler. Started over the last weekend, bucket, loo seat, basic plywood frame to support, sawdust. No flushing of loos for days now, saving water and leccy, saving the septic tank. In fact, nothing's going to the septic tank now.

A few pallets for the triple-bay heap, couple of bales of straw plus grass clippings. There's something relaxing about the whole set-up.

Wonder how the neighbours will react.