19 12 5 percentages of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium on nearly every fertilizer packet - U. . is !

!orlds 2nd largest producer of phosphorus "after #hina$ 19% total, &ut '5% of that amount comes from a single source( pit mines near )ampa, *la. - +,% of glo&al reserves are controlled &y morocco - audi .ra&ia of phosphorus./ - 0odern agricultural practices have tripled that natural rate of phosphorus depletion from the land - 12cessive runoff into !ater!ays is feeding uncontrolled algal &looms - 3hosphorus has &ecome on of the most significant sustaina&ility issues of our time - 4eathering releases phosphorus from rocks into soil -5 entering the food chain and making its !ay through every living &eing. - 3hosphorus forms the &ack&one of 67. and of cellular mem&ranes and it is the crucial component in the molecule adenosine triphosphate, or .)3 - .verage &ody contains '5, gram of phosphorus - 8and ecosystem reuse phosphorus in local cycles a&out +' times -5 minerals through !eathering and runoff make its !ay into the ocean -5 marine organisms can recycle it a&out 9,, times &efore it passes into sediments -5 over tens of millions of years tectonic uplift may return it to dry land - :arvesting &reaks up cycle &;c it removes phosphorus from the land. - )oo much soil erosion ends up in lakes and oceans, !here it spurs massive, uncontrolled &looms of cyano&acteria and algae. - 4hen algae die -5 dead zones - 22 mill metric tons come from phosphate minning - !e have enough phosphorus to last nearly a millennium according to )he <nternational =eological #orrelation 3rogram, &ut it includes rocks like high car&onate minerals !here the phosphorus can>t &e e2tracted from them - Usa&le phosphorus ? 15,,,, million metric tons last a&out 9, years at current use rates - U. , #hina, outh .frica and 0orocco ? hold 9@% of the !orld>s reserves and account for 2;@ of annual production - U. produces a&out @, mill. 0etric tons of phosphate rock a year, !hich lasts ao&ut +, years, &ut that>s not enough to satisfy countries production of fertilizers that is e2ported - 0uch of the glo&e may come to depend on a single country for a critical resource A8U)<A7 - reduce fertilizer usage through more efficient agricultural practices such as terrancing and no-till farming to diminish erosion - stalks and stems returned to soil !ith its phosphorus - treat !aste!ater to recover phosphorus from solid !aste!ater - 4e are running out of phosphorus deposits that are relatively easily and cheaply e2ploita&le )he fear of running out of phosphorus is one that has &een lingering for some time. 0odern agricultural practices have tripled that natural rate of phosphorus depletion from the land due to their e2cessive use for them. <n a &ag of fertilizer you see the num&ers 19 12 5 !hich are percentages of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. .fter #hina the U. is the !orld>s largest producer of phosphorus !ith a total of 19%, &ut '5% of that amount comes

from the single source pit mines near )ampa, *lorida. .&out +,% of glo&al reserves for phosphorus are controlled &y 0orocco, or more kno!n as - audi .ra&ia of phosphorus./.lthough e2cessive amounts of phosphorus are &ad for the environment in particular !ater!ays due to the uncontrolled algal &looms phosphorus has &ecome one of the most significant sustaina&ility issues of our time. 7ot enough is &eing made to sustain our needs. )he U. produces a&out @, million metric tons of phosphate rock a year !hich is said to last a&out +, years, &ut it is still not enough to satisfy the countries production of fertilizers that is e2ported. 4hat is said !ill happen is much of the glo&e may come to depend on a single country for a critical resource. )here are solutions though to ho! to fi2 this pro&lem. . couple are reducing fertilizer usage &y more running more efficient agricultural practices such as terracing and no-till farming to diminish erosion. .nother solution is returning stalks and stems from crops to the soil so the phosphorus from them can soak &ack into the soil. 8astly treating !aste!ater to recover phosphorus from solid !aste!ater. )his process though is difficult &ecause residual &iosolids are contaminated !ith many pollutants, especially heavy metals like lead and cadmium leaching from old pipes. 4e are running out of phosphorus deposits that are relatively easily and cheaply e2ploita&le < found this article fairly interesting &ecause < never kne! !e had a phosphorus pro&lem. < al!ays thought the pro&lem !as eutrophication, &ut apparently the lack of phosphorus is also a pro&lem as !ell. 8ike al!ays humans are overusing their natural resources until it is too late or almost too late to fi2 the pro&lem. 4e take things for granted !ay too often, it>s annoying to me. <t>s like !e find something !onderful that !ill &enefit us and then take it and go crazy. <t reminds me of a child &eing in a room full of candy. 4e need to &e more resourceful and stop acting like careless children. o 4hatB )his is yet another resource that !e may run out of &ecause !e overuse it too much. )his should &e a !ake up call for many people that if !e continue taking !hat !e have for granted !e !ill end up !ith nothing in the end. ure no! life is good, &ut !hat a&out it 2, years or 1, years. 4hat <f..B <f !e continue not taking caution on our resources !e !ill end up !ith nothing and struggling. 3hosphorus is an important nutrient &esides nitrogen for plants to gro!. 4ithout it !e may have trou&le gro!ing crops to feed all the people on this earth. ays 4hoB )his article !as !ritten &y 6avid Caccari, &ut other researchers and scientists as !ell as authors contri&uted to the information on the article.

4hat 6oes )his Demind 0e AfB )his reminds me of the !ater unit &ecause !e take !ater for granted as !ell. .nd until it is gone people !ill &egin to &e !illing to change their !ays, !hich is very sad. <t takes for us to almost die for change to occur &ecause !e refuse to change our !ays.