End of the world!

[atrueoriginall]

Q: Why is everyone so obsessed with the eand of the world??? I've been looking around and everyone is obsessed with it,u r just depressing yourselves with these theories.

Take a good look at your world.

[FreyKade]

Q: Why is everyone so obsessed with the eand of the world??? I've been looking around and everyone is obsessed with it,u r just depressing yourselves with these theories.

well we all going to end one day so lets just get on with it..life that is

[atrueoriginall]

Stellar, what planet have you been living on. How about instead, a big fat hole in the ozone layer already causing thousands of cases of melanoma in Australia while scientists argue over the size and how long we can slide before it can't be closed or maybe global warming causing glaciers to melt at a fast and steady rate today or the abuse of nonrenewable natural resources or aids or the damage done to the worlds drinking water when it is the only water we'll ever have and can barely recycle itself any longer or the destruction to the rain forests or or or or.

Do you want proof?

The size of our problems today will be enormous to the people tomorrow and even bigger the day after that. Do you really think that we will sucumb to time and nature first or just one from the above paragraph.

[seeking]

our world is not that bad, global warming is a natural phase the earth goes through, ozone layer or not its going to happen, as for the melanoma cases, if you know there is a bigger chance you aquiring it then you should properly protect yourself, that is no ones fault but there own, and again like ive stated before, if the glaciers melt the water level is going to drop, one of the bizzare characteristics of water is that when it freezes it actually takes up more mass rather than less due to the crystaline structure of it, our world is a lot better than it was 1000s of years ago, and as history repeats itself, we will not destroy our known world, we will actually make it a better place as we have been doing for years now wether you want to admit it or not, if it wasnt we wouldnt have the technology and medical break throughs that we have had in this day and age, all of these advancements make our world a better place, just because a country may go to war, or a car uses more gas than average does not mean we are killing our selves, why do you people persist to try and convince everyone the human race destoroys everything, the world today as you know it is basically a human creation benefiting all

[atrueoriginall]

our world is not that bad, global warming is a natural phase the earth goes through, ozone layer or not its going to happen, as for the melanoma cases, if you know there is a bigger chance you aquiring it then you should properly protect yourself, that is no ones fault but there own, and again like ive stated before, if the glaciers melt the water level is going to drop, one of the bizzare characteristics of water is that when it freezes it actually takes up more mass rather than less due to the crystaline structure of it, our world is a lot better than it was 1000s of years ago,  and as history repeats itself, we will not destroy our known world, we will actually make it a better place as we have been doing for years now wether you want to admit it or not, if it wasnt we wouldnt have the technology and medical break throughs that we have had in this day and age, all of these advancements make our world a better place, just because a country may go to war, or a car uses more gas than average does not mean we are killing our selves, why do you people persist to try and convince everyone the human race destoroys everything, the world today as you know it is basically a human creation benefiting all

399222[/snapback]

You need to buy a bigger house so you can have a bigger closet to live in. I actually came back in because I forgot to mention the nukes but then after reading this I said, what the heck for. I'm talking with walls.

Edited December 12, 2004 by atrueoriginall

[seeking]

when did a nuke destroy the world?

and as a matter of fact, prove that what i said is wrong

Edited December 12, 2004 by seeking

[Stellar]

Stellar, 1:1 The nations were angry, because people kept going around telling the people that the world is going to end in a certain way, simply because it was part of the storyline of an old book. The true end will not be because of man, but because of nature.

Want to get only half blasted, go to the Spiritual and Skeptic forum. However, they do slither over there too.

Its called the Spiritual and Skeptic forum for a reason!

You both know it means the world we live in today, not the whole wide world like the planet.

Our world is changing constantly. The world we live in today will end extreemly soon, just like the middle ages ended. Since I dont think they're talking about it in that sense... I feel yes, end of the world=end of civilization and not end of Earth. Still, I cant see any human reasons putting an end to all humanity. Hell, even an asteroid impact on Earth may not do it. Someone will always survive.

Do you know what we hate, all of you saying over and over again - "If I hear someone say anything again about the end of the world again"----------- don't you think we're sick and tired of it too. Wouldn't it be fair to educate yourselves first in respect to the definition of the word "world" in scripture.

Do you know what I hate? Comments like that. I do know what "world" they're refering to. I still stand by that the end of the world (civilization) will end by natural disaster.

Heck, they didn't even know the Americas existed yet, how in the heck could they have meant the whole wide world.

Wow, for the inspired word of god... it sure is limited in its knowledge.

And if you are talking about global destruction by those things of time and nature we already know about, your off your rocker. We have more serious issues on this earth today that could kill us long before the sun burns out.

Kill some of us, probably. Kill all of us? Not likely.

Take a good look at your world.

Yes, lets take a good look at it. Humans made it through 2 world wars, a cold war, and 2 smaller wars which could have ignited the cold war... yet we're not dead, because of the humans' overall urge to survive.

Stellar, what planet have you been living on. How about instead, a big fat hole in the ozone layer already causing thousands of cases of melanoma in Australia while scientists argue over the size and how long we can slide before it can't be closed or maybe global warming causing glaciers to melt at a fast and steady rate today or the abuse of nonrenewable natural resources or aids or the damage done to the worlds drinking water when it is the only water we'll ever have and can barely recycle itself any longer or the destruction to the rain forests or or or or.

Yes... I've heard it all before... We'll still survive.

Do you want proof?

Proof that the biblical verses are anything more than meer guesses, please.

The size of our problems today will be enormous to the people tomorrow and even bigger the day after that. Do you really think that we will sucumb to time and nature first or just one from the above paragraph.

Yes. We'll always survive those other semi natural threats.

[Stellar]

I actually came back in because I forgot to mention the nukes but then after reading this I said, what the heck for.

Yes, well, have we destroyed ourselves with nukes? As I seem to remember, we survived the cold war. Nukes are no longer a threat right now. At least, not until the next cold war, which, IMO, will probably stay cold again.

I'm talking with walls.

Dont insult your own intelligence by pointing out that these walls are smarter than you.

[I have inside info]

What doesn't end by fire? The universe is going to end "in a fire as large as the sky." And Jonny Cash even said, "I feel into a burring ring of fire..." Hmm... looks like fire is going to end everything. It leaves us with one choice, go back in time and kill the person who invented fire, but then fire would be replaced by ice:

"I fell into a frezzing ring of ice..."

[seeking]

^haha thats so true, but fire was never invented it is a natural thing that we as humans learned out to harness

[atrueoriginall]

I actually came back in because I forgot to mention the nukes but then after reading this I said, what the heck for.

Yes, well, have we destroyed ourselves with nukes? As I seem to remember, we survived the cold war. Nukes are no longer a threat right now. At least, not until the next cold war, which, IMO, will probably stay cold again.

I'm talking with walls.

Dont insult your own intelligence by pointing out that these walls are smarter than you.

Why do you insist on making women look uneducated.

Source

95% - NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2004 5% my daughter.

This was a report my 13-year-old did on Global Conditions of the World.

OZONE & GREENHOUSE

The ozone layer is a region in the stratosphere that contains high concentrations of a gas called ozone. This

bluish gas absorbs the sun’s ultraviolet radiation more efficiently than does any other substance in the

atmosphere. Although ozone constitutes only about one-millionth of the atmosphere, it absorbs most the

sun’s ultraviolet radiation. Without the ozone layer, ultraviolet radiation would destroy all life on the

earth’s surface.

The oxygen molecules needed to sustain life each contain two atoms. In the stratosphere, ultraviolet light

strikes these molecules, splitting each into two oxygen atoms. When one of these combines with an oxygen

molecule, the result is an oxygen molecule with three atoms. Ozone is made up of oxygen molecules that

contain three atoms.

An ozone molecule is very reactive. When struck by an ultraviolet ray, it falls apart to yield an oxygen atom

and the oxygen we need. These recombine though to produce another ozone molecule. Some manufactured

chemicals stop this cycle, reducing the amount of ozone in the stratosphere. Among the worst offenders are

chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s), chemicals used in refrigeration and in the product of foam plastics. A

worldwide ban on CFC’s, proposed in 1987, would help preserve the ozone layer. In time, it could begin

to reconstitute itself.

GREENHOUSE EFFECT

The greenhoue effect is a property of the atmosphere that allows the short-wave radiation of sunlight to pass

easily to the earth’s surface but makes it difficult for heat in the form of long-wave radiation to escape back

toward space. Sunlight penetrates the atmosphere as infrared radiation. Carbon dioxide, water vapor and

other atmospheric gases easily absorb infrared radiation. The gases, in turn, give off heat, some of it

directed toward space and the rest back toward the earth.

Scientists tell us that without this “blanket”, temperatures would be so cold that the earth would be

uninhabitable. However, they also say that human activities may be increasing the greenhouse effect. The

burning of fossil fuels, for example, releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Concentrations of

methane and other “greenhouse gases” are rising too. These gases may absorb enough radiation to raise

the earth’s temperature 3.6 degrees to 10.8 degrees within the next century. This could cause the world’s

climate to change dramatically, eventually causing polar ice sheets to melt.

RAIN FORESTS

A rain forest is a moist, densely wooded area usually found in a warm, tropical wet climate. Annual rainfall

is about 80 inches. The average temperature in most rain forests is 80 degrees. Evergreen trees, vines,

undergrowth and nutrient-poor soils are common characteristics of this kind of rain forest.

Millions of people live in rain forests, relying on them to fulfill their needs for food and fuel. The rest of

the world relies on rain forests for such by-products as rubber, wood, dyes, oils, foods and medicines. More

than 40 percent of prescription drugs in the United States contain ingredients derived from plants, many of

them are from rain forests.

Rain forests play a role in recycling the earth’s water. Much of the moisture absorbed by the trees transpires

from the leaves and evaporates into the atmosphere to return as rainfall. The roots of the trees help anchor

the soil and slow water runoff. Clearing forest lands for farming, ranching, logging and mining is rapidly

decreasing the remaining rain forests. Some scientists estimate that an area of tropical rain forests the size

of Delaware is cleared each and every month. Tropical rain forests once covered more than four billion

acres of the earth. Today, nearly half of the forests are gone. Tropical rain forests are a valuable natural

resource and home to nearly half of the earth’s plant and animal species.

Millions of animal and plant species live in rain forests and the discovery of new species continues. Some

species can be found only in a tropical rain forest. The okapi, a relative of the giraffe is an example. More

than a thousand different kinds of trees have been identified in a square kilometer of tropical rain forest.

The rain forest in the South American country of Ecuador has 20,000 kinds of flowering plants. The state

of California, which is a third larger than Ecuador has only 5,000 kinds.

POLLUTION

Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into an environment. Polluting substances, such as car

exhausts, industrial wastes and chemical pesticides, damage the quality of air, water, land and all living

beings and creatures. Many of the things that make people comfortable and provide them with goods and

services contribute to pollution. The burning of coal to produce electricity pollutes the air. Industries and

households generate quantities of garbage and sewage, causing waste disposal problems. For millions of

years, nature has provided an abundance of clear air, water and land. But now, expanding populations

and increasing demands for goods and services have led to the disruption of the earth’s ecological balance.

More wastes are going into the air, water and land than nature can handle. To thrive, plants and animals

need clean air, uncontaminated water and wholesome nutrients. Pollution in the biosphere, those parts of

the air, water and land in which life exists, has become a serious problem because the earth is a closed

system. It’s supplies of air and water are used again and again. When these resources are polluted, all

life in the biosphere is threatened. Pollution is a global problem. Although it is usually concentrated in

heavily industrialized areas, it spreads all over the planet, even to remote, unpopulated places. For

example, concentrations of pesticides and other chemicals have been found in polar bears in the Arctic

and in penguins in the Antarctic. Ocean currents and migrating fish carry pollutants far and wide.

Smoke from a factory in one country drifts into other countries. Radioactive material accidentally

released from a nuclear power plant is picked up by winds and spread around the world. Sometimes air

pollution is visible, as it is when dark smoke pours from the exhaust pipes of large commercial trucks, but

it is often invisible. Polluted air can harm many living things. It makes eyes burn and causes headaches.

It can worsen respiratory problems and increase the risk of lung cancer. Heavily polluted air not only

harms life-forms but also eats away at the stone in buildings and statues. The primary source of

atmospheric pollution is the burning of fossil fuels - coal, oil and natural gas. When the fuel that powers

cars and trucks is burned, it produces carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas. The gas is harmful

in low and high concentrations, which are common in heavy city traffic. You will notice the damage of

low concentration when you enter a traffic jam on the freeway. You immediately smell the excess

pollution, however, moments later you do not. That is carbon monoxide numbing the cilia in your nostrils

so that you can no longer smell the pollution you are driving in. Other pollutants that are causing some of

the most severe air pollution are nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and hydrocarbons from vehicle and factory

emissions. These chemicals react with sunlight to produce smog and other atmospheric pollution. They

also mix with moisture in the air to form acid precipitation. Though commonly called acid rain, acid

precipitation can be in the form of snow, hail, sleet, fog or even dry particles. Such things, which often

fall far from the pollution source can damage forest and lake ecosystems, killing trees and causing fish

populations to decline or completely die out.

FOSSIL FUELS

Fossil fuels are extremely important to

industrial societies around the world. Over the last 20 years or so, supplies of all fossil fuels have begun to

shrink. Although still forming, they are not a renewable resource due to the time it takes them to develop.

The limited amount of fossil fuels and the environmental damage their extraction and burning cause have

helped start the development of alternative energy technologies. Renewable energy sources such as solar

and wind power may be able to supply the earth’s energy needs when the fossil fuels are used up. As the

world’s population grows, people will have to find ways to conserve limited supplies of natural resources.

This will require a variety of wise practices like developing energy systems based on renewable resources.

The ways people choose to manage both renewable and non renewable resources today will have a

tremendous effect on the future of the those living on the planet tomorrow.

Coal, oil and natural gas are fossil fuels. Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel on the earth and forms

from plants. Coal deposits developed during the Carboniferous period, which began more than 300

million years ago. When plants died in wetland areas, they accumulated in thick, moist layers and the

lack of oxygen prevented them from decomposition. The result was an organic matter called peat. In

time, the peat was covered with sand and silt and pressure on the organic layers increased. Over time, the

deposits became more compact, forming layers of solid coal. When peat is dried, it can be burned as fuel.

In the stage following peat, coal called lignite develops. Later it becomes bituminous coal and finally,

anthracite. In each stage, the level of the carbon increases making the coal harder. The hardest and

cleanest-burning form of coal, anthracite, is also in the shortest supply. Oil and gas are preferred to coal

because they burn more cleanly and are easier to transport. Oil and natural gas form from the remains of

marine plants and animals. Existing supplies began forming millions of years ago, when the remains

became mixed with sand, silt and other sediments on sea floors beneath shallow ocean waters. As

overlying layers of sediment grew thicker, pressure helped cause slow, complex chemical reactions that

transformed the materials into gas and droplets of oil. The sand and silt holding the oil and gas hardened

into sedimentary rocks. As pressure increased, the oil and gas were squeezed from the source rocks and

migrated upward through porous rocks until movement was prevented by caprocks. The porous rocks that

hold the oil and gas are called reservoirs and where oil is retrieved today. Petroleum is another name for

oil in this crude state and natural gas is the name given to the gaseous form of hydrocarbon, which burns

cleaner then coal and oil.

ENERGY

Energy provides the power to make things happen, it is the capacity to do work. It heats and lights houses

and offices, it powers transportation and industrial equipment and lifts rockets into space. The energy

stored in the food that we eat provides the fuel that the human body requires to live. Energy stored in coal,

oil and natural gas, heats and cools homes and work places. The energy released when fuel is burned

powers engines in cars and other motorized vehicles. People take energy for granted because they have

failed to consider that some of the resources used to provide the benefits are dwindling and cannot be

renewed. Scientists have made some advances with technologies that help us harness alternative sources

of energy such as wind and the sun. All of us can make nonrenewable resources last longer by using and

demanding products that are more energy-efficient.

The sun is the original source of most of the energy used on earth. Heat from the sun warms the atmosphere

and causes movement in the atmosphere in the form of wind. The energy in wind can be harnessed to

power sailboats and turn windmills. The sun’s heat evaporates water, which becomes rain that fills rivers.

Dams on the rivers harness the water’s energy and convert it into electricity. Fossil fuels such as oil, coal

and natural gas also came from the sun through plants that grew on the earth using the sun. When burned,

they give up their energy as heat. More than one billion people in developing countries still depend on

nature for their energy by burning animal dung and wood. Though coal will still be available for several

centuries, environmentalists are concerned about global climate changes that may result from the amount

of carbon dioxide released. Since fossil fuels are considered a nonrenewable resource, scientists have been

experimenting with ways to utilize other products to supplement supplies of gasoline. Two of the ways are

with ethanol and liquefied coal. Corn when converted to ethanol and mixed with gasoline can make

gasohol. Our ability to conserve fossil fuels and to harness other sources of energy, such as wind and water

will help determine whether we have enough energy for the future.SOLAR ENERGY: Energy coming

from the sun is a tremendous resource. In less than an hour, enough solar energy reaches the earth to fill

everyone’s energy needs for a year. The problem lies in the collection and storage. One good example of

solar energy is hot water running out of a hose that was left out in the sun. Scientists are studying ways to

convert solar power into enough electricity to supply a city’s needs. One way is a solar farm like in the

picture on the previous page. The rows of mirrors, called heliostats, direct the sun’s heat and light to water

in a boiler on top of a tower. The steam produced powers a turbine, which in turn drives a generator to

produce electricity. More recent and efficient solar technology is where troughs of curved mirrors, guided

by computers, use the sun’s heat to warm synthetic oils to 735 degrees. The oil, which passes through

vacuum-sealed tubes attached to the mirrors, heats water to produce steam that turns an electric turbine.

Also, satellites and space stations get their energy from solar cells that convert sunlight into electricity. In

developing countries, photovoltaic cells like used on satellites and space stations provide energy to a

growing number of people.

WIND ENERGY: Around 3000 BC, Egyptians were using wind energy to sail their ships across the

waters. By 200 BC, wind power was being used to turn the blades of windmills. Through a system of gears,

the movement of the blades activated the stones that ground grain to make breads. Wind turbines as seen

in the picture on the previous page can generate power efficiently enough to compete with other energy

systems. A wind turbine in Hawaii generates enough electricity to supply 1,200 homes. Wind farms where

thousands of wind turbines are clustered together, contribute significantly to energy supplies. In San

Francisco, 15 percent of the city’s electrical needs were met by wind-generated electricity.

GEOTHERMAL AND WATER ENERGY: Geothermal energy is heat energy generated within the

earth. In areas where cracks have formed in the earth’s crust, water seeps down to the hot rock layers and

is heated there by geothermal energy. For years, people who live near hot springs have used geothermal

energy for bathing, home heating and cooking. In Iceland, a country that lies along the volcanically active

Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the city of Reykjavik is almost entirely heated by a system that uses geothermal energy.

Geothermal wells capture water heated by the hot rocks inside the earth and pipes circulate it throughout

the city. More recent technology can recover the heat energy in dry hot rocks. Water is pumped through

wells drilled into the hot rocks and heated water is used to generate electricity.

Water has been used as an energy source for years as seen in the picture on the previous page of Hoover

Dam. Water stored behind a dam is released to flow through machines called turbines that drive

generators to produce electricity. Scientists are exploring ways to use the tides, a form of gravitational

energy, to generate electricity. In France, a dam was built across an estuary, where a river empties into the

ocean. The dam has turbines that turn in either direction to take advantage of the tides coming in and going

out. Water turns the blades of the turbines, enabling the power plant to produce electricity. Today,

scientists in the UK are developing ways to harness the energy in ocean waves.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

A controlled chain reaction within a nuclear reactor produces tremendous amounts

of heat energy in a fraction of a second. The energy heats water, creating steam that turns turbine

generators to produce electricity. An uncontrolled chain reaction can cause an explosion, as with an atomic

bomb. Radioactive waste from the fission process can destroy cells in the bodies of people and animals and

contaminate plants and water. Radioactive waste must be stored safely for thousands of years until it is

considered no longer dangerous. Nuclear physicists are working to improve the safety of nuclear reactors.

They are also exploring a safer method of gathering the power locked in atoms called nuclear fusion, which

mimics the way energy is released from the sun. Fusion may be less polluting than fission and it could

generate large quantities of energy.

OCEANS

For thousands of years, people have depended on the ocean as a source of food and as a highway for trade

and exploration. Today, people continue to travel on the ocean and to rely on the resources it contains.

Fishermen catch more than 90 million tons of seafood each year, including more than 100 species of fish

and shellfish. Minerals especially common salt, come from the ocean too. New Techniques are being

developed to mine the seafloor for valuable minerals such as copper and nickel.

Oil is one of the most valuable resources taken from the ocean today. Offshore rigs pump petroleum from

wells drilled in the continental shelf. As land sources of oil grow scarce, oil under the ocean becomes more

important. About one-quarter of oil and gas supplies now comes from offshore deposits.

Through the centuries, people have sailed the ocean on long-established trade routes. Today, oceangoing

ships still carry most of the world’s freight, particularly bulky goods such as machinery, grain and oil.

In the future, scientists and other experts hope that the ocean will be used more widely as a source of energy.

Some countries have already harnessed the energy of ocean waves and tides to power turbines to generate

electricity.

The ocean offers us a wealth of food and other resources, but over the last two centuries, these resources

have been threatened. People have harvested so many fish and other ocean animals for food and other

products that some species have begun to disappear. During the 1800’s and early 1900’s, whalers killed

thousands of whales for their oil and ivory. Some species, including the blue whale, were hunted nearly to

extinction. Many species are still endangered today. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, catches of important food

fishes, such as herring in the North Sea and haddock in the Atlantic, began to drop off dramatically. The

fish were disappearing. Fishermen were using more advanced equipment such as electronic fish finders

and large trawling nets, so they could catch more fish. But the nets dragged across the seabed and in the

process caught many small, young fish. This meant that there were far fewer fish left behind to reproduce

and replenish the supply. In some areas, overfishing still goes on.

Another threat to the ocean and it’s wildlife comes from pollution. For centuries, people have used the

ocean as a dumping ground for sewage and other wastes. In the 20th century, the wastes have included

chemicals from factories, insoluble plastics, oil spilled from ships and pesticides such as DDT. These

harmful substances have killed sea life and threatened the food supply.

To find ways to protect the ocean, scientists from all over the world are cooperating in studies of the ocean

waters and marine life. They are also working together to control pollution. Many countries are working

to reach agreement on how to manage and harvest ocean resources.

Although the ocean is vast, it is more easily polluted and damaged than people once thought. It requires

care and protection as well as expert management. Only then can it continue to provide the many

resources that living things, including people need.

DRINKING WATER

An aquifer is a layer of water-bearing rock through which groundwater moves. Water-bearing rocks are

permeable; they have interconnected openings through which liquids and gases can pass. Rock such as

sandstone an loose deposits of sand and gravel, for example, can form the water bearing layers. An aquifer

receives water from rain or melted snow that drains into the ground at the earth’s surface. In some areas

the water passes through the soil; in others, it enters through joints and cracks in rock outcrops. The water

moves downward until it meets less permeable rock through which it cannot pass easily.

Aquifers act as reservoirs for groundwater. Water from aquifers sometimes flows out into springs. Wells

drilled into aquifers provide water for drinking, agriculture and other uses. There are two types of aquifers.

An unconfined aquifer is under lain by less permeable rocks and is only partly filled with water. The top

of the zone filled with water is called the water table. The water table rises or falls depending on the

amount of water entering and leaving the aquifer. A confined aquifer lies between two layers or less

permeable rocks and is filled with water.

There is about 30 times more groundwater than there is surface water in all the lakes and streams

combined. But in heavily populated areas, including some parts of the United States, groundwater is being

used up faster than nature can replace it. This causes a lowering of the water table and can lead to water

shortages. In many places, chemicals from factories and farms, as well as wastes from dumps and sewers

have seeped into the earth and polluted the shallow groundwater that we drink.

Only about three percent of all the earth’s water is fresh and not salty. More than 2/3 of that fresh water

is frozen in glaciers and polar ice sheets. That leaves less than one percent of the total volume for homes,

factories and farms and for wildlife requiring fresh water. Most of this fresh water is underground. Only

a tiny fraction of the fresh water on the earth is found in streams and lakes.

Just in the United States alone, people consume some 400 billions of gallons of water every day. At

home, people use water for drinking, cooking, washing clothes and dishes, bathing, brushing their teeth,

flushing toilets, watering lawns and gardens and washing cars. In cities, workers use water to fight fires,

clean streets, pump away wastes and operate sewage-treatment equipment that helps purify waste water.

Huge amounts of water are consumed in industry to manufacture goods and in agriculture to grow food

crops. In the United States it takes 63,000 gallons of water to produce a ton of steel and it takes 115

gallons to grow enough wheat to make one loaf of bread.. By far, the biggest use of water in the United

States and throughout the world is for irrigation. Because rain does not fall evenly on the earth, some

lands are too dry for cultivation. Water used for growing crops in such dry areas often must be brought up

from groundwater sources through deep wells or transported from distant lakes and rivers. In many parts

of the world, people suffer from constant water shortages because the earth’s total supply of fresh water is

unevenly distributed. Millions of people lack dependable sources of clean drinking water and water for

agriculture. Today, the demand for fresh water is increasing as the populations grow. Developed

countries use the most water and many times inefficiently.

RIVERS

For centuries, people have depended on rivers for many things. Rivers have provided waterways for

shipping, building sites for cities and fertile land for farming. Yet the extensive use of rivers has

contributed to their pollution. The pollution has come from dumping of garbage and sewage; disposal of

toxic wastes from factories; and runoff of rainwater containing chemical fertilizers and pesticides used in

agriculture. By the 1960’s, many of the world’s rivers were so polluted that fish and other wildlife could

no longer survive in them and their waters were unsafe for drinking, swimming and other uses. Since

then, stricter laws in many countries, including the United States, have helped to clean up polluted rivers.

The laws have restricted the substances factories can put into rivers, banned toxic pesticides such as DDT

and required treatment of sewage to remove some pollutants. Although the situation in some parts of the

world has improved, serious problems remain. These include problems with long lasting and extremely

toxic chemicals still found in river water years after their use in industry and agriculture. In parts of the

United States, Canada and Europe, there is also the severe problem of acid rain. Acid rain develops when

gases and chemicals from factory smokestacks and automobile exhaust pipes mix with moisture in the air

and form acids. These acids fall in rain and other precipitation on streams and lakes, polluting water and

killing wildlife. Environmentalists and governments are trying to understand and solve these pollution

problems. Many people have come to realize that to provide safe drinking water as well as habitats where

fish and other wildlife can thrive, rivers must be kept clean.

CORAL REEFS

For centuries, coral reefs have supplied people with fish and other seafood. But today, some human

activities are harmful to reefs. As people along coasts plow the earth to plant crops or bulldoze it to build

homes and roads, they loosen the soil Rain washes much of it into rivers, which carry it to the ocean.

There, the soil forms a layer of sediment that suffocates and buries coral. Many coastal cities dump

sewage and other wastes into the ocean. Such pollution causes certain types of algae to grow so rapidly

that they form thick mats that block the sunlight and promote the growth of oxygen-consuming bacteria.

This can be fatal to a living coral reef. Reefs have been harmed by underwater mining and oil drilling.

Some have been damaged by explosives used to clear out channels in the seabed for ships to pass through.

People have overfished some reefs, killing tropical fish for sport or collecting them live to sell to aquarium

dealers. Other reef creatures have been collected for their shells in such numbers that many are now rare.

To protect coral reefs, some countries have set aside parts of them as marine parks or scientific preserves.

Such parks may be found off the Florida Keys, in the Virgin Islands, in American Samoa and along

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. To the right, along Australia’s northeast coast is the Great Barrier Reef -

the world’s largest reef formation that stretches some 1,250 miles.

You sit as prey just waiting to stick your nails into someone. Bitterness is all I see.

[Stellar]

^haha thats so true, but fire was never invented it is a natural thing that we as humans learned out to harness

399265[/snapback]

No one invented fire... we discovered fire.

You sit as prey just waiting to stick your nails into someone. Bitterness is all I see.

I really dont care what you see. You see the bible as the truth, and I dont. If you try to pass it off as the truth, I'll be there to tell you its just your belief.

Edited December 12, 2004 by Stellar

[atrueoriginall]

^haha thats so true, but fire was never invented it is a natural thing that we as humans learned out to harness

399265[/snapback]

No one invented fire... we discovered fire.

You sit as prey just waiting to stick your nails into someone. Bitterness is all I see.

I really dont care what you see. You see the bible as the truth, and I dont. If you try to pass it off as the truth, I'll be there to tell you its just your belief.

399268[/snapback]

Not the issue here. The topic was The End of the World. You and Seeking denied these possibilities. I did not imput anything but fact as to the possibilities that we can and will destroy ourselves before the planet is destoyed.

You've lost touch of the topic. You are thinking about a different area in the forum instead.

I watched the moves. Like checkers, a few of you were waiting for your next move. I'm not an idiot.

Edited December 12, 2004 by atrueoriginall

[Stellar]

The poster claimed that the world is going to end a certain way because the bible said so. I told him what I think of his source, so have others. The "prophecy" means nothing. So what? And I still think that if anything is going to end humanity, its nature... but hey, I really dont think humanity is going to end at all, at least, not for an incredibly long time... and I doubt we'll destroy ourselves. You come and start saying "Ooohh but the nukes and stuff! We will destroy ourselves! Look at the world!".... that is what other people complain about too... doomsayers.

[liquidmetal]

no creations need an end only the ignorance do again and again

[pagan_jedi_girl]

People like to be scared... don't ask me why..

[liquidmetal]

dont be scsred jedi girl, no one could ever end this world . but they can keep dreaming on and abuse their short lived life.

[seeking]

no one has tried to prove what i said on the other page to be false im still waiting

i too beleive the world will end naturally and that human race will live on untill it is humanly impossible (as in sun burning out, or galaxy colliding, or asteroid hitting, or big crunch, which ever comes sooner)

[Stellar]

no one has tried to prove what i said on the other page to be false im still waiting

i too beleive the world will end naturally and that human race will live on untill it is humanly impossible (as in sun burning out, or galaxy colliding, or asteroid hitting, or big crunch, which ever comes sooner)

399487[/snapback]

Same here, although I believe that humans will be spaceferring by the time the sun goes red... galaxy colliding? Hopefully humans will find a way to survive that too... Asteroid hitting? some will still survive in underground bunkers (Although, since it'll be politicians... the average human IQ will be cut in half)...

[LittleIrishVampiress]

no one has tried to prove what i said on the other page to be false im still waiting

i too beleive the world will end naturally and that human race will live on untill it is humanly impossible (as in sun burning out, or galaxy colliding, or asteroid hitting, or big crunch, which ever comes sooner)

399487[/snapback]

didnt you say something bout sea levels not rising because of melting ice?..then why have i read that they are?? aren't scientists saying that the sea levels will rise? now im confused..

as for the world being a better place...that depends on what you perceive as 'better'..

i mean, in my opinoin, soon they'll be nearly no natural wildlife left..rainforests are disappearing rapidly and species are approaching exitinction...i don't see that as 'better'. then theres pollution..that's def not getting better..

[I have inside info]

^haha thats so true, but fire was never invented it is a natural thing that we as humans learned out to harness

399265[/snapback]

It was a joke, I know that nobody invented fire. Well, if you have a religion, then yes, someone invented fire.

[seeking]

first of all i want to say that i in no way have anything agiainst any of you, im just debating on my side of the argument, it seems to be getting a lil hostile and i just want to clear that up, im cool with all of you

but if you put an ice cube or 2 in a glass and then fill the cup up with water to the very brim and leave it out, the water level will drop

and i know it was a joke about the fire, thats why i was laughing, i didnt mean for it to come off as sarcastic

[I have inside info]

Yeah, sure, you ar just being sarcastic!

Ha ha ha! Oh no, if some men in black suites come to your doorstep and say that you were making fun of Agent 3019, then just show them this post:

It is OK, it was cleared up by me from this post. The NSA does not need to know anymore. Don't store this file.

-Agent 3019, out.