Our planet is facing “Phosgedon”, scientists have warned. They fear that our misuse of phosphorus could lead to a deadly fertilizer shortage that would disrupt global food production.
At the same time, phosphate fertilizers taken from fields, along with sewage flowing into rivers, lakes and seas, are leading to widespread algal blooms and creating aquatic dead zones that threaten fish stocks.
Furthermore, excessive use of the element is increasing methane emissions across the planet, adding to global warming and the climate crisis caused by carbon emissions, researchers have warned.
“We have reached a critical turning pointsaid Professor Phil Haygarth of Lancaster University. “We can go back, but we really have to pull ourselves together and be a lot smarter in how we use phosphorus. If we don’t, we face a calamity we call ‘phogedon’.‘”.
Origin of Phosphorus
Phosphorus was discovered in 1669 by the German scientist Hennig Brandt, who isolated it from urine and has since shown it to be essential for life. Bones and teeth are largely made of the mineral calcium phosphate, a compound derived from it, while the element also provides DNA with its sugar phosphate backbone.
“Simply put, there is no life on Earth without phosphorus.”explained Professor Penny Johnes from the University of Bristol.
The element’s worldwide importance lies in its use to aid crop growth. Around 50 million tons of phosphate fertilizers are sold around the world each year, and these supplies play a crucial role in feeding the 8 billion people on the planet.
However, significant deposits of phosphorus are found in only a few countries: Morocco and Western Sahara have the most, China the second largest deposit, and Algeria the third. On the other hand, stocks in the US have fallen to 1% of previous levels, while Britain has always depended on imports. “Traditional reserves of rock phosphate are relatively scarce and have been depleted due to extraction for fertilizer production.John added.
Phosphorus Decrease
This mounting pressure on inventories has raised fears that the world will hit “peak phosphorus” in a few years. Then supplies will dwindle, leaving many nations struggling to get enough to feed their people.
The prospect worries many analysts, who fear that a few cartels could soon control most of the world’s supplies and leave the West highly vulnerable to exorbitant prices. The result would be the phosphate equivalent of the oil crisis of the 1970s.
The situation has already been summed up by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov: “Life can multiply until it runs out of phosphorus and then there is an inexorable stop that nothing can stop.”.
These dangers were also highlighted last week with the US publication of The Devil’s Element: Phosphorus and an Out of Balance World, by environmental writer Dan Egan. The book has yet to be published in the UK, but it reflects concerns recently raised by British scientists.
large scale water pollution
They say that we have become wasteful in the use of phosphates that we put in our fields. The fertilizer washed from them and discharges of phosphorous-rich effluents have led to large-scale water pollution and created harmful algal blooms. Some of the world’s largest freshwater bodies are now affected, including Lake Baikal in Russia, Lake Victoria in Africa and Lake Erie in North America. Blooms in Erie have led to the poisoning of local drinking water in recent years.
“Just like on land, phosphates help aquatic plants to grow.said Haygarth, co-author of Phosphorus: past and future. “And this is already having dire consequences for rivers, lakes and seas.”. Smothered by flowers, many of these water bodies have become dead zones where few creatures survive and are expanding. A dead zone now forms in the Gulf of Mexico every summer, for example.
These crises also create other environmental problems. “Climate change means we will have more algal blooms per unit of phosphate pollution due to warmer conditionssaid Professor Bryan Spears of the UK Center for Ecology and Hydrology in Midlothian.
Emission of phosphorus and methane
“The problem is that when these algae die, they can decompose and produce methane. So an increase in blooms will mean more methane will be pumped into the atmosphere, and methane is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in warming the atmosphere. It is a real cause for concern.”. Spears led a team, including Haygarth and Johnes, who wrote a recent report, Our Phosphorus Future, outlining the steps needed to avert our impending crisis. This includes improving ways to recycle phosphorus and ensuring there is a global shift towards healthy diets with low phosphorus footprints.
The element’s global spread reveals how deeply humanity is shaping our planet’s makeup, Johnes added. “In one case, we dig up ancient deposits of coal, oil and gas, burn them, and thereby release billions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, causing climate change.
“With phosphorus we also extract mineral reserves, but in this case we convert them into fertilizers that flow into rivers and seas where they cause the proliferation of algae. In both cases, these large translocations are causing planetary havoc.”.