Can we create a pristine world again?

The earth is slowly getting covered in plastic waste, reported Jonathan Amos. In the last 65 years 8.5 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced, of which half was made in the last 13 years. Only 13% is still in use today and only 9% has been recycled. The rest has gone into landfills or is floating on the oceans, killing animals and fish. Prof R Vasudevan has patented a method of using waste plastic in building roads, which is cheap and makes the road virtually weather-proof. The patent was obtained in 2006, eleven years ago, and should have become the standard of road building in India by now but a short drive through any part of Delhi is still a nightmare of potholes and deep trenches filled with filthy rainwater. There are 8 agencies in charge of roads in Delhi, which means that not one claims responsibility and each blames the other for problems. This year is the same. The good news is that fossil fuels will gradually disappear as we shift towards renewable energy, once battery technology is able to store vast amounts of electricity produced from sunlight and wind. Trouble is that as renewable energy becomes more widely available the price of oil will drop, making it more attractive. At any price over $50 a barrel US shale oil becomes profitable to produce, which sets a limit on the upside. The population of the earth is set to increase to near 10 billion by 2050, which means more pressure on land for agriculture. The Bay of Bengal is said to have reached a tipping point from the run off of fertilisers, leading to growth of algae and bacteria. This is reducing oxygen tension in the water and if this falls any further it will lead to a 'no oxygen' status. A company in the US, constructing vertical farms, is attracting investors from across the world. Indoor farms will be able to produce fruits and vegetables but will they produce enough grains. About half the land in the world is used for grazing livestock and to grow fodder. If everyone became vegetarian it would reduce pressure on land, reduce the number of livestock and result in less production of methane. Barry Ritholtz wrote that the world is going to change even faster and new technology will disrupt old ways of life. What happens to all those who are unable to adapt to the rapid changes, or are made redundant by technology? Tens of thousands of migrants flooding into Europe is a sign of what to expect if numbers of people keep on increasing while technology takes away old jobs. How long before there is civil war in Europe as previous inhabitants get displaced by new arrivals? Shahbad Dairy, somewhere in the northwest of Delhi, is where the human flotsam has been dumped, Drugs, crime and rape are rampant and police are reluctant to go there. Is the world reaching its tipping point?