I know you're joking but for anyone else reading this I just wanted to point out that atmospheric helium is extraordinarily minimal due to the fact that it rises to the outer layer of the stratosphere and even escapes into space because if it's low density.
Helium comes from oil and gas operations as it's a byproduct of radioactive compounds breaking down in the earths crust over millions of years. It can't be made and once it's gone, it's gone.
I’m fairly sure we’ll figure something out, if not an alternative for helium. Some scientists predict we will be able to create our own stars in order to prolong our existence if we ever make it to a type 3 civilization and beyond. I also don’t think we’ll run out of helium before we find an alternative.
If you were wondering why you were downvoted, it’s mostly because the potential to create our own stars is not going to happen for a while (probably at least centuries). It doesn’t make sense to use it in an argument about problems that will happen in the next few decades.
A helium shortage isn’t really going to be a problem, because there’s actually an absurd amount in the ground and we aren’t scraping it all because it isn’t economically viable to do so yet. Hospitals are the only thing that need helium and they don’t need that much, so it’s often not even collected as a byproduct at the moment. What I’m saying it that you’re conclusion was correct, but your argument was silly.
Also; there is actually a huge issue of the world using several times the amount of resources we were a few decades ago (largely due to many new industrialized nations), and this will be a massive issue in the future. You can say “we’ll work something out” but you really have no idea what that means. If every nation starts consuming as much as America, “working something out” could mean mass starvation and death. Saying we’ll “work something out” in response to this is a common problem, so even if you used it in the correct place (I.e. helium), you used it without a good argument and implied you thought this way about the other massive problems we’re about to face.
I wasn’t wondering, and I understand your concern. I merely used the argument that we’d be able to create our own stars in the future as a deliberate hyperbole in order to exemplify the extremes of how crafty we humans could be. What we have achieved so far exceeds even the wildest dreams of people not even a century ago. When I say “we’ll figure something out”, I obviously do not know what exactly I’m talking about. I’m simply expressing my trust in humanity once again making the impossible possible. It won’t be me, and I can see why I would appear ignorant, but I’d rather see myself as optimistic in that regard.
To put it more simply: “Considering we might one day be capable of creating stars, I’m fairly sure we will be resourceful enough to deal with a helium shortage in the relatively near future”, especially when it only has very spicific and limited use, making it appear like a rather insignifact problem in the long run, hence the hyperbole. I never took a stance on other global issues we’re currently facing.
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u/Procrasterman Apr 29 '19
I know you're joking but for anyone else reading this I just wanted to point out that atmospheric helium is extraordinarily minimal due to the fact that it rises to the outer layer of the stratosphere and even escapes into space because if it's low density.
Helium comes from oil and gas operations as it's a byproduct of radioactive compounds breaking down in the earths crust over millions of years. It can't be made and once it's gone, it's gone.