A: List the major ideas, concepts or key points- point by point

Conditions for growth of plants boil down to 19-12-5. Nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium. Three nutrients enabled agriculture to increase its productivity and the world's population to grow more than sixfold Nitrogen from air, phosphorus and potassium from mining Phosphorus global supply might start to run out by the end of the century By then our population may reach a peak that is beyond what the planet can sustainably feed U.S has 19% of all phosphorus. 65% of that 19% comes from Tampa, Florida which may not last more than a few decades 40% global reserve is in Morocco- "The Saudi Arabia of phosphorus" Modern agricultural practices have tripled the natural rate of phosphorus depletion from the land Phosphorus has become one of the most significant sustainability issues despite having little attention Average human body has 650 grams of phosphorus Land ecosystems use and reuse phosphorus in local cycles an average of 46 times. The mineral, through weathering and runoff makes its way into the ocean where marine organisms recycle it 800 times before it passes into sediments. 10 million years of tectonic uplift may return it to dry land. Harvesting breaks up the cycle because it removes phosphorus from the land. Modern society separates food production and consumption which limits our ability to return nutrients to the land. Agriculture accelerates land erosion, so more phosphorus drains away with runoff. Flood control contributes to disrupting natural phosphorus cycle River floods redistribute phosphorus-rich sediment to lower lands where it is available to ecosystems. Too much phosphorus from eroded soil ends up in lakes and oceans, causing eutrophication. Phosphorus flows add up to an estimated 37 million metric tons per year. 22 million come from phosphate mining. 163,000 million metric tons of phosphate rock worldwide, corresponding to more than 13,000 million metric tons of phosphorus. Estimates include types of rocks, such as high-carbonate minerals that are impractical as sources because no economial technology exists to extract the phosphorus. Estimates that are economically recoverable are 15,000 million metric tons. Consumption is likely to grow as population increases and as people in developing countries demand a higher standard of living. U.S produces 30 million metric tons of phosphate rock a year. U.S mines no longer supply enough phosphorus to satisfy the production of fertilizer. U.S now imports phosphate rocks The U.S and much of the globe may come to depend on a single country for a critical resource Geologists are skeptical about a phosphorus crisis. Most of phosphorus discovery has occurred in Morocco and North Carolina. Standard approaches to conservation apply to phosphorus as well:reduce, reuse, recycle We can reduce fertilizer usage through more efficient agricultural practices such as terracing and no-till farming to diminish erosion We will have to treat our wastewater to recover phosphorus from solid waste Task is difficult because residual biosolids are contaminated with many pollutants.

Making agriculture sustainable over the long term begins with renewing efforts to phase out toxic metals from plumbing. Half the phosphorus we excrete is in our urine, which is easy to recover New discoveries are likely just to forestall the depletion of reserves, not to prevent it For truly sustainable agriculture, the delay would have to be indefinite Such an achievement would be possible with a world population small enough to be fed using natural and mostly untreated minerals. We are running out of phosphorus deposits that are relatively easily and cheaply exploitable. It is possible that the optimists are correct about relative ease of obtaining new sources and that shortages can be averted. Given the stakes, we should not leave our future to chance. B: Summarize the AUTHORs main point or idea- at LEAST 1-2 paragraphs Phosphorus is an element and chemical that is needed for plants and for humans. By the end of the century, the world supply of phosphorus is predicted to run out. By the time phosphorus runs out, our population may reach a peak that is beyond what the planet can sustain. Modern agricultural practices have tripled the natural rate of phosphorus depletion from the land. Disruption of the cycle also contributes to the depletion of phosphorus. Agriculture accelerates land erosion, so more phosphorus drains away with runoff. Flood control contributes to disrupting natural phosphorus cycle. As population increases and as developing countries demand a high standard of living, there is more of a demand for phosphorus. How can we have a sustainable supply of phosphorus? We need to make agriculture sustainable by first renewing efforts to phase out toxic chemicals. We also can recover urine, which has half of the phosphorus in our body. We shouldn't count on luck and hope that our phosphorus is still here by the end of the century. We need to learn how to sustain our phosphorus now in order to have enough to sustain a growing population. C: Write a reaction paragraph to the article stating your own thoughts on the topic, using specific citations from the article to support your views After reading the article, I agree that we should not expect our phosphorus supply to remain until the end of the century. Due to our rapidly growing world population, there is a huge risk that our current supply of phosphorus will soon run out. Therefore, I believe that we should begin to find new methods of sustaining our current supply and put those ideas into action as soon as possible. However, another method we could use is to find an alternative to phosphorus that is environmentally friendly. If the U.S. can find an alternative, it would greatly help our economy and reduce our need to import phosphorus from other countries.