RH: Idea to 'Turn Oceans into FreshWater'

From: Robert Ho (ho3@pacific.net.sg)
Subject: RH: Idea to 'Turn oceans into freshwater' 4.11.03 to BBC website
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Newsgroups: soc.culture.singapore
Date: 2003-11-07 04:09:59 PST

TURN OCEANS INTO FRESHWATER. Find/create a bacteria or other marine
organism that 'eats' sodium chloride [common table salt], turning it
into something that is either more useful or has bulk that can easily
be filtered off with an ordinary cotton cloth, for example. There are
likely some of these salt-eaters around in nature, or the seas. Breed
them into more powerful salt-eaters that can eat and reproduce
rapidly. In a few centuries or so, most of the world's oceans will be
significantly 'fresher' water, at least, 'fresh' enough to pump into
deserts to 'green' them, thus turning vast deserts into farmlands that can feed millions. One author said that wars in the future will be over [fresh] water because of increasing scarcity. This idea could
possibly solve war and hunger plus the many good things that unlimited fresh water can bring, since the earth is 3/4 sea water. [Note: keep one or two small seas salty so we don't run out of salt!]

RH postscript 7.11.03 1206 UK: From the beginning, human civilisation
had had to grow around fresh water sources, mainly rivers. Although
freshwater can now be pumped hundreds of kilometres, this idea will
allow the natural development of a string of modern cities all along
the coasts of every maritime country, thus easing the growth pressures on present cities.