Phosphate is an essential mineral for all life on Earth and is added to farmers’ fields in huge quantities. But rock phosphate is a finite resource and the biggest supplies are mined in politically unstable places, posing risks to the many countries that have little or no reserves. Phosphate use has quadrupled in the last 50 years. At current rates of use, a lot of countries are set to run out of their domestic supply in the next generation, including the US, China and India. Excessive use of phosphate is not only running down supplies but is also causing widespread pollution that leads to dead zones in rivers and seas. In 2015, research published in the journal Science cited phosphorus pollution as one of the most serious problems the planet faces, ahead of climate change. By 2040 all supplies of phosphate will be exhausted.
— source theguardian.com | 6 Sep 2019