Ammonia

Tony Jolley 05/08/2022

In his brilliant book:

‘How the World Really Works’,

Vaclav Smil provides incredibly fine detail

Of the paddling like hell that is done

Well under the ‘waterline’

To keep the beautiful Swan of Life

Afloat and moving serenely ahead.

.

For most of us,

Ammonia

Is a cleaning product.

.

For Vaclav it is

The single most important element

In enabling the world to feed itself.

.

80% of global Ammonia production

Is indispensable for fertilising our crops.

Without it, our yields would dive

To an extent that

A good proportion of the world’s population

Simply wouldn’t survive.

So why not use 100%, you might well ask….

A large chunk of the remaining 20%

Is used to make rockets and explosives.

.

[Deliver with a heavy dose of sarcasm]

… Can’t possibly sacrifice that ….

 .

In the right hands, it is vital to nourishing human life.

In the wrong hands, Ammonia is an agent of human death.

… The power over Life and Death

In just one element …

.