# A totally factual, non-opinionated question about "Man Wrecks Planet"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-totally-factual-non-opinionated-question-about-man-wrecks-planet/183564>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [June 22, 2003, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-totally-factual-non-opinionated-question-about-man-wrecks-planet/183564 "2003-06-22T10:11:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-totally-factual-non-opinionated-question-about-man-wrecks-planet/183564/1 "2003-06-22T10:11:00Z")

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In [the “Man Wrecks Planet” column](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030620.html), Cecil states:

> [@](#):
>
> _Lost 71 million tons of topsoil._ Possibly low. Lester Brown of the Worldwatch Institute estimated in 1992 that 24 billion tons of cropland topsoil are lost annually worldwide, or 66 million tons per day. However, environmentalist and author Bruce Sundquist, reviewing the literature on the earth’s “carrying capacity” ([home.alltel.net/bsundquist1/se1.html](http://home.alltel.net/bsundquist1/se1.html)), comes up with a net topsoil loss rate of 78 billion tons per year, or 215 million tons per day.

Even if the numbers aren’t correct, I’m assuming we do lose topsoil. How, exactly? Where does it go? Any way to put it back?

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**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-totally-factual-non-opinionated-question-about-man-wrecks-planet/183564/2 "2003-06-22T12:53:17Z")

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Yes, it blows away- justlike in the Dustbowl era. It is even a problem in green, wet England- particularly in the drier eastern part of the country.  
Unfortunately it gets blown into the sea.  
Some of the soil that gets blown onto land around the world can be gathered up again, but it has generally lost its organic content…  
I think solutions can and will be found, but they are expensive; the worst soil loss will be in laces that cannot afford to lose it.

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SF worldbuilding at  
[http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html](http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html)

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**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-totally-factual-non-opinionated-question-about-man-wrecks-planet/183564/3 "2003-06-22T12:54:22Z")

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…_places_ that cannot afford to lose it…

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SF worldbuilding at  
[http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html](http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html)

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**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-totally-factual-non-opinionated-question-about-man-wrecks-planet/183564/4 "2003-06-22T23:27:22Z")

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Most soil loss is from water rather than wind. The stuff simply runs away down the rivers.

It can’t really be put back as such. Topsoils are a complex blend of weathered parent material and organic matter. We can grind up rock and add organic mulch to the mix to produce artificial soil, but at this point in time it is not practical in most places.