Grateful to be drinking dinosaur pee!
Prepare your favourite beverage before reading this article. Sit down, get cozy and take a moment to realize that you are drinking dinosaur pee.
Yup.
This sentiment may make for exceptional clickbait, but the theory stands true that the liquid you are currently enjoying has water molecules that at one point, travelled through the digestive system of a dinosaur and was expelled in the form of urine.
"How?!" You're probably wondering.
Simple: because of the water cycle.
The water cycle, at its most basic level, is nature’s filtration system. Water is recycled as it evaporates under the sun’s heat, rises into the atmosphere, cools, and condenses to create rain or snow where it falls to the earth, providing fresh water for the living to enjoy. This ongoing cycle is a natural phenomenon we are incredibly thankful for as water is a finite resource on earth.
Approximately 3% of the water on earth is freshwater, but 2.5% of it is stuck in glaciers, permafrost, deep underground etc., leaving us with a mussaurus-sized but valuable 0.5% of drinkable water. That small amount of 0.5% of freshwater, paired with the 165 million years the dinosaurs lived on earth during the Mesozoic era, points to the high likelihood that the thread that connects us, humans, to dinosaurs is freshwater. Though millions of years apart, both dinosaurs and humans have depended on the same freshwater that filters through the water cycle.
Now, why do we care in 2022 that what we drink is tied to dinosaurs millions of years ago?
Because just like dinosaurs, the animals of today, both on land and in the water, rely on the health of our water to survive. With the rise of carbon emissions and plastic pollution, that finite resource of water is being threatened. For instance, due to industrial emissions, sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are being pumped into the water cycle can result in acid rain. When these gases are emitted and dispersed by wind currents, it mixes into the water cycle, causing the water’s pH to drop and become acidic. Another factor is warming global temperatures due to higher greenhouse gases (high levels of carbon dioxide gases that are released remain in the atmosphere where they allow sunlight through, but traps the heat within the atmosphere) triggering increased evaporation and precipitation rates worldwide being the catalyst for irregular weather patterns like heightened flooding, droughts and heatwaves.
The bottom line is the water cycle that maintains the planet’s water, as it has done for millions of years, is in a precarious state and does not solely impact marine animals as many may believe.
If you are beginning to feel panicked, don't worry we have tips on how to help protect and conserve that precious 0.5%:
-Waterlution: A federally registered Canadian non-profit that has successfully established itself as an internationally recognized water-focused organization offering distinctive capacity building, leadership and facilitation training for learning and supporting water health.
-GroundWater: Literally 100 ways listed to help conserve water.
–Almond App: This free app calculates and walks you through your carbon footprint, all the while providing you with lower carbon alternatives and giving rewards for decreasing your carbon emissions!
–Good For You App: Purchases such as food and beverages are not the sole sources contributing to high carbon emissions- the fashion industry is a major contributor. This free app provides recommendations of what brands to avoid based on their sustainability practices.
Let’s work together to protect our water so the only thing contaminating your beverage is dinosaur pee.
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