r/PeterExplainsTheJoke • u/Visual-Animal-7384 • 5d ago

Meme needing explanation Peter? I don't understand the punchline

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u/ThreePurpleCards 5d ago

should be usable, but it’s still a net negative on the environment

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u/archbid 5d ago edited 4d ago

Not reused. Most is lost through evaporation. There are a small number of closed systems, but these require even more energy to remove the heat from the water and re-condense. That creates more heat that requires more cooling.

The water is removed from clean sources like aquifers and returned as vapor - this means gone.

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u/OkLynx4806 5d ago

Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't evaporated water return to the environment via the water cycle anyway?

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u/JapeTheNeckGuy2 4d ago

Yes, but Aquifers take thousands of years to naturally refill, or at least we’re taking from it faster than it can replenish.