First, for a quick but thorough take on the global helium situation, noted Internet Thing Explainer Hank Green can read you in:
Helium is currently a nonrenewable resource. Most of the helium used on Earth to date was originally captured as a byproduct of natural gas drilling. A combination of decreased fossil fuel consumption and global instability has significantly impacted the availability of that helium (via WIRED). Hence, shortage.
As both WIRED and Green note, the current helium shortage is an engineering problem, not a we’re-running-out problem. While it is a nonrenewable resource, there are still many sources of underground helium on Earth (via Smithsonian) –- its status as a cheap byproduct of a common industrial process has just disincentivized the creation of technology specifically designed to capture helium. What we used to grab along with our natural gas took care of our helium needs.
As with other issues, the best solution is likely recycling. Applications that use liquid helium often lose it as it transitions to gas and enters the atmosphere. People in the medical field and other areas of wide liquid helium usage are innovating to stop that wastage and get more use out of the same amount of helium (via UCSC and NASA).
In short, the shortage is scary but solvable. Helium availability is not yet a crisis but it will require serious investments of time and engineering know-how to fully remedy. In the meantime, feel free to get your child or inner child a balloon, but maybe skip the squeaky-voice thing. It’s bad for you.
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