| This month's roundup contains few surprises, and to my knowledge, the only bright spot I see is the decline in bottled water sales (see last story below). Politik sent me a link from the Cancer Update from Johns-Hopkins: Bottled water in your car is very dangerous! On the Ellen show, Sheryl Crow said this is what caused her breast cancer. It has been identified as the most common cause of the high levels of dioxin in breast cancer tissue.
Venice to harvest the power of algae:
It's plentiful, it's homegrown, and it could help clean up the environment while powering our cities. The idea of transforming algae into a fuel is a reality. Nowadays there are numerous implementations of algae into the renewable energy market. Source
Interesting debate: Who Owns Colorado's Rainwater?
Environmentalists and others like to gather it in containers for use in drier times. But state law says it belongs to those who bought the rights to waterways. Every time it rains here, Kris Holstrom knowingly breaks the law. Source and another Source, equally interesting.
Disappearing Lakes:
A costly, and sad disappearing act is ravaging central Wisconsin. Some of the state's 15,000 lakes are just vanishing. Source
Global Warming 37 Percent To Blame For Droughts: Scientist
Global warming is more than a third to blame for a major drop in global rainfall, according to Peter Baines of Melbourne University in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Source
Future Water Wars: Jordan accuses Syria of violating water sharing deal
Jordan sent a letter to Syria protesting the cultivation of crops along the Yarmouk River, a tributary of the Jordan River, claiming that it violates water-sharing agreements between the two countries. Source
Mexico Water Shortage is Time Bomb: Autonomous Metropolitan University
Two researchers at the Autonomous Metropolitan University of Azcapotzalco called water-distribution problems in Mexico's Federal District and Mexico State a "time bomb." Source (in Spanish)
Old Mesopotamian Waters Inadequate for Thirsty Middle Eastern States
Iraq might be soaking in oil, but its water reservoirs have shallowed. Faced with a dry winter and chronic dependence on neighboring countries for water supply, an Iraqi minister has blamed Iran and Turkey for his country's water shortages. Source
Melting Ice Blurs Borders and Freezes Relations
Borders in this part of Europe haven't changed since 1861. But as temperatures rise and glaciers melt, Switzerland and Italy are working to redraw their shared frontier in the Alps to account for the changing topography of the mountain, The Independent reports. Source
Water shortages growing, but not for the reasons people think:
The overthrow of Madagascar's president in mid-March was partly caused by water problems - in South Korea. On the other side of the world, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California declared a state of emergency. Not for the first time, he threatened water rationing in the state. Source
And, a word or two, on my pet hate, bottled water:
One of the many depressing things about this current recession is hearing about the decline in the sales of all kinds of good things: Fairtrade food, organic food, food from small independent producers. But there's one decline in sales that has a positive side, and that's the slump in the sales of bottled water. Source
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