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Water News 
Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 07:13:02 AM PDT
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It's time to come out of semi-retirement with a scary water diary....except that I have scoured teh internets for positive water news, if any, so it's a mixed bag: water scarcity is here and it's not going away. However there are some new developments worth noting.
Great News from CSIRO:
CSIRO summer scholarship student, Tim Warren, has developed an automated
water sampler of such high quality it is now being considered for a
provisional patent. Source
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Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 12:20:02 PM PDT
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Water use has been growing at more than twice the rate of population increase in the last century, and, although there is no global water scarcity as yet, an increasing number of regions are chronically short of water. According to the FAO, by 2025, up to 2 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world population could be under stress conditions. Not exactly encouraging news since our world has 6.4 billion inhabitants today. More than 3 billion will potentially be added to our human family over the next 50 years.
The 5th World Water Forum was held at Sutluce Congress and Cultural Center in Istanbul from 16-22 March, 2009. The host President Gul opened the forum, stressing that "water is the most fundamental element to life and to our survival. It's clear that we have to place special importance on water since it is one of the most crucial elements that drive sustainable development." Link to what was discussed here.
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Mon Mar 23, 2009 at 18:15:00 PM PDT
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Food & water - two subjects that are closely related, and dear to me, for without either we're dead ducks. When a resource is as basic as clean water, it can be easy to take for granted. This week I've been sifting through a number of email alerts and checking water sites for a modicum of good water news. This was prompted by the excellent news from the Obama administration, who has announced new budget proposal containing an unprecedented commitment to funding water and wastewater infrastructure. Kudos to the indefatigable folks at Food & Water Watch for championing the cause.
Let's not forget this fact: of all the water on earth, only 2,5% is fresh water. Fresh water is either groundwater (0,5%), or readily accessible water in lakes, streams, rivers, etc. (0,01%), and less than 1% of the water supply on earth can be used as drinking water.
The Big Orange has it too. Eventually.
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Tue Dec 30, 2008 at 12:20:34 PM PST
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This is my last Water News diary for the year and I'd like to take the opportunity to remind all the fighting I/P posters that the Middle East, where a few great waterways are the major source of water for a large area of dry lands spanning a number of national borders, the scarcity of water has played a central role in defining the political relationships in the region for thousands of years. Its ideological, religious, and geographical disputes go hand in hand with water-related tensions and it is becoming abundantly clear that the incoming administration of Barack Obama will have to deal swiftly with the powers of the region as the water crisis is not limited to the Jordan basin, but extends throughout the Middle East, encompassing also the watersheds of the Nile and the Tigris-Euphrates. Because of water's preeminent role in survival (Israel depends on fresh water resources originating in the occupied territories for about one-third of its total supply) the parched and volatile Middle East must be dealt with because the fact is that the region is running out of water. The people who have built their lives on what was once a reliable source of fresh water are now seeing a shortage of this vital resource impinge on all aspects of their increasingly fragile relations.
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Sun Sep 21, 2008 at 10:23:23 AM PDT
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Much has happened in the last two months, some of which has not been reported in the MSM. Well, it doesn't surprise me as most of the important stuff, like water scarcity, makes bad copy: consider the following. One-third of Spain is threatened by desertification, water levels in Greece are dangerously low, over 46 million Americans are exposed to drinking water laced with meds, San Diego residents to tighten their water belts as U.S. faces era of water scarcity, and the world will require 55% more food by 2030, increasing the demand for irrigation which already accounts for 70% of all freshwater used by humans.
And even McCain jumps on the bandwagon calling for a conservative ethic in water management! Yeah, right, everything he touches turns to a changing position, so don't hold your breath. McCain should be renamed McVane, he blows where the wind goes.
And water flowed on Mars longer than thought.
Cross-posted on the Big Orange.
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Thu Jul 10, 2008 at 10:32:49 AM PDT
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This year, the world and, in particular, developing countries, the poor and the vulnerable have been hit by both food and energy crises. Consequently the costs for many staple foods have risen to over 100% in some States. Casting a weary eye on the causes of the food crisis, a growing population, changes in trade patterns, urbanization, dietary changes in emerging economies, rising transportation costs, increased bio-fuel production, climate change and regional droughts are all responsible. To my astonishment, only a few people specifically mention the declining availability of water that is needed to grow irrigated and rain-fed crops. Seeking a quick resolution, policy makers & food multinationals are pressing the argument that the solution to the food crisis lies in plant breeding (GM) that produces the ultimate high yielding, low water-consuming crops, with little attention paid to strict scientific scrutiny of the use of this technology.
Current estimates indicate that we will not have enough water to feed ourselves in 25 years time, by which time the current food crisis will turn into a perpetual crisis. Politicians have once again fallen asleep at the wheel.
Cross-posted from DKos
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