Desert Gardens

» Sally Morton - Bob- a couple of article summaries follow on this subject of fre

Bob- a couple of article summaries follow on this subject of fresh water scarcity. This is a major issue the world needs to wake up to quickly, before it's too late and the private corporations DO control all the market, as we see already happening by your article and resources:

Scientists Call for Radical Action to Ease Water Scarcity
It was recently reported in an article by The Associated Press (8/21/06), entitled "Scientists Call for Radical Action to Ease Water Scarcity" that during annual "Water Week" organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute that one-third of the world's population faces water scarcity. More than 700 scientists contributed to the dialogue, along with 1500 experts from 140 countries and U.N. agencies.
Read the full AP article at http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/082106... "Scientists Call for Radical Action"

This article on the same subject was published by Reuters. http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/081606...

Monday 21 August 2006
Stockholm, Sweden - Scientists on Monday called for radical action to improve global water management, saying one-third of the world's population faces water scarcity.
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/082106...

The report, drawing from the contributions of more than 700 scientists, was presented at the annual water week organized in the Swedish capital by the Stockholm International Water Institute. More than 1,500 experts from some 140 countries and U.N. agencies were attending.

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» Robert Dailey - Cornering the market

In response to Bob- a couple of article summaries follow on this subject of fre posted by Sally125:

Sally:
I agree with you. I covered much of the fproblems facing the world's population in several articles and blogs.
The fact is that despite things like desalination plants and new technology, one-thrid of the entire world populations is currently at risk, and hydrologists are calculating that the world's freshwater supply will not last through 2050.

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» Sally Morton - Cornering the market

In response to Cornering the market posted by bobcajun:

On your poll, I voted for "it's an abomination" for water to be privatized. I believe strongly it should be public domain. For goodness sakes, you have got to have water to survive. It should be available to every person on the planet at no cost.

Are there no solutions to the exhaustion by 2050? I realize better water conservation could stretch it out. Doesn't fresh water replenish?

The big question is if people will realize there is an immediate problem that requires immediate solutions.

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» Robert Dailey - Cornering the market

In response to Cornering the market posted by Sally125:

The problem is serious. We will face real water shortages before global warming really affects us.
In answer to your question, yes, fresh water is replenished.
Water evaporates, comes back down as precipitation, and re enters lakes, streams and oceans.
In time, it filters down into aquifers, where most of our drinking water comes from.
However, it takes centuries, sometimes millenia, for the water to filter down to them.
We (the entire world) are drawing down the aquifers much faster than they can be replenished.
Traditionally we have also used rivers, streams and lakes to irrigate fields to grow food. We also treat the water to make it potable for humans.
But few of the very large rivers ever make it to the sea anymore. As population grows and needs more fresh water to drink, bathe, water lawns, and grow food, the rivers will recede farther and farther inland.
Additionally, we are polluting lakes, streams and rivers, making much of that water unuseable.
And agricultural chemicals are very much to blame. One of the largest culprits for polluting: home gardeners, whogenerally use 10 times more ag chemicals per acre than large farmers do.
As I mentioned, the state of Texas is losing one percent of arable land per year, mainly because wells, which have tapped into large aquifers, are going dry, and farmers cannot irrigate.
At one percent per year, that comes to around what, 30% in 2050?
But the need for food, potable water, etc. will continue to expand.
What's happening in Texas is a microcosm of what's going on in many places in the world.
Desalination of ocean water is a possibility, but there are serious problems in the disposal of the brine leftover from the process. Pumped back into the sea, it can create large dead zones of water too high in salinity for anything to live in.
B

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