EARTH'S WATER CONDITION IN HOT WATER

 By Roger Armbrust

In January, the World Economic Forum reported Earth’s serious water condition:

The global water cycle is spiraling out of balance, with climate change aggravating torrential rains and intense droughts. The assumption that water supplies are stable, predictable and manageable is no longer true.

As we move through March, reports from around the globe support that view.

On March 15, the United Nations’ top official warned that growing regional conflicts and a warming planet make it vital that the world both guard and share its limited water supplies.

“Conflicts are raging, inequality is rife, pollution and biodiversity loss are rampant, and, as humanity continues to burn fossil fuels, the climate crisis is accelerating with a deadly force — further threatening peace,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

“Our planet is heating up — seas are rising, rains patterns are changing, and river flows are shrinking.  That is resulting in droughts in some regions, and floods and coastal erosion in others.  Meanwhile, pollution and overconsumption are imperiling the availability of fresh, clean, accessible water on which all life depends.  Dwindling supplies can increase competition and inflame tensions between people, communities, and countries.  That is increasing the risk of conflict.”

The world is also seeing a rise in cases of cholera, the deadly disease resulting from tainted water.

Action Against Hunger’s 2024 Water Funding Gap report notes:

Despite dwindling aid, the need for assistance is intensifying – 3.6 billion people worldwide lack adequate sanitation, and are susceptible to water-borne diseases, rendering them even more vulnerable to life-threatening malnutrition.

In the U.S., the Western states continue to vie over how to divide up water from the Colorado River.

“Seven Western states are starting to plot a future for how much water they’ll draw from the dwindling Colorado River in a warmer, drier world,” CNN told us on March 6. “The river is the lifeblood for the West – providing drinking water for tens of millions, irrigating crops, and powering homes and industry with hydroelectric dams.”

“Severe Drought Increases Mortality Risk in the Northern Rockies and Plains,” was a March 6 headline on drought.gov.

But dwindling water supply isn’t America’s only problem. The Weather Channel reports that two-thirds of Chicago’s children under six are exposed to lead in their water. It’s a national problem the Biden administration began addressing last year with $6.5 billion in funding for safe water infrastructure.

North of the U.S., Canada is seeing its own water problems.

Alberta’s already parched condition has led farmers and oil drillers to brace for even drier times this summer. Meanwhile, U.S. and Canada officials have agreed to review pollution of U.S. waterways caused by British Columbia coal mines.

South of the U.S., Mexico City is running out of water. It’s forced rationing, and is expected to affect voting in the upcoming mayoral election.

At the Panama Canal, drought has caused halts in traffic, affecting global supplies. And the canal’s efforts to solve the problem and increase water has negatively affected the supply of drinking water there.

Latin America’s water problems are summarized in news headlines like these: “This region of Brazil feeds billions of people. But its ecosystem needs better protection.” And this: “Police fire pepper spray on food crisis protesters in Argentina.”

Elsewhere, allafrica.com gives us the continent’s dire straits in one head: “Africa: Water and Sanitation Still Major Challenges in Africa, Especially for Rural and Poor Citizens”.

Why should it be any different in Asia, where an Asia Society headline says, “Asia’s Next Challenge: Securing the Region’s Water Future”. And more than one news source echoes phys.org’s “India’s water problems set to get worse as the world warms”.

 As for Europe, the Associated Press on March 11 headlined, “Europe is not prepared for the growing climate extremes it faces, its first risk assessment finds”.

What are the solutions? You’ve probably read about them all before: desalination; rationing; decarbonization; less consumption.

You can read the specifics on all the above stories in my World Water Supply Digest on Facebook.

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You’ll find my views on world water supply and other vital global issues in my book:

The Vital Realities for 2020 and Beyond: Writings on Water Wars, Nuclear Devastation, Endless War, Economic Revolution, and Surveillance Versus Freedom - Kindle edition by Armbrust, Roger. Politics & Social Sciences Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.