With seemingly endless water talks going on in California and the recent news that Chicago will face a long-term water shortage that could reach outlying suburbs by 2015 and that Sana, Yemen could be the first capital to run out of water, water scarcity due to climate change is becoming a pressing issue right in our backyards. And some say water and lack there of will cause global conflicts in the future.
Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, chair of the intergovernmental panel on climate change and a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Price spoke about the issue earlier this month at the Nobel Conference. "At one level, the world's water is like the world's wealth," he said. "Globally, there is more than enough to go round. The problem is that some countries get a lot more than others."
In fact, Latin America holds 31 percent of the world's freshwater resources with 12 times more water per person than South Asia. Canada and Brazil also have more than enough water to go around, but the Middle East falls short. By 2020, Pachauri says increased water stress will affect 81 million Latin Americans, 250 million Africans and up to 1.2 billion people in Asia. And with water shortages comes infectious disease, malnutrition and other health issues, making water scarcity one of the most important health consequences of climate change according to Pachauri.
Water has already been the subject of wars. India and Pakistan have fought over the Indus, India and Bangladesh have fought over the Ganges and in 1967 the war was all about the river Jordan.
The future of the world's water is the most crucial issue for society today in Pachauri's eyes. And he doesn't think we have much time to ensure that the worst effects never become a reality. "Unless we act with a sense of urgency, there will certainly be conflict and a disruption of peace," he says. "Global emissions of greenhouse gases will have to decline by 2015. If we can achieve that we may be able to avoid the worst effects of climate change."
Image by Stuck in Customs on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.
Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, chair of the intergovernmental panel on climate change and a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Price spoke about the issue earlier this month at the Nobel Conference. "At one level, the world's water is like the world's wealth," he said. "Globally, there is more than enough to go round. The problem is that some countries get a lot more than others."
In fact, Latin America holds 31 percent of the world's freshwater resources with 12 times more water per person than South Asia. Canada and Brazil also have more than enough water to go around, but the Middle East falls short. By 2020, Pachauri says increased water stress will affect 81 million Latin Americans, 250 million Africans and up to 1.2 billion people in Asia. And with water shortages comes infectious disease, malnutrition and other health issues, making water scarcity one of the most important health consequences of climate change according to Pachauri.
Water has already been the subject of wars. India and Pakistan have fought over the Indus, India and Bangladesh have fought over the Ganges and in 1967 the war was all about the river Jordan.
The future of the world's water is the most crucial issue for society today in Pachauri's eyes. And he doesn't think we have much time to ensure that the worst effects never become a reality. "Unless we act with a sense of urgency, there will certainly be conflict and a disruption of peace," he says. "Global emissions of greenhouse gases will have to decline by 2015. If we can achieve that we may be able to avoid the worst effects of climate change."
Image by Stuck in Customs on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.
Water scarcity is on the rise in many parts of the world. Fresh water supply has declined in many places like Southern California yet we fail to conserve water. It is assessed that seventy gallons of water is consumed daily in household chores, sometime plenty is wasted. Water conservation methods must be adopted at home and outdoors. http://j.mp/1vq9nA has simple water-saving tips. Check them out and be water wise.