possible solutions to the world’s water crisis. what won’t work… damsdesalination diversions
TRANSCRIPT
Possible Solutions to the World’s Water
Crisis
What won’t work…Dams DesalinationDiversions
Dams…
“If you dam a river, it stagnates. Running water is beautiful. So be a
channel.”
– English Proverb
ThinkQuote.com
Dams…Some background information
In 2000, worldwide, there were… 47, 455 ‘large’ dams 800,000 total dams
Nearly half of the world’s dams are found in China; three-quarters in China, US, India, and Japan
Are used for (in order of most to least common): Irrigation Multipurpose Water supply Hydropower Flood control ‘other’
The Little Green Handbook
Regional application of dams (per cent)
Irrigation Multipurpose Water supply Hydropower Flood control0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Africa N.A. S.A.Asia Australasia Europe
The Little Green Handbook, p69
Dams…Why are they a bad solution?
Dams significantly contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases
Are responsible for the extinction of many species of fish and marine life
They stop major rivers from reaching the sea
Large areas of land flood, creating reservoirs
Blue Covenant, Encyclopedia of Earth
Dams…Social/political impacts
They displace massive numbers of people
Take up land that could be used for agriculture
Destroy natural forests and landmarks
Cause serious political rifts: China and Russia are fighting
over multiple water sources Turkey plans to establish 22
dams and 19 hydropower plants on the Euphrates River
The Little Green Handbook, Universe Today
Diversions…
Diversions…Some background information
Used to divert water from a main water source, such as a lake or river, towards a more accessible location
Originally, canals were the only method. Currently, the preferred method is underground pipes
There is a massive network of pipes circling the world Expensive No formal coordination Ecologically damaging Have to be built in
perma-frost in colder regions
The Little Green Handbook
Diversions…Why are they a bad solution?
Many consequences are similar to those of dams
Draining of watersheds lead to water shortages in the short-term and complete water depletion in the long-term
Currently causing political rifts between countries around the world:
China has plans to divert 450 million cubic meters of water every year from the Irtysh River for irrigation purposes
Russia and China are also fighting over Russia’s lake Baikal
Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and West bank are all fighting over the Jordan River.
Blue Covenant
Desalination…
“Desalination of the sea is not the answer to our water problems. It is survival technology, a life support
system, an admission of the extent of our failure.”
– John Archer, author of ‘Twenty-Thirst Century’
Blue Covenant
Desalination…How desalination works
Reverse osmosis Using semi-permeable
membranes and pressure to separate the water from the salt
Aerogel cells One cell can produces
3, 785 liters of desalinated water a day
Each cell originally cost $75,000, but may decrease to $2,000
Little Green Handbook, Uri Lachish, Mouli Cohen
Desalination…Some background information
Desalination plants are small and highly-localized
Only essential to the Middle East and the Caribbean
¼ of these plants are in Saudi Arabia
According to the Pacific Institute, “Desalination plants have the capacity to provide for only three one-thousandths of total world freshwater use.”
Becoming popular with politicians in Singapore, Australia, and America
The Little Green Handbook, Blue Covenant
Desalination…Why is it a bad solution?
Highly energy-intensive
Radically increases greenhouse gas emissions
A disastrous cycle of contamination: they create brine mixed with chemicals and heavy metals, which are released back into local water, liter for liter
Kill small aquatic animals, which don’t leave the water
Smell terrible and ruin the waterfront view
Worldwide, desalination plants produce 20 billion liters of waste every year
The Little Green Handbook, Blue Covenant, Mark O’Brien
Taking ancient water…Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is the largest source of fresh water in the world Larger than all the great
lakes put together 25 million years old Species we’ve never
seen before
Scientists from Russia and China are testing the water quality to see if it can be used safely.
Blue Covenant, Lake Baikal Homepage, TreeHugger
Taking ancient water…Ogallala Aquifer
Extends from western Texas to South Dakota
450 000 sq km
Recharge comes from rain water and snowmelt
If the states continue to take water from the aquifer, it will be completely depleted in a few decades
Blue Covenant, Mike Adams, waterencyclopedia.com
Taking ancient water…Renewable water resources
‘Circulation time’ or ‘recharge time’ = the amount of time it takes for any body of water to be replenished naturally
Rivers: 16 days
Lakes: 17 years
Non-renewable water resources
Groundwater reservoirs: 1500 years
Glaciers and permanent snow cover
Groundwater aquifers are static, and once emptied, remain empty indefinitely
The Little Green Handbook
What will work…
Virtual water…The water we use isn’t always visible
Virtual water“Water that is used in the production of crops or
manufactured goods that are later exported.”
Everything we own has a virtual water cost
Many water-poor countries trade in virtual water
Vietnam coffeeAfrica out of season fruits and veggiesBrazil Biofuel
Blue Covenant
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
1.4
2.8
2.3
2
1.4 1.31.1
0.6
Average Water Footprint
GlobalAmericaCanadaBrazilGermanyPakistanIndiaYemen
Major World Powers
Million
s o
f lite
rs p
er
cap
ita p
er
year
waterfootprint.org
Countries over 2 million liters per capita per year
Old Core
Canada
America
Cyprus
Greece
Italy
Spain
Near-Core/Far Periphery
Malaysia
Thailand
Sudan
Papua New Guinea
Guyana
waterfootprint.org
Globally… Water for Life “Best
Practices” awards: Best water management
practices Best participatory,
communication, awareness-raising, and education practices
Promote efforts to fulfill international commitments made on water and water-related issues by 2015”
Geographical distribution of applications: Africa: 15% Asia: 22% Europe: 24% L.A. & Caribbean: 35% North America: 4%
waterforlifedecade.org, unesco.org
Nationally…According to Phil Dickie, there are 7 key challenges we have to face in order to improve our water conservation:
1. Properly value water Conserve natural watersheds for people and nature Establish organizations to manage river basins
2. Agree on the balance Leave enough time for natural recharge
3. Change attitudes to water Give rivers room, instead of trying to control them
Phil Dickie, “Rich Countries, Poor Water”
4. Modify or repair aging/inappropriate infrastructure
Reduces waste, contamination and disruption of natural processes
5. Bring agriculture into line Agricultural chemicals are the most common
contaminates of water
6. Reduce the contamination of water We only test for some of the current contaminates
7. Build up our knowledge Improved understanding of natural water systems
Phil Dickie, “Rich Countries, Poor Water”
Provincially…
“[The OWCA] is a coalition of citizens, organizations and businesses who believe an environmentally sustainable and economically secure province requires a comprehensive water conservation and efficiency strategy”
Want to change our traditional supply-oriented view on water, and maintain accountability
Come up with new and innovative ways to protect, conserve, treat, and re-use water
Ontario Water Conservation Alliance
conserveourwater.ca
Provincially…
Make Ontario the N.A. leader in the development and sale of water conservation and treatment technologies
Encourage sustainable infrastructure and conservation planning using made-in-Ontario
Encourage all Ontarians to use water more wisely
Water Opportunities Act
ene.gov.on.ca/environment/en/legislation/water_opportunities
Individually…
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing
himself.
– Leo Tolstoy
ThinkQuote.com
How much water have you used today?
Did you have a coffee? 140 L
How about a glass of milk? 201 L
Last time you had a burger? 2, 400 L(quarter-pounder = 30 American showers)
New t-shirt? 2, 900 L
Steaks for two? 7, 030 L(the whole cow is around 150 000 L)
Bought a pair of jeans recently? 10, 978 L
waterfootprint.org
How to save water around the house…Don’t wash dishes by hand
Try vegan for a day
Have tea instead of coffee
Fix leaks around the house
Don’t buy new clothes unless you need them
And STOP drinking bottled water!
waterfootprint.org
Want more information?Whether you’re a global warming skeptic, or the
leader of the green movement at your school or place of work, I challenge you to learn more about the water crisis, or the environment as a whole.
During the course of my research, I’ve found a lot of sources that were very reliable and shocking to read. I’ll share a few with you, and I hope you’ll look for more on your own.
Extra Resources
Books and websites Running Out of Water
– Peter Rogers, Susan Leal, and Edward J. Markey (2010)
Blue Covenant – Maude Barlow (2009)
The Little Green Handbook – Ron Neilson D.Sc. (2006)
An Inconvenient Truth – Al Gore (2006)
My personal favourite: Nielson, a nuclear physicist, makes every effort to remain unbiased and give the most accurate information available on the seven main issues our environment faces today.
Extra ResourcesReading not your thing?Here are some fantastic documentaries that really depict the world’s water crisis:
An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
Flow: For Love of Water (2008)
Blue Gold: World Water Wars (2008)
Tapped (2009) (on the plastic bottle industry) Flow: How did a handful of
corporations steal our water?