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?