Water scarcity: A looming crisis?

[MURACU]

No comment the image speak for itself.

source

[RoadClosed]

Water in the United States is already a commodity just like in every part of the world. Rights to it are bought and sold and in some rare cases fought over in wars. Look at Los Angeles, their water sources come from Miles away and they OWN it. My city never has been good at buying rights or giving away rights in long term, short benefit deals. The only place we could go for water rights in on the Western Slope of the Great Divide. Problem is, there is NO way to get it here. Mankind as a whole are building water based societies in areas void of water.

[cacosapo]

We have to rethink how much water we really need if we are to learn how to share the Earth's supply

looks like as another wave of colonialism.....
They use to show pictures of poor people of Africe, but their really thoughts are "we are running out of water here"
USA and EU are consuming more water that they can produce/recycle, so lets "share supply" where

"share" = "i will get your fresh water because you are wasting and i need more than you"

Wellcome to 21st century..

[MURACU]

Actually cacosapo The Eu is not using more water than it produces or has in stock. Just spend a holiday in Ireland and you will see what I mean . The question is really how can we share the water more effeciantly. As for a country to developpe and become a proper market for our goods it will need water to support its industries and population. I cant really see the EU invading africa to get at the water there even though I can see the US liberating Canada from its evil tyranical goverment and taking payement in water and trees.

[Negative]

Next time I go to the neighborhood Walmart, I'll tell them that sprinkling their huge lawn is useless when it's raining cats and dogs.

[morganlefay]

Next time I go to the neighborhood Walmart, I'll tell them that sprinkling their huge lawn is useless when it's raining cats and dogs.

Thats kinda like my neighbour who waters his driveway everyday

I live in a typical suburban hood and you can spot my house a mile away...it the one with the dry patches and dandelions

even though I can see the US liberating Canada from its evil tyranical goverment and taking payement in water and trees.

I wouldnt put it past the Bush administration

MLF

[|3lack|ce]

Please don't take this wrong, but....

On a planet that is 2/3d's water, how can one complain of scarcity? I try to conserve energy and water whenever possible, most especially when draught hits my area (frequently in the summertime), but I'm curious as to how this is such an issue?

Why do Americans use more water than others? The answer is quite simple. We can afford it. Our resources and economy allot us the priviledge of being able to produce potable water in massive quantities, cheaply and quite efficiently. With desalinization techniques, purification and water recycling, we are no longer a society dependent on either the water table or the rain cycle.

I find it quite outlandish that other nations want to fuss about this disparity, yet malign our government and our very way of life in all other respects. Perhaps by emulation of us, your nation might enjoy the same abundance. Does it make me a bad person because I like a shower every morning, gallons of coffee, tea, and dr pepper, and a nice green lawn? Absolutely not. Do I like the fact that WalMart (among others who use automated sprinkler systems without weather sensors) likes to water their grass when it's raining? Absolutely not, but there is a fine line there - they can afford the thousand dollars a month in water bills for their individual stores. I do not begrudge a wealthy man who can afford a 20 room mansion, or drive a Rolls Royce his luxury. Why should I begrudge him his water?

[foxyloxley]

On a planet that is 2/3d's water, how can one complain of scarcity?

Water, water, everywhere; but not a drop to drink. Famous line from a poem ? can't remember which

|3lack|ce : you were a swabbie, didn't you ever taste the stuff the blue water navy sails on ?

Some areas of this planet are not so replete with natures bounty, some would say this is a great evil / unfairness that we MUST remove, and give everyone the same access to what we take for granted.

Me ?

I believe that it's natures way of saying :
"Feck off !! you can't stay here, there's no fecking WATER".

With desalinization techniques,

In Suadi, they use de-salination plants, this creates clean, fresh, PURE water. The religious amongst them decided that this was the best water to use to clean themselves with prior to prayer.

De-sal water contains NO minerals, and drinking it would provide nothing for the body except sweat. To combat this you add the minerals to make clean, fresh, DRINKING water.

From the above, Saudi refused to allow the addition of minerals, as that would make the water impure, and as it was for holy washing, that would not do................

There was also talk of harpooning and towing an iceberg to the areas of the world that needed water [presumably, somewhere coastal ? where dumping a million tons of fresh water into the local salt water supply [the sea] wouldn't upset the eco system.

This is something that definately will not go away, and no matter what your thoughts about whether it's our RIGHT to squander [?] our [?] water, it's only a matter of time before this becomes another front page story on our nightly news.

[|3lack|ce]

Fox, you and I agree on most issues, and here is no exception. The difference in our disputes isn't that water is a precious commodity, it is that certain folks here were trying to 'blame the government' as is the popular thing to do for those who aren't in understanding. I do, however, dispute certain points made in your above posts -

I hold the Saudis in very little esteem. If they choose to deny their own subjects the essential minerals necessary in common drinking water, then that means less Saudis for me to worry about.

I am more concerned with the draining/erosion of the mississippi delta and the destruction of the wetlands ecosystem there and in south florida than I am with someone's assenine idea of attempting to tow an iceberg - that's a bit Pippi Longstocking, wot?

I sat aboard my ship and looked down at the ocean and marvelled at it's magnificence, and marvelled still more that I could not drink from it's riches.... Then I learned about auxiliary machinery and water desalinization aboard ship, and smiled at man's conquering of the elements.

It's a simple matter to distill ocean water and make it potable. It's still more simple to add minerals to harden the water and make it good for drinking. It is, however, quite expensive to acquire and build the equipment necessary to do this on a large scale. We come back to the politics of it all - either foreign governments will learn economics and capitalism, and emulate, or they will ultimately fail. I do not dispute that we'll soon be seeing other nations dying of thirst on our nightly news, nor do I dispute that the reporters will fawn all over it and raise the liberals to goad our government to assist them, but I do submit that they should educate themselves instead of being so locked into their own personal mindsets.

[Tiger Shark]

Why are we worrying about there being enough water for all the people??????

Stop breeding like ****ing rabbits and water will be the same issue it was 50-100 years ago.... A non-issue!!!!!!

If you breed past your supply of water, food, ability to pay bills or anything else... I, frankly, have no sympathy whatsoever for you or your children.....

We have 6 billion, (ish), on the planet.... We _need_ less than half that....

Boys.... learn to keep your dick in your pants - or you'll be paying till you're 70!!!!!
Girls..... learn that total fulfilment does _not_ come from a football team full of kids - Get a headache!!!!!

Now C'mon.... This **** isn't difficult is it????? Limited resource required by _all_. More "all" you have more resource you need... limit "all", less resource needed...... Yeah... I guess this is rocket science after all......