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DISCUSSION:
Fresh Water Scarcity – A
Potential Cause for Warfare
by Kevin L. Chapman
“Water, thou hast no taste, no colour, no odour; canst be defined, art relished while ever mysterious. Not necessary to life, but rather life itself (...) Of the riches that exist in the world, thou art the rarest...
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Less than 1% of the world’s water supply consists of readily available freshwater. Due to its scarcity and increased usage, there is an increased chance of low-level armed conflicts regarding freshwater resources. In water scarce environments, nations believe that water is of a strategic importance and the loss of any water supplies endangers its ability to survive. Due to this mentality, the development of a riparian policy that several countries will agree to is nearly impossible.
Most of the world’s water supply is used for agriculture. For example, it takes 1000 tons of water to produce a mere ton of wheat. The lack of a suitable water supply limits the amount and kind of industries a nation may undertake. This check on development can cause tension within a country due to the inability to create employment and pay its debts.
Saudi Arabia has no rivers in it, and it will deplete its groundwater supplies in about fifty years. There are 216 rivers that flow through two or more countries. There are thirty-one nations that receive more than one-third of their water from rivers that cross international borders. Two-thirds of all Arabic speaking people receive water from a source that begins in a non-Arabic country.
Although water availability has been a problem in some parts of the world for a long time, this problem will be exacerbated by substantial population growth in developing countries. The population in some areas of the world is simply too high for the quantity of water available. Peter Gleick, who writes frequently on this subject, predicts this issue will reach critical mass around the year 2035 due to the loss of water supplies from population growth.
Increases in the level of development also increase the amount of water consumed. This increased consumption is due to developing countries adapting a western lifestyle and production methodology. Construction of housing developments and other infrastructure projects reduces the amount of protective vegetation. The vegetation slows water flow so that it can permeate the soil and renew groundwater supplies.
While the information envisions a dire future, there are opportunities to mitigate this potential disaster and profit from it.
- Desalination systems that convert saltwater to freshwater are useful since many of the affected countries border oceans.
- Some areas have polluted their water to the point of uselessness, so water filtration systems could be profitable.
- Oil and water don’t mix, but the same companies that are involved in oil pipelines could become leaders in water pipelines due to expertise in running pipe over large areas.
- Farming could benefit from the development of more plants that are drought resistant. Irrigation systems could be improved to reduce water loss from evaporation or watering too far beyond the plant roots. Large scale hydroponics where the water is constantly reused.
Now wasn’t this as refreshing as a cold, clear, glass of water on a hot day.
Kevin chapman
Insight through understanding. Advice you can trust.
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The turbulent 21st century
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