Does the Sahara have aquifers (perhaps deep well reachable?) that can be tapped to regreen the desert if funding were there to drill and pipe it and energy pump it out and around?
I mean, California could solve its water shortages with more reservoirs and piping, combined with desalination plants along the ocean, correct? If they had the will to do so.
Watch the video.
there’s enough ancient water under the sahara to keep the desert green for 50—100 years. after that it runs out.
the saudis also had an ancient aquifer that they tapped for a couple decades to grow wheat. for awhile they were like the fourth or fifth largest wheat producer.
then the water ran out.
All the deserts of the world will be turned green. That will happen when the price of desalination drops another couple hundred dollars @acre foot to around $300@acre foot.
There are two technologies currently maturing fast that will make that happen. Fusion energy which will reduce the cost of energy to a fraction of what it is today. The second one is a technology that will extract the minerals and metals from salt water at prices that are cheap enough to make them profitable to sell. That’s more complicated but also doable.
In less than ten years this world changing technology will happen.