Water, Water Nowhere? What to do about the looming global water crisis

Reason Online ^ | 11/13/02 | Ronald Bailey

[Carry_Okie]

Not now, other than to say that before you can find a way to charge a lot of money for stolen assets, you have to create a shortage so that you can sell the solutions. This kind of hype is the groundwork.

[Travis McGee]

I wonder what the Saudis would drink if we stopped maintaining their humongous desal plants for a year?

[Travis McGee]

Must we suffer fools all our lives?

Prof, you already know the answer to that one.

[Professional]

Here in Washington State, I've seen bumper stickers that read "Save The Groundwater". Have seen that about 3-4 times.

I'd like a simple bumper sticker that said "Save Yourself".

[Mensch]

Anyone foolish enough to read into this that the planet is suffering a depletion of available water need rescind his graduation certificate from the 1st grade.

I'm with you there perfesser. Whom do you think is "foolish enough to read into this that the planet is suffering a depletion of available water" from this article?

[Hop A Long Cassidy]

I'm with you Boris... we need more energy, and nuclear is our best option. It sure beats people dying from black lung disease, or from floods, etc.

But I also think we need to stop subsidising water to farmers, or to anyone. The big transfer of tax payer wealth for the benefit of a few farmers is wrong... particularly when they are subsidized in other ways also.

[mfulstone]

It's a water distribution problem.

Certain politicians want to buy votes with water.

THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF FRESH WATER ON THIS PLANET!

[m1911]

The problem hinges on where the fresh water is available. According to his figures, accessible rainfall comes to 5700 litres per person per day, about four times the US per person usage. He breaks it down to three problems:
Unequal distribution, rising population, and shared resources. Deslination is great, unless you're landlocked with hostile or even just uncooperative neighbors.

[Mensch]

Try this... http://www.makestickers.com/

[RaceBannon]

Spent nuclear fuel rods still have a lot of heat, use them to de-salinate sea water.

That should make plenty of fresh water, just pump it in from the coast, if we can do it with natural gas, we can do it with water, eh?

If it is pressurized as steam for a few miles, it should have it's own head, so, tanks to store it should be easy to fill, fuel rods every mile or so, encased, heat the water to steam, steam flow to tanks, condensate to fill tank, easy as pie.

Oh, I forgot, nuclear fuel is dangerous...or so they say!

[calenel]

There is no shortage of energy either; most of it is wasted bitching about imagined catastrophes.

LOL

[calenel]

"Key to inducing higher water efficiency gains in all sectors is introducing market (or market-style) incentives into water use decisionmaking," argues the IFPRI report. "Incentive prices for water could have a major impact on water withdrawals and consumptive use in irrigation and urban water uses, thus freeing water for environmental use."

Didn't we try this with Mexico and now Mexico has a water deficit to American farmers?

[Democratic_Machiavelli]

So does this mean "Ice Pirates" was prescient? I just thought it was a good comedy.

[Democratic_Machiavelli]

So, what this is saying is that we have plenty of water, it's just that humans are misusing it, either through greed or incompetence?

Sounds like the "food shortage" everyone keeps mentioning.

Socialism isn't dying. It's just got a new name.

[m1911]

Fresh water isn't distributed equally on the planet, or in proportion to population. Who controls it and how is already a huge problem in the (mostly) peaceful American west. The government is already stepping in to pick winners, i.e. the rice farmers, the article is proposing a different, market based way of dividing a resource.

[Democratic_Machiavelli]

I was getting that impression. I have relatives who farm out in the western US. They do it as a hobby now because there's really no profit in it unless you're part of agribusiness. Part of the way they made money during an off-year was to sell their water rights. Don't remember if they sold them to the government, or to other farmers.

Beyond the idea of water markets, I don't see anything new in this article. Thanks for the summary though. I have a cold today and can't think too clearly.

[boris]

"Ban sealed caskets. Human being are 80% water, but when they die that's all trapped in sealed caskets instead of being reabsorbed by the earth like it ought to be."

We can use one of those "water recovery" gizmos like on Dune.

"Joe carried 7 liters and 10 drams of the tribe's water..."

(I don't recall the exact line from the movie.)

The big problem, as I see it, would be recovering water from Warren Christopher. He seems 100% dessicated already.

--Boris

[Mensch]

You're kidding, right?

[Democratic_Machiavelli]

Which part? Socialism? Food shortage? Greed and corruption?

[CollegeRepublican]

Dune anyone?

I was thinking the same thing. I just finished the Butlerian Jihad. Best one yet from Kevin Anderson and Brian Herbert. Still not the origional.