For decades we worried about the destruction of our world through world war. Then meltdowns from nuclear power. Now many of our greatest fears are wrapped around environmental disasters.
Rightfully so. Whether it is too much water, the flooding and destruction of our coast lines to water scarcity, we face some challenging days. Yet, brilliant people, in very community, are working feverishly on solutions. Clean water sources would be abundant if we returned our supplies to their pristine condition. Israel has proven for decades how much can be done with very limited supplies of water.
Our bent on destroying the natural capitol that keeps us alive has to transform to a passion for restorating and remediation. In doing so we restore the pillars of our global economy. Living in balance means living in peace and prospering.
Ways to deal with global water scarcity
Water shortage across the globe is more serious issue than what
scientists have predicted earlier. Around 66%, or four billion people,
across the world live without adequate amount of fresh water for at
least a month in a year.
With the help of a computer models, study researchers have come up with more precise and comprehensive data about the problem when compared with previous studies. In the current research being headed by Dr. Arjen Hoekstra of the Netherlands' University of Twente, the team has included many variables like climate records, population density, irrigation and industry.
“Up to now, this type of research concentrated solely on the scarcity of water on an annual basis, and had only been carried out in the largest river basins. That paints a more rosy and misleading picture, because water scarcity occurs during the dry period of the year”, affirmed Hoekstra.
It is important to address water scarcity issue as otherwise it can result into economic losses owing to crop failure, limited food availability and poor business viability. The study researchers have recommended to reduce water scarcity by increasing dependence on rain-fed agriculture and not on irrigated agriculture and to improve the efficiency of water usage. Government, public and other sectors need to contribute in the efforts.
The research has confirmed that there is a global problem of fresh water availability. In fact, last year, the World Economic Forum has numbered the world water crisis in the top three global problems, along with climate change and terrorism.
Half of the population suffering from water scarcity is living in the world’s two most populous nations, India and China, where fresh water demand is quite high. Water scarcity is also high in those places, where irrigated agriculture practice is done or there is low natural availability of fresh water. Such factors exist in the south and western United States. To cite an example, California has been facing drought for the past many years and conditions haven’t improved last year as well.
HuffingtonPost reported that, scientists, led by Dr. Arjen Hoekstra of the Netherlands' University of Twente, used a computer model that is both more precise and comprehensive than previous studies have used to analyze how widespread water scarcity is across the globe. Their model considers multiple variables including: climate records, population density, irrigation and industry.
“The fact that the scarcity of water is being regarded as a global problem is confirmed by our research," Hoekstra added. "For some time now, the World Economic Forum has placed the world water crisis in the top three of global problems, alongside climate change and terrorism.”
Csmonitor News report said, Freshwater is a key part of our lives. We drink it, we bathe in it, and we grow crops with it. But many people across the globe don't have enough of it. Some scientific studies have suggested that between 1.7 and 3.1 billion people face freshwater scarcity. But a new study blows those estimates out of the proverbial water.
"Water scarcity generally occurs only during part of the year, when there is a mismatch between water availability and demand," study author Mesfin Mekonnen explained to The Christian Science Monitor's Story Hinckley.
"There is no single silver bullet to deal with the problem around the world," said Tom Gleeson, a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at McGill University who published a 2014 paper in the journal Nature Geoscience outlining six different ways to reduce water scarcity, in a news release.
According to the Discovery News, it’s no secret that our planet is undergoing a serious water crisis, with population growth putting increasing stress upon the supply of fresh water. But the situation is even worse than we thought. About 4 billion people across the world have serious difficulty getting enough water for at least one month of every year, according to a just-published study in the journal Science Advances.
The researchers also found that about 66 percent of the world’s population suffers from severe water scarcity for at least one month during the year. Of those 4 billion people, 1 billion live in India and another 900 million live in China. About 130 million live in the United States, mostly in western and southern states.
With the help of a computer models, study researchers have come up with more precise and comprehensive data about the problem when compared with previous studies. In the current research being headed by Dr. Arjen Hoekstra of the Netherlands' University of Twente, the team has included many variables like climate records, population density, irrigation and industry.
“Up to now, this type of research concentrated solely on the scarcity of water on an annual basis, and had only been carried out in the largest river basins. That paints a more rosy and misleading picture, because water scarcity occurs during the dry period of the year”, affirmed Hoekstra.
It is important to address water scarcity issue as otherwise it can result into economic losses owing to crop failure, limited food availability and poor business viability. The study researchers have recommended to reduce water scarcity by increasing dependence on rain-fed agriculture and not on irrigated agriculture and to improve the efficiency of water usage. Government, public and other sectors need to contribute in the efforts.
The research has confirmed that there is a global problem of fresh water availability. In fact, last year, the World Economic Forum has numbered the world water crisis in the top three global problems, along with climate change and terrorism.
Half of the population suffering from water scarcity is living in the world’s two most populous nations, India and China, where fresh water demand is quite high. Water scarcity is also high in those places, where irrigated agriculture practice is done or there is low natural availability of fresh water. Such factors exist in the south and western United States. To cite an example, California has been facing drought for the past many years and conditions haven’t improved last year as well.
HuffingtonPost reported that, scientists, led by Dr. Arjen Hoekstra of the Netherlands' University of Twente, used a computer model that is both more precise and comprehensive than previous studies have used to analyze how widespread water scarcity is across the globe. Their model considers multiple variables including: climate records, population density, irrigation and industry.
“The fact that the scarcity of water is being regarded as a global problem is confirmed by our research," Hoekstra added. "For some time now, the World Economic Forum has placed the world water crisis in the top three of global problems, alongside climate change and terrorism.”
Csmonitor News report said, Freshwater is a key part of our lives. We drink it, we bathe in it, and we grow crops with it. But many people across the globe don't have enough of it. Some scientific studies have suggested that between 1.7 and 3.1 billion people face freshwater scarcity. But a new study blows those estimates out of the proverbial water.
"Water scarcity generally occurs only during part of the year, when there is a mismatch between water availability and demand," study author Mesfin Mekonnen explained to The Christian Science Monitor's Story Hinckley.
"There is no single silver bullet to deal with the problem around the world," said Tom Gleeson, a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at McGill University who published a 2014 paper in the journal Nature Geoscience outlining six different ways to reduce water scarcity, in a news release.
According to the Discovery News, it’s no secret that our planet is undergoing a serious water crisis, with population growth putting increasing stress upon the supply of fresh water. But the situation is even worse than we thought. About 4 billion people across the world have serious difficulty getting enough water for at least one month of every year, according to a just-published study in the journal Science Advances.
The researchers also found that about 66 percent of the world’s population suffers from severe water scarcity for at least one month during the year. Of those 4 billion people, 1 billion live in India and another 900 million live in China. About 130 million live in the United States, mostly in western and southern states.
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