Time To Consider Market-based Solution To Freshwater Shortage

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Water cycle http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/water...

Water cycle http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycleprint.html Other language versions: Català Czech español Finnish Greek Japanese Norwegian (bokmål) Portugese Romanian עברית Diné bizaad (Navajo) and no text and guess water vapor (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The world’s ever-increasing population and overwhelming demand on the freshwater supply, combined with the adverse effects of climate change, has triggered a new and urgent focus on the issue of water security and the need to address looming threats to water shortages globally, and now includes conversations on market-based solutions to this problem.   Some readers may find it difficult to appreciate the reality of a water shortage given that 70 percent of the earth’s surface is covered by water; however, the facts are that (1) the majority of that 70 percent is saltwater and (2) clean freshwater for consumption, agriculture and other human activities is in short supply.

In the United States alone, the total use of water for agriculture, industrial and personal use is greater than the entire amount of water that flows in the country’s rivers.  The net amount required to meet the demand is pulled from ground water beneath the earth’s surface, thus creating a shortage there.  Consequently, our extreme demand on the water supply has led to a “new geologic era” in which “humanity has taken over key [planetary] drivers:  the water cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle”.  [1]  One proposed solution to the water shortage is the adoption of a market-based system that privatizes freshwater services and allocates a price for its use.  Under such a scenario, water quantity and quality would be traded as goods with the potential that water would become the “biggest commodity of the 21st century”. [1]

The greatest benefit derived here is that a market-based system would provide a strong incentive to conserve water.  Everyone would pay for what they use as priced on the open market.  This would then focus more attention on water quality.  The removal of water services from state, county and municipal control and placement in the competitive market also would encourage more efficient use of water.  Ultimately, with the creation of investment opportunities, private companies would be better able to fund research and development on sustainable practices and to build and maintain the necessary filtration, clarification and delivery systems without political and budget constraints inherent under public control.  On the flip side of such a proposal, privatized water could negatively impact poor communities, possibly leading to health catastrophes as people unable to afford water would use rivers, streams, ponds and lakes, which often are contaminated and pose health risks.  As such, any solutions that privatize freshwater delivery would have to include a component that provides affordable access to the water supply for basic consumption and hygiene to those unable to purchase service.  Interestingly, studies do show that people tend to find a way to purchase things they deem important.  As an example, statistics indicate that  in India, more people have access to cellphones “than to basic sanitation“, i.e., toilets. [1]

The privatization of water could be a boost to the green movement simply by the change in attitude with the realization that its use comes with a premium price tag.  Individuals would be more receptive to reduce their reliance on water in the home by carefully planning lawns and landscaping.  Hopefully, they would use more grasses and plants that are drought resistant.  Also, as the cost of water to feed farm animals is passed on to consumers, it is likely that people will entertain the notion of reducing their meat consumption to some extent.  Lastly, farmers hopefully will be more inclined to shift from flood irrigation of crops to drip irrigation, thereby reducing their agricultural water consumption by about 20%.

The reality here is that fresh water shortages are a major concern, particularly here in the United States where the availability of freshwater largely has been taken for granted.  A recent report by the U.S. Drought Monitor notes seven states, namely Oklahoma, Wyoming, South Dakota, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas and Nebraska are in the throes of severe drought. [2]  Clearly, this is an issue that deserves immediate attention simply because we cannot exist without fresh water.  Privatization of the management and delivery of freshwater through a market-based system is a possible albeit extreme solution and definitely merits discussion.  To save our freshwater is to save our lives.  To do this, let’s live green, be green.

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Sources for this article:

1.  http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/03/29/can-the-world-afford-cheap-water/.
2.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/30/states-running-out-of-water_n_2984979.html.

"WATER WASTE MEANS WATER SHORTAGE" -...

“WATER WASTE MEANS WATER SHORTAGE” – NARA – 516053 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Dramatic Shift in Belief in Climate Change Noted

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A new study released by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication reveals that the majority of Americans now believe that global warming is affecting the weather and that it also is responsible for worsening extreme weather events.  Between the end of August through September of this year, more than 1000 people over the age of 18 participated in a survey regarding their beliefs about global warming.  The results then were weighted to give nationally representative numbers.  The findings of this survey represents a dramatic shift in Americans’ belief in climate change, even from March 2012.  Specifically, the following was noted:

  • A majority of Americans (73%) agreed that global warming had worsened the record-setting temperatures of this past summer.
  • A majority of Americans (64%) agreed that global warming affected the fast-moving band of thunderstorms (derecho) that traveled from Indiana to Virginia this past summer, causing widespread power outages and significant structural damage).
  • A majority of Americans agreed that global warming was responsible for the severe drought in the Midwest and Great Plains, last year’s unusually warm winter and the record forest fires in the western United States.

It appears that in the past, many people’s beliefs about climate change were tied to politics with conservatives debunking this phenomenon as a myth.  However, the severe weather events over the past year with its massive destruction of life and property have served as an eye opener of the reality of global warming and its ensuing problems to many Americans.  As Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication states on the subject of politics’ polarizing forces on climate change, “[i]t is the trend that I find in some ways most disturbing, because in the end, the climate system doesn’t care whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican.  It’s not like the floods are only going to hit Democrats or Republicans . . . conservatives or liberals. . . .  In the end, we all will suffer together and in the end, we’ll all have to solve this together.”  http://www.livescience.com/22069-polarization-climate-science.html

For the green movement and environmentalists and scientists, the acceptance of the existence of climate change and global warming by the majority of Americans represents a positive step in the direction to seek solutions to these problems.  Perhaps one day we all will live green, be green.

Global warming has become too personal and extreme
to ignore.

Drought Proven To Be A Key Element In Collapse of Ancient Cities

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Drought! Drought! Drought! We hear it everyday. We feel its effect in the grocery store in the form of higher costs for produce and meat. Our daily television and web-browsing experiences often include stories and pictures of parched farmlands and the individuals who are negatively impacted economically and socially by this year’s extremely dry weather. At the same time, we hear the naysayers’ criticisms of the insistence that the drought is caused by climate change. They contend that we are experiencing a natural cycle that will change soon. They admonish that proposed EPA standards to protect the environment from pollution are part of a political agenda and are based on a myth.

A study cited this week by the U.S. Geological Survey notes that “humans have a long history of having to deal with climate change”. http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=3359#.UD9kbI5vd8u. The results of this research was published in July’s edition of Geology and points to the lack of available water in Egypt and other ancient civilizations as the major player in the collapse of these societies. The researchers examined pollen and charcoal preserved in the Nile Delta sediment dating back 7,000 years to present to define the physical mechanisms affecting critical events in ancient Egyptian history. The goal was to see if changes in pollen assemblages would reflect ancient Egyptian and Middle East droughts in archeological and historical records. Additionally, the researchers examined the presence and level of charcoal because increased fire frequency during extended periods of drought also would result in larger charcoal deposits.

The study results did support the hypotheses, with findings of increased microscopic charcoal in the core sediment during four recorded periods of drought. These findings are from recorded events, independent of political agenda, occurring in Egypt and in the Uruk Kingdom when modern Iraq collapsed. A second event was noted in the eastern Mediterranean and is collaborated with the fall of the Ugarit Kingdom and famines in the Babylonian and Syrian Kingdoms.

Studies such as these are crucial to our very existence. The objective and scientific determination of factors resulting in the collapse of ancient civilizations provides us with the knowledge and direction to find present-day solutions to these problems. This study concludes that climate change leading to severe drought led to the destruction of these societies. Water conservation,drought prevention, and other measures associated with environmentally friendly living are mandatory to ensure our continued existence on Earth. Yet more reasons to live green, be green!
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Severe Drought Sparks Innovative Technology

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It is impossible to go through a day without being reminded of the severe drought conditions affecting the majority of the continental United States. Whether while watching news on the television, reading the newspaper or online news, or shopping for groceries (especially produce), the gloom and doom associated with rising costs of food and loss of revenue attributable to the drought remain front and center. However, if you dig a little deeper into this subject, you will find that this situation is not totally hopeless. In contrast to the millions of acres of unsalvageable corn crops with their abundance of brown leaves withering away and dying in parched soil, there are some fields in the Great Plains that boast healthy vegetation, courtesy of innovative seed companies such as Monsanto and Pioneer.

In response to the drought, farmers are more interested than ever in finding innovative solutions to make crops more resilient. Agricultural research now is directed toward improved farming practices, better plant-breeding techniques and genetic engineering to create plants that are more adaptable to the effects of climate change. Although it is controversial due to cost and unpredictability, genetic engineering holds some promise. To date, experimental strains of corn produced by Monsanto have been successful in surviving and prospering despite the harsh summer conditions. This hybrid corn, DroughtGard, carries a gene that helps it to draw water from the soil more gradually than other varieties of corn. This process promotes water conservation during dry periods. Of note, the DroughtGard hybrid is the only genetically engineered strain that has been approved by the Department of Agriculture.

This new research to create water-resistant strains of corn is a major change in direction for crop scientists, who since the 1920s have focused primarily on improving strains of corn and wheat to yield larger harvests to keep up with the ever-growing population. This new focus is so important because a major issue of climate change is water, whether in terms of droughts or floods. To successfully engineer a strain of corn that is adaptable to the impacts of climate change would amount to a real game changer in this battle.

Scientists predict that with climate change, the intermittent droughts experienced in the United States will increase in frequency. This impending phenomenon has given the task of finding innovative solutions in crop production a renewed urgency. While scientists work to find solutions to crop preservation during adverse weather conditions, it is more important than ever that each of us do our part to protect the environment. Let’s live green, be green.

Green Farming To Counteract Climate Change

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We all are aware of the breaking environmental news regarding current drought conditions in the United States.  Presently, more than half of the United States is suffering from the worst drought conditions since the Dust Bowls, the last of which occurred 50 years ago.  We are witnessing wilted crops, particularly corn, dried-out, cracked soil and devastating forest fires caused by parched woodlands.  It is important to note that the current drought levels have not reached those of the Dust Bowl where 63% of the country experienced severe drought; however, today’s statistics do place this occurrence in the top 10% for the past century. 

Comparisons of statistics for severe droughts in the 1930’s and 1950s have resulted in some assumptions, especially by some politicians and talking heads that the current drought is not caused by global warming.  One such argument notes that carbon emissions were lower in the 30s than they are today, so the problem must have been due to some other natural occurrence.  Tree-ring data often have been cited to suggest that North American droughts are part of a natural cycle tied to La Nina events.  Environmental scientists now are compiling compelling evidence that rising temperatures are making droughts more common, and this phenomenon is less likely attributable to natural causes. 

The primary focus now must be on measures to address the problems of climate change.  John Antler of Montana State University has published a paper, which proposes that the government shift policies to adapt to climate change, i.e., providing subsidies for crops such as corn and soy to prevent adaptation by locking in current farming patterns. (http://www.rff.org/news/features/pages/climate-change-forcing-farmers-to-adapt.aspx)  Tom Philpott recommends a stronger push towards organic farming.  Recent research concludes that while organic farming yields smaller crop production, the organic farming process holds retains more water and performs better during droughts (http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/07/what-organic-ag-teaches-us-about-feeding-ourselves-while-planet-heats).

Currently, the United States has not been impacted as severely as many other nations by drought and destruction of food supply.  However, we see the effects of droughts in terms of increasing prices for food and increasing disasters, such as forest fires and parched land.  Droughts are becoming difficult to avoid, and steps must be taken immediately to protect our land, population and food sources.  Our very existence depends on this.  To save our world, let’s live green, be green.

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The Palmer Drought Severity Index mid-century.  A reading of -4 or below is considered extreme drought.  (Source:  National Center for Atmospheric Research).