Green Options » water crisis

The Water Crisis and How “Water is Life” Saves Children in Africa

Lucille Chi — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:18:40 +0000

Yearly, 1.8 million people will die due to waterborne diseases. Sadly, most of these deaths are children under the age of 5, at rate of 5000 children a day. There is a way to reverse and end this tragedy. The Water Solution is available and saving lives in Africa. Imagine a small, portable, straw-like device that hangs around the neck of a child and each straw can save a child’s life for one year.

“WATER IS LIFE!” a child exclaims as he sees his siblings live instead of die. Genius inventions like these are changing the world on a global scale — saving lives and bringing children and families back into healthier states.

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GOOD Magazine’s Water Issue–A MUST Read!

Joe Mohr — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:21:00 +0000

I once called Blue Planet Run a “must read“, and it is (so read it!). However, GOOD’s latest water issue* is easier to take with you, covers some new topics, and well, some people just prefer magazines.

I’m not sure if magazines can be called ‘must reads’–but if so, then this issue is (so read it!).

*The on-line edition does not have the content in its entirety, so consider buying the hard copy as well.

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H20 Q&A: Thriller Novel Writer Karen Dionne Talks Water Crisis and Doom

Nayelli Gonzalez — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:48:55 +0000

Sometimes life imitates art. In Karen Dionne’s new thriller novel Freezing Point, melting icebergs are viewed as both the solution to the global water crisis and the source of man-made apocalyptic horror. In reality, giant melting icebergs raise global sea levels and unleash frozen methane gases into the Earth’s atmosphere.

According to recently discovered NASA satellite data, more than 2 trillion tons of land ice in Greenland, Antarctica and Alaska have melted since 2003 and have caused alarming global climate changes.

So melting icebergs are not just the stuff of fiction. Yet, one hopes that what transpires in Freezing Point (think toxic drinking water, corporate monopolies of icebergs and large-scale eco-terrorism) never becomes reality.

In our conversation, Karen Dionne, who wrote a Huffington Post column titled “Can a Novel Change the World?”, spoke with me about the power of the written word, killer rats, and environmental activism:

How did you become interested in the global water crisis?

My interest in water issues goes back pretty far. My husband and I were part of the “back to land” movement in the ‘70s. We wanted to not be so dependent on the system, so we lived in nature, grew our own food, got our water from nearby wells. I remember reading the book Silent Spring and one thing I took away from it is that there is no pristine place left on earth. I learned that DDT was showing up in bird eggs and that toxins were everywhere. For my generation, it was an awakening of how severe the problem was. So I’ve always been concerned about what man is doing to the environment.

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House Stops Water Diversion from the Great Lakes

Jerry James Stone — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:11:51 +0000

The House has blocked diverting any new water from the Great Lakes and forces bordering states to adhere to new conservation standards.

In a 390-25 vote, the House approved a measure on Tuesday that will increase protection of the Great Lakes region. It will prohibit any new diversions of the water to other places, and require states that border the lakes to adhere to new conservation standards.

Together, the five Great Lakes account for 20 percent of the world’s supply of fresh surface water.

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Post-Olympic Beijing Facing ‘Grim’ Water Crisis

Gavin Hudson — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:29:32 +0000

Beijing has begun draining “emergency” water reserves from the neighboring, rural Hebei province in the face of what officials in the capitol are calling a “grim” water forecast.

The water crises is nothing new for Beijing. Nearly 60 years ago, the seat of the People’s Republic was already hovering at the “water poverty line” of around 1,000 cubic meters a person. By 2007, it was down to less than 230 cubic meters. Today, with the city’s two largest reservoirs nearly running dry, it’s hard to see the glass as “10% full.”

“Due to continuous drought, the capital city of Beijing Laishui is facing a grim situation of relatively scarce water resources,” says the Hebei Water Resources department in an article announcing the emergency water plan.

It would seem that if ever a country could successfully enlist the support of its citizens to conserve water during a drought, it would be China. In 2006, residents were warned to save water or face shortage. While 20% of the city’s water goes into industry, a slim 3% goes into maintaining the urban environment. You won’t find Beijing residents hosing down the car or sprinkling manicured lawns.

Be that as it may, in the long run even this week’s emergency water project may not be sufficient to quench Beijing’s thirst. The municipality’s population–a staggering seventeen and a half million people–consumes 3.25 billion cubic meters of water a year for homes, farms, and industry. That’s 400 million cubic meters a year more than nature can restore. According to Hebei Water Resources, the total water contained in all five emergency reservoirs combined adds up to 860 million cubic meters. You do the math.

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Water Film FLOW a Winner

Nayelli Gonzalez — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:26:11 +0000

These facts may surprise you:

1.1 billion people live without clean drinking water.*

There are over 116,000 human-made chemicals that are finding their way into public
water supply systems.*

Water is a $400 billion dollar global industry; the third largest behind electricity and oil.*

Flow, a new film about the implications of the world water crisis, can help you wrap your head around those dismaying figures. The film, which opens tomorrow, investigates the growing privatization of the world’s dwindling fresh water supply with a careful attention to politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel. Stories are told about how water has changed people’s lives and health, communities’ economies, and corporations’ bottom line. Throughout the film, we are asked to ponder “How did a handful of corporations steal our water?” and “Can anyone really own water?” For centuries water has been called “blue gold,” and after this film you will understand why.

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H2O Q&A: A Chat With FLOW Film Director Irena Salina

Nayelli Gonzalez — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 03:57:14 +0000

Mark Twain once said, “Whiskey is for drinkin’, water is for fightin’ over.” In Irena Salina’s award-winning documentary, FLOW, which opens this Friday, the global battles to own, protect, and understand water are virtuously examined. Experts have labeled the world water crisis the most important political, social and environmental issue of the 21st Century, and with 3,900 children dying every day from water borne diseases caused by the lack of access to clean water, one can see why this is a critical issue.

In our conversation, Irena Salina shared her thoughts about the spiritual nature of water, the Earth’s fever, and what needs to be done to alleviate the crisis:

You spent five years making this film. Why do you think it’s so important for people to care about water?

The earth is made of almost 70 percent water, and we are made of almost 70 percent of it. Without it, we won’t exist. From the moment we are born, to when we are adults we are surrounded by water and it is one of the main things we need to live. And we need clean water because ever 8 seconds a child dies from diseases from unsanitary water. There is so much to water and most people don’t know about it.

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Food Waste Equals Water Waste

Jillian Polaski — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:25:38 +0000

I hate throwing anything away, especially food, and every time I do, I remind myself that there are starving people in the world and that I should be a little more conscientious. Apparently I should also be reminding myself that there are thirsty people in the world.

An article on the Environmental News Network recently pointed out that when you throw away that wilted, smelly broccoli or container of moldy, left over spaghetti you have sitting in the back of your fridge, you’re throwing away more than just food. You’re also tossing out water along with it. The article references a report by the Stockholm International Water Institute, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, and the International Water Management Institute. According to the report, the amount of food thrown away in the US alone is equivalent to turning on your faucet and dumping 40 trillion liters of water into your garbage can.

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Could Wind help Save Water?

Michelle Bennett — Mon, 19 May 2008 01:00:08 +0000

Big news for the wind industry, big implications for water.

First, the Department of Energy released a report that confirmed what the wind industry has already claimed: wind could power 20% of the United State’s energy needs by 2030. Even with growing energy demands, our ample wind resources could meet one-fifth of our needs with continued growth and innovation. Other nations, especially Denmark, are already deriving significant fractions of their energy from wind, sometimes with impressive results. The truth is, wind energy is booming even as the specter of the expiring Production Tax Credit moves to the House of Representatives for a vote.

Another large announcement this week came from ex-oilman T. Boone Pickens, who proved (once again) that every thing’s bigger in Texas.

He just ordered $2 billion worth of wind turbines from GE to build the world’s largest wind farm.

Great Lakes, Great Wars? - Future of Great Lakes Water Rights

Nayelli Gonzalez — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:48:50 +0000

Spurred by shrinking freshwater supplies, U.S. states could begin “water wars” in the next years to claim rights to Great Lakes water, warned American and Canadian scientists at a water conference in Toronto last week.

Nations around the world, such as India and Australia, are already experiencing drought and its effects on access to clean water and increases in food prices–and states in the American South and West are bracing themselves for a time in the near future when water resources will be more scarce.

Scientist Milton Clark, a senior health and science adviser for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was quoted as saying at the conference, “We will in fact get into major water wars. You will see water wars coming in every way, shape or form.”

To prevent states from fighting over–or selling–water, the Great Lakes Compact was created in 2001 among the eight Great Lakes states, Ontario and Quebec.

Ontario and Quebec have signed the agreement, which bans long-distance water diversions to states not bordering the Great Lakes. Minnesota, New York, Indiana and Illinois have also signed the agreement, and Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania have not.

As one of the world’s largest reservoirs of drinking water, the five Great Lakes contain 18 percent of all fresh surface water on the planet. Conservationists continue to lobby to protect the lakes’ waters from mismanagement and environmental degradation.

Photo: NASA

Water Crisis: Clean Tech to the Rescue?

Sarah Lozanova — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:27:11 +0000

Water shortages are on the rise, from Mexico to the Andes, northern China to southern India, and Spain to Pakistan. Drought, soaring populations and population densities, changing diets, and increasing living standards are all factors. Is this an issue that technology can fix?

Judging by investors’ responses, the answer seems to be yes. FourWinds will invest up to $4.7 billion in water treatment and desalinization and companies that make meters, pumps, and pipes.

BlueWater Bio is a player in the wastewater and sludge treatment arena. Their claim to fame is a treatment technology called Hybrid Bacillus Activated Sludge (HYBACS). It uses proprietary bacteria that eats waste, saving on chemicals. The high quality treatment effluent has reuse potential for commercial or industrial applications, but I wouldn’t recommend drinking it.

Monsanto’s top 20 experts have been examining how climate science will affect the company, with drought being the leading problem to solve. New drought-resistant crops are being created.

“The most advanced of these is now a drought-tolerant corn product … commercializable within several years,” said Monsanto’s head of technology strategy and development David Fischhoff . “We expect this to be the first generation of an ongoing stream.”

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Farm Bill Redux: A Second Change at Real Reform

Beth Bader — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:23:36 +0000

I thought it was over. Like a modern day Don Quixote, I tilted away at the windmill, blogging and firing emails off to my representatives in Washington, rallying for Farm Bill reform. I was not alone. Over 350 pro-reform farm bill editorials hit the mainstream press. The calls for subsidy reform fell on deaf ears at Congress, however, as the 2007 versions of the Farm Bill failed to adequately address the issue.

As the great hope for a better Farm Bill that included subsidy reform amendment Dorgan-Grassley died, the final proposed bill was just left with some token nods to food program assistance and limited support for specialty farmers. Real reform slipped away into the night along with 2007.

With the new year comes a glimmer of hope.
And, that hope comes from a most unlikely source. It seems that the Bush administration, in a fervor to slash all non-Iraq spending, has promised a veto if Congress does not come up with a farm bill that doesn’t feature additional spending. As a result, the subsidy reforms are being revisited, particularly the income cap for eligibility.

The revised plan would call for a lower cap on income for subsidies, but the amount of that cap is a point that has yet to be agreed upon. The house places the cap at a $1 million “hard” cap and a $500,000 “soft” cap that would not apply to people with at least two-thirds of their income from farming. The Senate proposed a $750,000 “soft” cap.

The White House has called for a much lower $200,000 “hard” cap, saying that this cap would end subsidies to roughly 40,000 people.

Opponents of the approach advise that none of these measures will be effective. There are loopholes large enough to drive a combine through, which would allow the larger producers to evade the subsidy caps. As a result, reform activist group, The Center for Rural Affairs, is calling for voters to again urge Congress to consider better approaches to real subsidy reform, such as those offered by Dorgan-Grassley.

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