Possible Solutions to the World’s Water Crisis

1. Possible Solutions to the World’s Water Crisis

2. What won’t work… Dams Desalination Diversions

3. Dams… “If you dam a river, it stagnates. Running water is beautiful. So be a channel.” – English Proverb ThinkQuote.com

4. Dams… Some background information Are used for (in order of most to least common): Irrigation Multipurpose Water supply Hydropower Flood control ‘other’ • In 2000, worldwide, there were… • 47, 455 ‘large’ dams • 800,000 total dams • Nearly half of the world’s dams are found in China; three-quarters in China, US, India, and Japan The Little Green Handbook

5. Regional application of dams (per cent) The Little Green Handbook, p69

6. Dams… Why are they a bad solution? • Dams significantly contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases • Are responsible for the extinction of many species of fish and marine life • They stop major rivers from reaching the sea • Large areas of land flood, creating reservoirs Blue Covenant, Encyclopedia of Earth

7. Dams… Social/political impacts They displace massive numbers of people Take up land that could be used for agriculture Destroy natural forests and landmarks Cause serious political rifts: China and Russia are fighting over multiple water sources Turkey plans to establish 22 dams and 19 hydropower plants on the Euphrates River The Little Green Handbook, Universe Today

8. Diversions…

9. Diversions… Some background information There is a massive network of pipes circling the world Expensive No formal coordination Ecologically damaging Have to be built in perma-frost in colder regions • Used to divert water from a main water source, such as a lake or river, towards a more accessible location • Originally, canals were the only method. Currently, the preferred method is underground pipes The Little Green Handbook

10. Diversions… Why are they a bad solution? China has plans to divert 450 million cubic meters of water every year from the Irtysh River for irrigation purposes Russia and China are also fighting over Russia’s lake Baikal Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and West bank are all fighting over the Jordan River. • Many consequences are similar to those of dams • Draining of watersheds lead to water shortages in the short-term and complete water depletion in the long-term • Currently causing political rifts between countries around the world: Blue Covenant

11. Desalination… “Desalination of the sea is not the answer to our water problems.  It is survival technology, a life support system, an admission of the extent of our failure.” – John Archer, author of ‘Twenty-Thirst Century’ Blue Covenant

12. Desalination… How desalination works Reverse osmosis • Using semi-permeable membranes and pressure to separate the water from the salt Aerogel cells • One cell can produces 3, 785 liters of desalinated water a day • Each cell originally cost $75,000, but may decrease to $2,000 Little Green Handbook, Uri Lachish, Mouli Cohen

13. Desalination… Some background information According to the Pacific Institute, “Desalination plants have the capacity to provide for only three one-thousandths of total world freshwater use.” Becoming popular with politicians in Singapore, Australia, and America • Desalination plants are small and highly-localized • Only essential to the Middle East and the Caribbean • ¼ of these plants are in Saudi Arabia The Little Green Handbook, Blue Covenant

14. Desalination… Why is it a bad solution? Kill small aquatic animals, which don’t leave the water Smell terrible and ruin the waterfront view Worldwide, desalination plants produce 20 billion liters of waste every year • Highly energy-intensive • Radically increases greenhouse gas emissions • A disastrous cycle of contamination: they create brine mixed with chemicals and heavy metals, which are released back into local water, liter for liter The Little Green Handbook, Blue Covenant, Mark O’Brien

15. Taking ancient water… Lake Baikal • Lake Baikal is the largest source of fresh water in the world • Larger than all the great lakes put together • 25 million years old • Species we’ve never seen before • Scientists from Russia and China are testing the water quality to see if it can be used safely. Blue Covenant, Lake Baikal Homepage, TreeHugger

16. Taking ancient water… Ogallala Aquifer • Extends from western Texas to South Dakota • 450 000 sq km • Recharge comes from rain water and snowmelt • If the states continue to take water from the aquifer, it will be completely depleted in a few decades Blue Covenant, Mike Adams, waterencyclopedia.com

17. Taking ancient water… Renewable water resources Non-renewable water resources Groundwater reservoirs: 1500 years Glaciers and permanent snow cover Groundwater aquifers are static, and once emptied, remain empty indefinitely ‘Circulation time’ or ‘recharge time’ = the amount of time it takes for any body of water to be replenished naturally • Rivers: 16 days • Lakes: 17 years The Little Green Handbook

18. What will work…

19. Virtual water… • The water we use isn’t always visible • Virtual water • “Water that is used in the production of crops or manufactured goods that are later exported.” • Everything we own has a virtual water cost • Many water-poor countries trade in virtual water • Vietnam  coffee • Africa  out of season fruits and veggies • Brazil  Biofuel Blue Covenant

20. waterfootprint.org

21. Countries over 2 million liters per capita per year Old Core Near-Core/Far Periphery Malaysia Thailand Sudan Papua New Guinea Guyana • Canada • America • Cyprus • Greece • Italy • Spain waterfootprint.org

22. Globally… • Water for Life “Best Practices” awards: • Best water management practices • Best participatory, communication, awareness-raising, and education practices • Promote efforts to fulfill international commitments made on water and water-related issues by 2015” • Geographical distribution of applications: • Africa: 15% • Asia: 22% • Europe: 24% • L.A. & Caribbean: 35% • North America: 4% waterforlifedecade.org, unesco.org

23. Nationally… According to Phil Dickie, there are 7 key challenges we have to face in order to improve our water conservation: • Properly value water • Conserve natural watersheds for people and nature • Establish organizations to manage river basins • Agree on the balance • Leave enough time for natural recharge • Change attitudes to water • Give rivers room, instead of trying to control them Phil Dickie, “Rich Countries, Poor Water”

24. Modify or repair aging/inappropriate infrastructure • Reduces waste, contamination and disruption of natural processes • Bring agriculture into line • Agricultural chemicals are the most common contaminates of water • Reduce the contamination of water • We only test for some of the current contaminates • Build up our knowledge • Improved understanding of natural water systems Phil Dickie, “Rich Countries, Poor Water”

25. Provincially… Ontario Water Conservation Alliance • “[The OWCA] is a coalition of citizens, organizations and businesses who believe an environmentally sustainable and economically secure province requires a comprehensive water conservation and efficiency strategy” • Want to change our traditional supply-oriented view on water, and maintain accountability • Come up with new and innovative ways to protect, conserve, treat, and re-use water conserveourwater.ca

26. Provincially… Water Opportunities Act • Make Ontario the N.A. leader in the development and sale of water conservation and treatment technologies • Encourage sustainable infrastructure and conservation planning using made-in-Ontario • Encourage all Ontarians to use water more wisely ene.gov.on.ca/environment/en/legislation/water_opportunities

27. Individually… “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. – Leo Tolstoy ThinkQuote.com

28. How much water have you used today? • Did you have a coffee? 140 L • How about a glass of milk? 201 L • Last time you had a burger? 2, 400 L (quarter-pounder = 30 American showers) • New t-shirt? 2, 900 L • Steaks for two? 7, 030 L (the whole cow is around 150 000 L) • Bought a pair of jeans recently? 10, 978 L waterfootprint.org

29. How to save water around the house… • Don’t wash dishes by hand • Try vegan for a day • Have tea instead of coffee • Fix leaks around the house • Don’t buy new clothes unless you need them • And STOP drinking bottled water! waterfootprint.org

30. Want more information? • Whether you’re a global warming skeptic, or the leader of the green movement at your school or place of work, I challenge you to learn more about the water crisis, or the environment as a whole. • During the course of my research, I’ve found a lot of sources that were very reliable and shocking to read. I’ll share a few with you, and I hope you’ll look for more on your own.

31. Extra Resources Books and websites • Running Out of Water – Peter Rogers, Susan Leal, and Edward J. Markey (2010) • Blue Covenant – Maude Barlow (2009) • The Little Green Handbook – Ron Neilson D.Sc. (2006) • An Inconvenient Truth – Al Gore (2006) My personal favourite: Nielson, a nuclear physicist, makes every effort to remain unbiased and give the most accurate information available on the seven main issues our environment faces today.

32. Extra Resources Reading not your thing? Here are some fantastic documentaries that really depict the world’s water crisis: An Inconvenient Truth (2006) Flow: For Love of Water (2008) Blue Gold: World Water Wars (2008) Tapped (2009) (on the plastic bottle industry) Flow: How did a handful of corporations steal our water?