« Delicious Fresh Water Decreasing ... Way too Fast! »

So much water and so little to drink. Just 2% of our planet’s water is fresh; 98% is in the oceans! And among the many changes happening on our planet, one shows fresh water sources declining rapidly. Faster than we thought.

Two new studies just released from Denmark’s Aarhus University tell us:

Widespread drought is just 5-6 years ahead (2020) for 30-40% of us unless our water use is drastically minimized.

1. Two decades later (2040)—a 20 year old today will be 45 then—all of us will be thirsty for water and so will other species, crops, and all that uses fresh water.
2. India will outstrip water supply by up to 50% by 2030.
3. Electricity generation via fossil-fuels and nuclear is a major gulper of water; solar and wind generated electricity does not use water. Let’s go solar and wind!
4. Beef uses 11 times as much water as other meats and grains. So, can we stop eating it?

We’ve also begun changes that use less water … finally! Can we speed them up? As of August 1, regulations on water have become mandatory across California. I wish they’d include a moratorium on the intense uses of water such as fracking,  industrialized beef farms, grass lawns (reduction of water use in effect) and private pools. They do not.

These reports out of Denmark repeat a familiar theme as scientists come out with new reports, namely, the scenarios are moving faster than we thought they were; we must hurry our changes and increase them in size.  

Our capacities for rapid change on saving water have hardly yet been taxed. I’m happy that we’re getting significant action underway.

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[Gerald Iversen]

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