Community | May 25, 2008 | 4 comments

Water Wars In Africa

source: http://www.pulitzercenter.org/showproject.cfm?id=55

Image
Future_America
While Americans fret over rising gas prices and global tension over oil, the world’s poor are struggling to secure access to another, even more basic resource. Water scarcity in East Africa is fueling conflict and thwarting development while growing in step with local populations and rising global temperatures.
  1. groups:
    Community,   News and Information,   Under the Radar
  2. tags:
    News and Politics,  War,  Climate Change,  Global Warming,  7 more
  3.     
    |

4 comments // Water Wars In Africa

  • Ro_Lew
    • 0
      Ro_Lew  

    • Why can't we convert sea water into drinkable water? There's more than enough water there, I think we have the scientific know how to figure that out.

    • 3 years ago
  • Stubaan
    • 0
      Stubaan  
    • Ro_Lew:

      Ro-Lew,

      We can convert sea water to drinkable water. In fact we have more than one way of doing this, such technologies are critical to many countries that do not have reliable or extensive sources of fresh water (the Middle East springs to mind). The problem is that it is very expensive to do, because it requires a LOT of energy. Energy that ultimately has its source in fossil fuels, which continue to become more expensive to obtain and wreak havoc environmentally.

      Perhaps some of the megarich countries could afford to subsidize the expense for some of their citizens, but I don't think it is realistic to imagine any country relying on desalinizing sea water unless there were literally no other alternative. And the economic consequences of such a predicament would be dire.

    • 3 years ago
  • 1percent
    • 0
      1percent  

    • If only the citizens of the U.S. knew how the Reclamation Dept. controls the water everyone thinks they "rightfully" own.

      The water war is already here.

      Ask the people of the southwest.

      Drink up!

    • 3 years ago
  • seeker561
    • 0
      seeker561  

    • The water wars are coming and america will not be immune. The oil wars will be childs play by comparison. So far our water disputes have remained in the court system but they are unlikely to stay there indefinately.

      One can live without oil but not without water.

    • 3 years ago
more from Community:
from the community

top videos