If you haven't seen "An Inconvenient Truth"...go see it!!

"Once in awhile we get shown the light, in the strangest of places, if we look at it right" - Hunter/Garcia

Water Scarcity & Warfare

http://www.eurotrib.com/?op=displaystory;sid=2006/11/12/145749/51

"Once in awhile we get shown the light, in the strangest of places, if we look at it right" - Hunter/Garcia

Migeru mentioned golf courses in the water scarcity and warfare thread, and my immediate thought was tourism.  How else is land being used in a way that drains water, other than farming?  

Proportionally, is the greatest effect cumulatively from local populations not being as careful as they could be not to waste water or is the impact from selfish tourism larger (all those bedsheets and towels being washed and swimming pools being filled)?

Irrigation is critical to agriculture in the United States: nearly half of the value of all crops sold comes from the 16 percent of harvested cropland that is irrigated. In the process, agriculture accounts for over 80 percent of water consumed (i.e., withdrawn from surface- or groundwater sources and lost to the immediate water environment through evaporation, plant transpiration, incorporation in products or crops, or consumption by humans or livestock). But water is increasingly needed for urban, industrial, environmental, and other uses. Because it accounts for such a large share of total consumption, agriculture is central to the challenge of balancing water demands among alternative uses. (source)

And I would expect that the situation is roughly comparable in Europe as well.

And then there's the irrigation-induced buildup of minerals, leading to declines in soil fertility (which also promotes erosion).

Agricultural policy in low-precip regions needs to encourage careful use of water resources (though this is probably akin to mentioning a g*s t*x on DK). I'd additionally wonder whether all crops grown in these regions are optimum for the conditions.

The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman

France
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Malta
Albania
Greece
Netherlands
Slovakia
Switzerland
Portugal
Montenegro
Austria
Bosnia
Luxembourg
Slovenia
Macedonia
Croatia
Ireland

..over the course of the early 21st century, as a function of (a) current water use and (b) projected population, as a metric of expected future use.

Now, there are plenty of other countries that are using more water than they have and are distressed about it (starting with Spain, ending with the UK and Germany) but their populations are gradually declining.

But there is one thing...

I am assuming constant carrying capacity here.

<u>What losing one-third of the water supply would do to Spain</u>

Short form: It would suck.

And it would all the worse, if the desertification occurred swiftly, as that alone could destabilize the society, never mind the economy, which would likewise be 'corrected'. Water is the basis of almost all modes of economic activity, and the ultimate constraint. It is likely the Spanish GDP would plummet over time, perhaps not a full 33%, as ongoing growth from surviving businesses and projects would appreciate, and some of the decline would be mitigated by improvements to water works (and consumption habits).

Regardless, a significant decline in the Spanish standard of living, particularly in affected areas, would happen.

And any existing conflict, say, regional separatism, partisan strife, or just ETA feeling frisky, would be exacerbated.

Have Keyboard. Will Travel. :)

Just talking about water:
*If I´m not wetting or rinsing.. I shut it off.  *I think I still have a brick in my toilet tank.

*<snark>  Lawns, outside of fairy tales, are stoopid and should be illegal.  (I had complaints about my wild yard in the States.)

A water hose should not be confused with a rake or a broom...  A private swimming pool is an excess symbol and has very low status...

Crops should be a function of local water and climate, right?  Sadly enough, some people want the dessert to produce a vegetable garden at all costs.
The most upsetting may be plastic greenhouses like (google earth) "El Ejido, Almeria, Spain"

Over-building along with municipal corruption is finally out in the open, everywhere.  The water problem is concentrated in the summer months, when everybody-and-their-grandma goes to their summer place, usually on the coast.

More de-salinization? plants are in the works, but I doubt that throwing salt back helps the oceans or marine life, so that´s a band-aid.

?

Our knowledge has surpassed our wisdom. -Charu Saxena.

Did you know that if you turn off the tap while cleaning your teeth, you can save 12 liters (3 gallons) of water?

I have never seen anyone not turning off water while cleaning their teeth. Is this behaviour really that common?

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}