Fresh Water

[Narz]

Someone said "the wars of the 21st century will be fought over water". A quick Google search could probably reveal who but I'm not particularly interested.

I am interested in what people's thoughts are on this. Along with inexpensive electricity and fuel it seems fresh water is the #1 thing people take for granted. All over the country there are water machines that give you 8 ways filtered water for a quarter a gallon not to mention slightly less delicious & nutritious tapwater. Dry places like Arizona and New Mexico can have lawns looking like tropical rainforests thanks to pumped in water. What happens if climate patterns change or if the fuel to transport the water starts raising in price. Water wars are already going on elsewhere, do you think conflicts over something as basic as water could ever take place in places like the US, Canada and Western Europe? Why or why not?

 

[tomsnowman123]

I think the current view on water needs to be changed, we really aren't doing much to conserve it or keep it clean.

I can't really say if a water war would happen, but I think water shortage may be a big topic in the coming decades.

 

[The Omega]

If we run out of sources of water, we could purify salt water, but that would be expensive, so only the richer countries would be able to do it.... So, yes, in poorer countries, wars may be fought, but less likely in a country that can afford purification.

 

[Sidhe]

Israel owns most of the best water sources and Palestine is left with little water,so instead of whining it got it's hydrologists together with the Isralies, in some case against political will and at personal risk, and formulated efficient ways of dividing and transporting water so both sides could live in peace at least in terms of water rights. If only politicians could come to such an easy compromise

With global warming drying some areas and flooding others more frequently, you may well be right?

 

[Raisin Bran]

Well Quebec is going to be invaded or extremely rich by then .... we have so much fresh water in our province!!!!!!!

Hydroelectricity will be more a reason to war than plain water

Ill go buy myself a gun

 

[sysyphus]

Ontario has even more!

 

[Atlas14]

Water wars are inevitable in the future, unless countries are able to or willing enough to export large quantities of free water to those in sever deficit. THe US wastes sooo much, and it is sad that it is accepted and not even a major political issue right now.

 

[Yoda Power]

Though technology exists to clean water. If that technology can be improved the problem is pretty much solved. I think all we need is research, and then water wars will never be.

 

[Masquerouge]

Well if it is true California sure is not aware of it... The amount of water that's wasted is insane: ice in every single glass, sprinklers in every friggin garden, cars washed every other day...

 

[Atlas14]

Though technology exists to clean water. If that technology can be improved the problem is pretty much solved. I think all we need is research, and then water wars will never be.

But many countries will never be able to afford the technology for a very, very long time, unless aided by the developed countries. And it then becomes a question of whether the developed countries are able to cheaply export this water to these countries, and not lose tons of money in the process.

 

[Syterion]

I disagree, aerial combat will be much more important.

 

[Zelig]

Well if it is true California sure is not aware of it... The amount of water that's wasted is insane: ice in every single glass, sprinklers in every friggin garden, cars washed every other day...

Whenever I go places and see lawns being watered, it always strikes me as really odd... who cares what color your lawn is?

Ice in glasses isn't really a waste though, people drink it... cold mugs are better in any case.

 

[Atlas14]

Whenever I go places and see lawns being watered, it always strikes me as really odd... who cares what color your lawn is?

I agree, my relatives live in Texas and everyone where they live all have to have perfect lawns, they are always being watered. It is the people that waste water where water geographically comes in small quantities that are doing the most harm.

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

ice in every single glass

This is really quite irrelevant compared to the other wastes.

 

[Mr. Dictator]

i can just see us in the future withholding water from the futuristic parallel to iran. and then keeping them from developing filtration

not to say that it is wrong to keep nukes out of iran. but im sure this instance will happen at least once if water ever becomes scarce

 

[boarder]

I think technology will exist to easily extract the salt and turn it into fresh water cheap and efficently before any major wars are fought over water supplies.

 

[Thorgalaeg]

Even today, in relatively small populations most or all the water can come from deasalation plants as at the Canary Islands (2 mill. of inhabittants). The problem is that for big countries with huge populations, the energy to extract the salt and to pump the water from the coastlines uphill to the interior is huge. Fussion energy would be the solution.

 

[blargh]

Well Quebec is going to be invaded or extremely rich by then .... we have so much fresh water in our province!!!!!!!

Hydroelectricity will be more a reason to war than plain water

Ill go buy myself a gun

Yes! Do your duty for Hydro Quebec and Alcan Aluminum.

 

[Kozmos]

With new technologies as carbon nanotubes the cost of desalinization can been reduced by 75% and way more. I'm not too concerned.

 

[Hakim]

Hopefully some water trading between nations will be able to alleviate the problem, after the necessary infrastructure have been built.