skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Wave of the future? Photo courtesy: freedigitalphotos.net
By the year 2050, you may be forced to become a vegetarian. That is, if Sweden's water scientists are to be believed.
According to the Stockholm International Water Institute, "There will not be enough water available on current croplands to produce food for the expected 9 billion population in 2050 if we follow current trends and changes towards diets common in western nations."
Humans now derive about 20% of their daily protein intake from animal-based products, reports London's Guardian. But a new report published by the institute says the world's population will have to cut that figure to 5% by 2050 to accommodate the planet's "considerable regional water deficits."
Why not just produce more food?
"Nine hundred million people already go hungry and 2 billion people are malnourished in spite of the fact that per capita food production continues to increase," the report said. "With 70% of all available water being in agriculture, growing more food to feed an additional 2 billion people by 2050 will place greater pressure on available water and land."
In this Aug. 3, 2012 photo, a stock tank is filled with water by Tony Frost, of Frost Farms, for his cattle in Tallula, Ill. After months of drought, the central Illinois creeks and ponds that the 300 cows and calves drink from on the farm are dry or close to it. Frost has to buy and haul water, about 4,000 gallons a day, split up in four trips to different pastures. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman) Photo courtesy: Seth Perlman/AP
So vegetarianism, the scientists say, is one option to combat the water shortage. As a vegetarian, I can state that I have never felt deprived in any way. There is so much else to eat I don't miss meat at all.
"A move towards vegetarian diets could help free up large portions of arable land to human food production," Orion Jones wrote on BigThink.com. "A third of current farmland is used to grow crops that feed animals. Additionally 'animal protein-rich food consumes five to 10 times more water than a vegetarian diet.'"
The report was released for the start of "Water Week" and the annual world water conference in Stockholm. And while the forecast may sound dire, the world's water situation is already grave.
According to the World Water Council, 1.1 billion people now live without clean drinking water.
And the United States is experiencing its worst drought in a generation, punishing farmers and burning up the nation's corn crop. On July 31, nearly 65% of the nation was experiencing drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The drought's been so severe and water levels so low, Midwestern towns that were intentionally submerged decades ago are starting to surface.
Agricultural use accounts for 72 percent of total water consumption in Turkey. Photo courtesy: Jennifer Hattam
I have written many blogs in the past on the developing global water crisis. In the next decade or so, water will become the new gold - in fact, it is already being called "liquid gold" by some environmentalists. I've discussed "Sana'a, Yemen: The First Capital City to die of Thirst", "Indian Farmers Commit Suicide as Drought Continues", "Drought Pushes Kenyan Nomads to The Brink" and many others.
Now it would appear that the message is getting through. We must start conserving water now; or, there will not be enough to go around later.
Summer in Turkey is fast approaching, temperatures are rising; and, already talk has started about whether there was enough rain and snow over the winter to keep the city's water taps full this summer or will there be days when the taps are dry.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and ETİ Burçak (a cookie and cracker manufacturer) formed a partnership in 2008 that aims to educate Turkish people about the impending threat of climate change. The project’s first major initiative will promote modern, water-conserving irrigation methods in the Konya area in Central Anatolia and then expand gradually to other agricultural centers in Turkey.
Studies done by the WWF and ETİ Burçak prove that making these improvements to the irrigation in the Konya region alone could save enough water to meet Istanbul's needs for up to three years.
Beginning this month, they will begin training farmers in the fertile region of central Anatolia called Konya to use modern drip-irrigation methods that has the ability to reduce water consumption by 33% - 50%. That's impressive!
Turkey uses more water for agriculture than most other countries. Agricultural use in Turkey sucks up 72% of the nation's water compared to 18% in household consumption and 10% in industry. Less than 10% of the irrigable land in Turkey is outfitted with water-saving irrigation techniques. According to WWF: "unsustainable water use practices in agricultural production are linked with the drying of lakes and rivers, declines in underground water levels, and rising soil infertility from a build up in salinity."
Konya is already finding out the hard way about having to suffer the consequences of unsustainable water practices. Their water use far exceeds the supply causing lakes and groundwater to dry up; both quality and quantity of food produced in the region to decrease; and, good grazing lands to be increasingly riddled with sinkholes and are giving way to desertification. To make matters worse, Konya is a closed basin system. While this drainage basin retains water, it doesn't have any outflow trapping the water in there. Temperatures in the basin are expected to increase between 2 - 6 degrees by 2030.
Already pilot irrigation projects in Konya and other Turkish farming areas have achieved water-use reductions of up to 50% on thirsty crops such as sugar beet, cotton, and corn. After training farmers and other members of the agriculture industry in the Konya area, WWF and ETİ Burçak aim to expand the effort to the country's other agricultural centers. Banks have been supporting the project by giving credit at low interest rates to farmers who are willing to purchase water-saving irrigation equipment.
"The threats of climate change are constantly increasing, and its impact has already started; therefore, it is crucial for us to start acting now," WWF-Turkey CEO Akın Öngor said at a press conference announcing the initiative. "If modern irrigation methods are implemented, there is a potential in the Konya area alone to conserve up to three years' worth of Istanbul's annual water supply."
Via TreeHugger and Daily News & Economic Review
Camels were first brought to Australia to help explorers travel through the desert Photo: EPA
This is not the first incidence of animals approaching human settlements in search of water. Drought has been a bigger disaster globally than usual this year; and, people are not the only sufferers.
The residents of the small settlement of Kaltukatjara in the Northern Territory settlement, Australia, are under siege. Kaltukatjara is a settlement of indigenous peoples which is sometimes referred to by the European name Docker River.
The drought is driving approximately 6,000 camels to do the desperate – they have invaded the settlement in search of water. Town people have gone indoors and shut the doors against the camels in fear. The animals have trampled fences, smashed through water mains, torn water tanks apart and invaded the airstrip. Now they are trying to force their way into people’s home to drink water from the air-conditioning units, taps or anywhere they can find it.
The local government has decided that the only way to deal with the situation is to round up the camels by helicopter and shoot them. Camels are not native to Australia. They were brought over by early settlers and set loose when they were no longer needed.
Rob Knight, the local government minister, said: "The community of Docker River is under siege by 6,000 marauding, wild camels. This is a very critical situation out there, it's very unusual and it needs urgent action. We don't have the luxury of time because the herd is getting bigger.”
The government is putting up $49,000 Australian (£27,000 or $44,300 USD) to herd them nine miles into the desert where marksmen will “cull” them from the air. The money will also be used to repair the damages that the camels have done.
The camels were brought to Australia in the 1840’s and have flourished ever since. There are over one million of them in the Northern Territory’s red-sand deserts; and, many feel that they are eroding the natural environment.
The Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association has welcomed the move to cull them and chief Luke Bowen says: “This is a plague of biblical proportions laying waste to a sensitive and arid environment. We have to have action; we have to have it now.”
Local shire chief Graham Taylor said: "I think the words 'under siege' are good words because it talks about people being stuck in their homes and looking out and seeing just numbers of camels at your front door.”
Concerns have been raised around the health issues surrounding the bodies of camels killed in the stampedes at water storage areas contaminating the settlement’s water supply.
Glenys Oogjes, executive director of Animals Australia, said the plan to kill camels by helicopter was barbaric and that the community could instead focus on setting up barriers to keep out the camels.
"It's a terrible thing that people react to these events by shooting," she said. "The real concern is the terrible distress and wounding when shot by helicopter. There will be terrible suffering."
Unfortunately, it’s the camels’ amazing ability to survive that may eventually doom it. With few natural predators they have swollen in numbers; and, now compete with sheep and cattle for food. Wild camels are carriers of disease that can spread to the cattlemen’s herds making them wildly unpopular. They are no friend to the local environments either – destroying revegetation projects in the desert communities by ripping up the plants for food.
Via Telegraph
Photo courtesy of magnusfranklin.
This is one result of the global water crisis that we in the western world have not taken into consideration. However, if there were a more compelling reason to help get water to villages in the developing world, I don’t know what it is.
In the developing world the distance between villages and drinkable water is becoming ever more burdensome for the women and children who are the main gatherers of this precious liquid. In some villages, the trip to drinkable water is 2 hours each way and must be made more than once a day. The number of trips depends on the water consumption of the family and the amount of water the women and children can carry over long, rough terrain.
For centuries, women in the country of Kamuli (and many other countries) have been fetching water for home and field use. However, the water shortages have forced wives to travel long distances to collect drinkable water. The problem lies within the cultural norms in India. Husbands attribute the women being gone so long with love affairs or other indiscretions. This has led to domestic violence and divorce in many families.
In a twist of culture that benefits no one, few women receive formal water management education even though they are primary water keepers of the country. India still considers the knowledge a man’s business.
Circle of Blue reports:
Parliament Deputy Speaker Rebecca Kadaga told delegates from the World Malayalee Council — an Indian nongovernmental organization — that the water depletion in Kamuli had led to many women being divorced and beaten by their husbands.
“Kamuli has 18 sub-counties and over 100 parishes, but there are cases where four villages share one water source and others do not have,” Kadaga added.
We may look at this situation and say there is no excuse for violence; but, unfortunately, this is just one of the many instances in which violence will be sparked by water shortages.
More from Circle of Blue/Water News:
Gender inequality was a major theme at the 5th World Water Forum held in Istanbul in March this year. At a special gender session, delegates to the forum discussed the impact of unequal gender roles for the health, dignity and social progress of women, particularly in less developed societies.
Photo courtesy Circle of Blue/Water News.
Wave of the future? Photo courtesy: freedigitalphotos.net
In this Aug. 3, 2012 photo, a stock tank is filled with water by Tony Frost, of Frost Farms, for his cattle in Tallula, Ill. After months of drought, the central Illinois creeks and ponds that the 300 cows and calves drink from on the farm are dry or close to it. Frost has to buy and haul water, about 4,000 gallons a day, split up in four trips to different pastures. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman) Photo courtesy: Seth Perlman/AP
Posts
