The future of water

[Harpo]

A thread for documenting news stories relating to the world's water, including seas and oceans, rivers and streams, ponds and lakes, even clouds and glaciers.

Here are a few to begin with:

Cape Town could become first major city in world to run out of water

Deadly ocean heatwaves were made over 50 times more likely by climate change

“The Smog of the Ocean” — UPSTREAM Battles Plastic Pollution at the Source

Can this 'suicidal' river be tamed?

Just 10 rivers carry 90% of plastic polluting the oceans

 

[The Crawling Chaos]

The sad thing is that this thread should be titled "The present state of water".

 

[Harpo]

I put "future" in the title because my thread on robots started exactly ten years ago. Ten years from now I might still be here updating the latest water-related news, and from here that's the future.

 

[The Crawling Chaos]

I didn't mean this as a criticism at all - I just wanted to point out that those articles depicted a very sad state of affairs.

 

[Harpo]

Indeed. If all was fine and dandy there'd be no reason to start a discussion thread about it.

 

[LordOfWizards]

All seafood will run out in 2050, say scientists

I think the 'future' of fish will be in fish farms in man-made or converted lakes.

 

[LordOfWizards]

I thought this was interesting too.

Bechtel Surrenders in Bolivia Water Revolt Case

 

[Harpo]

A month later, and no improvement in Cape Town. Meanwhile, in Beijing....
As Cape Town Stares 'Day Zero', Beijing Records Longest Dry Spell in 47 Years - Latestly.com

 

[LordOfWizards]

Ever since I took some courses on renewable energy, I've thought about this idea:
Rainwater Harvesting for Water and Electricity - American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association

Basically, a big funnel into a tank (using filters) drains through a propeller that drives a generator, creating electricity.

I also came across this while researching the topic:

Water for Life

 

[Harpo]

Another year on, and what's the latest water news?

England's running out of water – and privatisation is to blame | Sondhya Gupta

Within 25 years the country faces a devastating water shortage. Nationalisation can turn the tide, says campaigner Sondhya Gupta

www.theguardian.com

 

[Harpo]

A month later, and no improvement in Cape Town. Meanwhile, in Beijing....
As Cape Town Stares 'Day Zero', Beijing Records Longest Dry Spell in 47 Years - Latestly.com

Cape Town seems to be over the worst, the wiki page refers to their drought in the past tense.
Meanwhile, in China....

A water crisis could be the biggest threat to China's rise as a superpower

Former premier Wen Jiabao sends a blunt warning to Beijing over the water shortage plaguing China, saying it threatens the superpower's rise and very survival.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Harpo]

And as for dredging....

Tian Kun Hao Returns to Qidong After Completing Sea Trials

The cutter suction dredger Tian Kun Hao, Asia’s largest and most advanced dredging vessel, returned to Qidong City in East China’s Jiangsu Province today, after completing sea trials of nearly three months, reports Xinhua. The dredger set sail off the Qidong’s coast in October for a...

www.dredgingtoday.com

 

[Danny McG]

I can't find the quote now, somebody online yesterday was waffling on about ..wasting water in the future will be regarded as being "as socially unacceptable as blowing cigarette smoke into a baby's face"

a bit OTT was my thought on this hyperbole

 

[Harpo]

I heard that mentioned on the radio, so it's perhaps quoted in several places. It was during a report on England running low on fresh water

 

[Harpo]

New analysis shows steady depletion of Europe's groundwater

The climate crisis in Europe and beyond deepened in 2022, which ended its 12-month run as the hottest year ever on record for the UK and the fourth war...

smartwatermagazine.com

 

[BAYLOR]

New analysis shows steady depletion of Europe's groundwater

The climate crisis in Europe and beyond deepened in 2022, which ended its 12-month run as the hottest year ever on record for the UK and the fourth war...

smartwatermagazine.com

In the future , as a consequences of diminishing water resources , there will be war , and worse things to come.

 

[paeng]

Check out Fred Pearce. I don't know if this can be discussed further, though, because I tried it in one thread (ecosystem damage coupled with limits to growth).

 

[Yozh]

News from ongoing megadrought in western U.S.:

As Lake Mead water levels drop, how many bodies are connected to Chicago mob?

California is Lone Holdout in Colorado River cuts proposal

 

[Cthulhu.Science]

News from ongoing megadrought in western U.S.:

As Lake Mead water levels drop, how many bodies are connected to Chicago mob?

California is Lone Holdout in Colorado River cuts proposal

Read the letter here referenced in your second article here.

Unsurprisingly, when the other six states get together to make and equitable plan when cuts have to be made among the six states, California has to absorb 60% of those cuts with the rest divided among the rest.

Oh water policy, how fun!

 

[Cthulhu.Science]

Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner 1986, updated 1993

This is a great book that explains how water policy in the western US got to where we are. Sure, policy has progressed since then, but he goes into detail about what Yale is calling the Big Dam Era (1900-1975)

Very few dams have been built in the USA since Reisner's book was published.