Tuesday, 03.11.08
Parched
PHOTO BY FLICKR USER THETORPEDODOG UNDER A CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE
The Great Lakes hold almost a quarter of the world's fresh surface water and supply drinking water to some 30 million people, making them a natural flash point for water disputes. This compact originated in 1999, when the U.S. states - confronted by a Canadian company's proposal to fill tankers with Lake Ontario water and ship it off to Asia - decided to make sure they presented a united front against threats to their most precious natural resource.
There's more of this sort of water-squabbling to come. In coming weeks, Florida, Alabama, and Georgia -- facing their worst drought in more than a century, amid growing demand in burgeoning cities like Atlanta -- are likely to sue each other over water rights. The Southwest is in its eighth drought year; some tree-ring studies show this could be the worst drought along the Colorado River, the West's main source of water, in 500 years. The Great Lakes have been invaded by Quagga and Zebra mussels, both invasive species that reproduce quickly and clog pumping plant intakes. A top official at the Department of the Interior says that in coming years, desalination may be California's only viable option for supplying water to its residents. And the latest doomsday news from the AP says "a vast array of pharmaceuticals -- including antibiotics, anticonvulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones -- have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans."
The pressures nationwide -- and worldwide -- are growing, daily. As with most environmental issues, we are in this one together. But the solutions seem psychologically unfathomable. What would make people realize that with responsible use, quantity is actually not an issue? What would change what we put into the water supply? (There's no way people will -- or should -- stop taking prescription drugs.) It may be too late to do anything about the worst problems. We'll just have to be innovative. Again.
Liquid goldFresh water will be the engine of Ohio's economic recovery, argues The Cleveland Plain Dealer in a strongly pro-Compact editorial. |
Parched industryBrady Smith says that oil refineries and Rust Belt businesses will be the first to suffer from stringent restrictions on water use. |
Free for allMaude Barlow and Tony Clarke argue that access to the world's depleting fresh water supplies is a universal right, not a commodity. |
Rivers run through itJacques Leslie says that saving our water will be crucial to saving our planet. |
Not just bottledDanny Fortson predicts that water will soon have a price tag for businesses and thirsty folk alike. |
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Something that always bothers me about the invocation of Great Lakes waters is the lack of recognition that the system isn't exclusive to the United States. The Great Lakes constitute almost the entire southern border of Ontario, and there are too few instances where that is mentioned.
Of course, Canada is at no loss for freshwater, unlike many parts of the United States.
Water is more important than oil to the human race.
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That's the greatest photo I've ever seen on this site.
Posted by Fred | March 11, 2008 4:29 PM