The world is waiting for the battle for water
Today, the main wealth of the planet are hydrocarbons and gold. But not far off is the time when ordinary fresh water will take their place.
Water shortage problem
Despite the fact that most of the earth's surface is covered with water, there is a catastrophic shortage of water resources. Salt sea and ocean water is not suitable for people to consume. Part of the freshwater reserves are frozen in glaciers.
Numerous rivers, lakes and other bodies of water are polluted. For example, in Lake Baikal, the concentration of crushed plastic is many times higher than the permissible norm.
A big problem is also the emissions of industrial enterprises, wastewater from the fields, sewage waste getting into water bodies.
It is estimated that only one percent of the world's water reserves are usable. And given the growth in industrial production and the population, we can say that over time, the need for fresh water will only increase.
An important factor is also the uneven distribution of fresh water reserves and consumption across the planet. Countries that consume the most due to the high level of industrial development or high population density are not leaders in the amount of fresh water available.
Some countries have good stocks, while others have great needs. Now this issue is regulated by commercial levers, but with the growing deficit, force methods can also be used.
Water is a source of conflict
If earlier the issues of water and water supply were considered exclusively by biologists, technologists and ecologists, now economists, sociologists and political scientists are interested in this topic. Water has long ceased to be just a resource, now it is also a source of social tension and international conflicts.
Now countries where there is a shortage of water resources are ready to fight for them with more successful neighbors. And those, in turn, try to protect them.
Water resources know no boundaries. A river or lake can be located simultaneously on the territory of different states. And the construction of dams and other hydraulic structures in one country can affect the water supply of another country. This happened, for example, in Uzbekistan, whose water resources were reduced due to the construction of hydropower plants in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. During a visit to Kazakhstan in 2012, the Uzbek president stated that water conflicts could lead to war.
Many experts believe that one of the main reasons for the aggression of Western countries against Libya was a project to provide water for this and other African countries.
And the Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights is largely associated with the large underground freshwater reserves in the area.
International conflicts over water have been going on for a long time. And in conditions of a decrease in the amount of pure fresh water, they will only aggravate and intensify. The only way out of this situation can be a careful attitude to water resources and improvement of water treatment systems. Otherwise, the lack of clean water on the planet will turn into a global catastrophe.
Water shortage problem
Despite the fact that most of the earth's surface is covered with water, there is a catastrophic shortage of water resources. Salt sea and ocean water is not suitable for people to consume. Part of the freshwater reserves are frozen in glaciers.
Numerous rivers, lakes and other bodies of water are polluted. For example, in Lake Baikal, the concentration of crushed plastic is many times higher than the permissible norm.
A big problem is also the emissions of industrial enterprises, wastewater from the fields, sewage waste getting into water bodies.
It is estimated that only one percent of the world's water reserves are usable. And given the growth in industrial production and the population, we can say that over time, the need for fresh water will only increase.
An important factor is also the uneven distribution of fresh water reserves and consumption across the planet. Countries that consume the most due to the high level of industrial development or high population density are not leaders in the amount of fresh water available.
Some countries have good stocks, while others have great needs. Now this issue is regulated by commercial levers, but with the growing deficit, force methods can also be used.
Water is a source of conflict
If earlier the issues of water and water supply were considered exclusively by biologists, technologists and ecologists, now economists, sociologists and political scientists are interested in this topic. Water has long ceased to be just a resource, now it is also a source of social tension and international conflicts.
Now countries where there is a shortage of water resources are ready to fight for them with more successful neighbors. And those, in turn, try to protect them.
Water resources know no boundaries. A river or lake can be located simultaneously on the territory of different states. And the construction of dams and other hydraulic structures in one country can affect the water supply of another country. This happened, for example, in Uzbekistan, whose water resources were reduced due to the construction of hydropower plants in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. During a visit to Kazakhstan in 2012, the Uzbek president stated that water conflicts could lead to war.
Many experts believe that one of the main reasons for the aggression of Western countries against Libya was a project to provide water for this and other African countries.
And the Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights is largely associated with the large underground freshwater reserves in the area.
International conflicts over water have been going on for a long time. And in conditions of a decrease in the amount of pure fresh water, they will only aggravate and intensify. The only way out of this situation can be a careful attitude to water resources and improvement of water treatment systems. Otherwise, the lack of clean water on the planet will turn into a global catastrophe.
Information