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Page added on March 18, 2015
Global population growth threatens to outstrip fresh water supply
ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Global demand for fresh water is set to outstrip supply as a result of population growth by the middle of this century if current levels of consumption continue, a study said.
Fears of water shortages could intensify although this is not the first time in history that demand is poised to outpace supply, Tony Parolari, the study’s lead author, said on Wednesday.
“Global water consumption per capita has been declining since 1980 which means efficiency is increasing,” Parolari, a researcher at Duke University, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“But if population growth trends continue, water use will have to decline more substantially.”
The world’s population is expected to hit 9.6 billion by 2050 from more than 7 billion now, according to U.N. estimates.
Whether humans can adapt to declining water supplies depends on what new technologies for finding water are developed, and whether population growth levels off, the study said.
The paper, published in the journal WIREs Water, analyzed historical information on water consumption and demographics with the help of mathematical models to chart changes over time.
Shortages are already affecting millions in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where residents have been hoarding water in their apartments following a drought, and the U.S. state of California which is entering its fourth year of drought.
In past eras of water scarcity, during the expansion of European cities such as London and Paris in the 19th and early 20th century, technological solutions to the problem were developed – such as expanding pipeline networks to pump in water from further afield.
Current pressures could be solved or at least mitigated with new expertise, including improved ways of removing salt from ocean water to produce fresh drinking water, Parolari said.
24 Comments on "Global population growth threatens to outstrip fresh water supply"
Dredd on Wed, 18th Mar 2015 3:17 pm
History posing as vision.
Wall street walkers.
Plantagenet on Wed, 18th Mar 2015 3:56 pm
Global Climate Change is creating droughts in several areas of the world. Unfortunately, political leaders in Brazil, the US, and elsewhere are completely unprepared to deal with this issue, even thought they’ve been warned about it for 30 years now.
penury on Wed, 18th Mar 2015 4:25 pm
Yada,Yada,Yada technology will save us. Hooray go ahead and breed more all will be solved with the application of more technology. If the world population is given more resources we will create more humans then we will need more resources. There are too many humans. Sometimes I think Einstein was correct, there are only two infinite things the universe and human stupidity, and he was not certain about the universe.
Davy on Wed, 18th Mar 2015 4:26 pm
I am losing interest in these retards that talk about population and resources projections out to 2050. It is so low IQ and unreality. Notice the use of retard. That is a Marmi word I felt like using. It felt good actually. “Retard” nice ring to it.
Rodster on Wed, 18th Mar 2015 4:27 pm
Not all water shortages can be blamed on CC. Sometimes it’s mismanagement and terrible planning. China’s water problems came from industrialization. California’s came from building cities in the desert, same goes for Las Vegas and Nevada.
Then you have companies like Nestle’s who take water off the market to resell to places like China. Add fracking which uses 2-8 million of gallons of water per well.
ennui2 on Wed, 18th Mar 2015 4:45 pm
“Unfortunately, political leaders in Brazil, the US, and elsewhere are completely unprepared to deal with this issue, even thought they’ve been warned about it for 30 years now.”
They could drill, baby, drill, like your chick, Palin.
BobInget on Wed, 18th Mar 2015 4:46 pm
It’s almost too late. California runs out of water next year.
(not apparently if you believe in magic)
Meanwhile, US NE is enduring Spring floods.
Oil and Gas Pipelines are often condemned
when they get too old and leaky.
Why not convert these older lines to carry water? While water spills cause damage
in built up areas, it’s doubtful any farmers would object. Besides, we are talking EXISTING pipelines.
Another LT solution could be building small
water catchments along America’s main line rivers then piping it West by utilizing old gas
pipelines.
Then:
There’s always all those no longer safe
RR Tank cars that are always derailing and bursting into flame.
BobInget on Wed, 18th Mar 2015 4:51 pm
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/dashboard/GLWLD.html
I forgot Great Lakes water levels. If we could pipe even a fraction of GL water to existing California, Nevada, New Mexico, water storage, problems solved.
Apneaman on Wed, 18th Mar 2015 4:55 pm
Bob, this made me think of some of your posts.
Killing Hope
U.S. Military and CIA
Interventions Since World
War II – Part I
William Blum
https://collapseofindustrialcivilization.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/blumkillinghope.pdf
Plantagenet on Wed, 18th Mar 2015 5:10 pm
@ennui
Your suggestion that we can “drill baby drill” for water in California just shows that you don’t understand the drought issue. The ground water in California has already been drilled and is already overexploited as a water source. The water table has already going down a lot due to the drought—just drilling more isn’t going to fix anything.
Cheer!
redpill on Wed, 18th Mar 2015 8:05 pm
“Unfortunately, political leaders in Brazil, the US, and elsewhere are completely unprepared to deal with this issue, even thought they’ve been warned about it for 30 years now.”
Plant, WTF?
You spare no opportunity to criticize Obama, so you must be apolitical as you certainly can’t see Republican leadership doing anything in this regard.
bicycledave on Wed, 18th Mar 2015 9:26 pm
The Thomson Reuters Foundation website is interesting in an odd way. They write about many global issues affecting humanity and the planet. They advocate for human rights and conservation. But, then they say:
“Whether humans can adapt to declining water supplies depends on what new technologies for finding water are developed, and whether population growth levels off,..” There is no questioning the limits of technology or any aggressive promotion of the need to breed fewer humans. I notice General Electric is listed as a major donor.
dubya on Wed, 18th Mar 2015 11:04 pm
Mr Planet;
I think the “sarcasm” font is not displaying correctly on your computer WRT ennui’s comment.
Anyway, there is no reason we cannot lift water no matter how low the water table drops; as we have a glut of petroleum we can use to (Austrian accent)”pump it up”.
GregT on Thu, 19th Mar 2015 1:40 am
If the Republicans could ever gain enough support, they would be smart to give Alaska back to the Russians in exchange for water from Siberia. California could be good to go for at least another decade. Instead, the Dems want to hold on to old Russian territory. Stupid democrats. We should just let Alaska go back to where it belongs, before the Russians take it back by force.
Apneaman on Thu, 19th Mar 2015 3:07 am
Talk of efficiency and technology is just more talk of the way things should be, not the way they are. Under capitalism the only efficiency that matters is profit. If Bill Gates offered 5 million dollars to anyone who flew a ham sandwich around the planet 10 times, people with planes would be lining up – no explanations as to why Bill wants his sandwich well traveled needed – CO2? Hell I gots to get paid.
Apneaman on Thu, 19th Mar 2015 3:11 am
Winter in the Rockies?
/////////////////////
Denver Records Earliest 80 Degree Temperature In 143 Year Climate Record
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/03/16/denver-records-earliest-80-degree-temperature-in-143-year-climate-record/?utm_content=buffer0f3f5&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
yoananda on Thu, 19th Mar 2015 4:08 am
The water war have ALREADY started. No need to wait 2050. Wake up !
Davy on Thu, 19th Mar 2015 6:15 am
Pretty obvious that water is in the same predicament as food and oil. They all in fact are connected at the hip in a triad of foundational legs supporting an oversized and dilapidated BAU. This is a systematic relationship in dynamic equilibrium. Any one of them can suddenly become the weak link disrupting the others.
Water needs energy in the case of BAU to transport, clean, and dispose of. Water needs food to keep the folks that run these water systems returning every day. Energy needs water for cooling, run the turbines, and clean in some case solar thermal. Energy needs food to keep the folks running the energy plants returning every day. Food needs water, well most of you know why. Food needs energy, most of you know why but I will mention a few important reasons. Food needs the oil for inputs, farm equipment, global distribution, and indirectly for cooking.
If you upset any one of that triad you are asking for trouble. We now have all this legs of the triad in stress in multiple locals. Globally all three of the triad are in growth stagnation with population growth continuing. This cannot last and is another reason I ask the BAUtopians if they have substitutes for food, water, and oil. If the BAUtopians find a substitute for the triad of oil, water, and food then all is well and there are no worries.
The BAUtopians say technology will make this happen. They mention the markets and efficiency. The BAUtopians tell me that with technological and efficiency gains the economy is decoupling from energy use. We are getting more with less. Other corns tell me the ocean is full of water and desal will solve our water problems. Eventually fusion will give us unlimited power and runs desal plants across the planet. Oil, no problem, unconventional resources abound and we have the technology proven in the US frack revolution. AltE with batteries will increasing decouple the economy from oil and solve the carbon issue. One other note AGW will be solved with fusion and AltE.
I have read multiple economist that say population can grow to 11BIL or more and this is good for the economy. We all know old people need young people to keep those pensions strong and grow the economy. The corns say 11BIL population is pushing it but by then we will eventually have Mars to move any further growth to. Some say the ocean floor is a possibility with underwater cities. Corns have many sophisticated graphs with fancy math to show how all this is going to happen. I can sleep better at night now.
American Idiot on Thu, 19th Mar 2015 8:14 am
If you guys wanna know what the future is going to look like. Brazil…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7h6mS7x-Rg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o_6TqHydOg
BobInget on Thu, 19th Mar 2015 10:32 am
That 60 Minutes video is excellent, everyone here ought to see it.
Here in Southwestern Oregon, we got some relief from a freak rainstorm that broke all records.
Our rainfall totals are normal.
With no snow pack to speak of, everything goes dry mid summer.
Arid Eastern Oregon didn’t get rain or snow.
I’ve added a plural to the phrase “Climate Change(s)”
In the past 35 years farming here, we’ve had two and three year droughts. Each successive one, worse then the last.
http://lonelyconservative.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Inhofe.jpg
Apneaman on Thu, 19th Mar 2015 3:04 pm
Angry Waters: The Human Hothouse vs the Imperative to Preserve Life
https://robertscribbler.wordpress.com/2015/03/19/angry-waters-the-human-hothouse-vs-the-imperative-to-preserve-life/
Makati1 on Fri, 20th Mar 2015 6:21 am
Rodster, you are correct, but every exporter in the US exports water in some form. Even if it is that used to make steel or plastics. But, I consume US water every time I drink milk or open a can of veggies or fruit from the US. I pour the water down the drain and it ends up in Manila Bay.
Interesting that I just read where Cali farmers are selling their water instead of planting crops this year. It’s more profitable. Wonder how that will affect the food stuffs Cali supplies to the rest of the US? They grow about 50% of the fruits, nuts and veggies consumed in the US. Or, they used to. Inflation?
Davy on Fri, 20th Mar 2015 6:42 am
Mak, you are such a distorting liar. The percentage is closer to 25% and it depends on the measure. That is a big one Makster to chalk up to your agendist selective facts list. The rest of the US will step up to the table and there will be more imports to mitigate the California drought. This mitigation will mean less for Asia and more competition for your might little P’s with her imports. The might little P’s are a “C” hair from food insecurity.
Makster, get ready to eat your pet monkey in your jungle liar. That is if you even have one. You are always on the net so I doubt you ever go to the mythic jungle liar of refuge you so boisterously mention constantly. Even if you have a few acres on the other side of the Mountains will you succeed in getting out of the heart of 12MIL people in one piece? That is the big question.
Kenz300 on Fri, 20th Mar 2015 6:59 am
Quote — “Global water consumption per capita has been declining since 1980 which means efficiency is increasing,” Parolari, a researcher at Duke University, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“But if population growth trends continue, water use will have to decline more substantially.”
“The world’s population is expected to hit 9.6 billion by 2050 from more than 7 billion now, according to U.N. estimates.”
——————-
The worlds population continues to grow adding 80 million more people to feed, clothe, house and provide energy and WATER for…….
Families keep cutting the pie into smaller pieces with each additional child….. until no one in the family gets enough to eat or drink…..