...WATER WARS Water is our past. Water is our future. Without it, we cannot survive, and there are no alternatives. Many people have likened the issue of water scarcity to our current economic struggle over petroleum. Without petroleum, we cannot drive our cars, and we may have to walk to school or work. This is not the case for water, as we are not interested in the issue of sustaining life itself. Unfortunately, water scarcity is in the household of our near future. This means that, similarly, petroleum leads to war now, water will lead to war in the near future. There are three main reasons why water scarcity will become one of our most serious problems in the near future. Policies and practices of water management under water scarcity must focus on specific objectives according to the causes of water scarcity. The first reason of poor water management is uncontrolled demand. Today’s world ultimate problem is increasing human population so that the more growing population the more demand for water day by day. However, necessary measures are not taken. Therefore, supply and demand should be make equal by government. The second reason is inequality in water allocation. For example, the world’s water allocation is formed developed countries’ water sources more than to meet their needs but poor and dry countries sources are not to meet the needs. This situation is not fair and should be changed by laws. The third reason of poor water management is lack of effluents treatment and...
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...Water Wars There can be no life on Earth without water. It is indispensable for human health and well-being, for food production, and economic activities. But despite its importance, water is rarely considered as a resource in the same way as others, for example oil. Water covers more than two thirds of our planet, so to many it may seem like there is more than enough, and in most parts of the world its availability is taken for granted. However, freshwater, what we drink, bath in, and irrigate our land with, is extremely scarce. Only around 3% of the world’s water is fresh water, and about two-thirds of that is contained by glaciers, rendering it not readily available for human use. Agriculture uses more water than any other source and wastes much of it due to inefficiencies. Today more than a billion people around the globe lack access to fresh water and many of the world’s water systems have become stressed. In addition, rivers, lakes, and aquifers are becoming too polluted to use, climate change is altering weather patterns, resulting in shortages, droughts and floods. The world’s population is rapidly increasing, and at the current consumption rate the situation will only get worse. So without improved and more effective management, the availability of fresh water will more than likely not keep up with demand. It is estimated that by 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population may face water shortages. Issues related to water scarcity can obstruct the ability of nations...
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...2000 ¡El Agua Es Nuestra, Carajo! - The Water is Ours, Damn It! Between November 1999 and April 2000, the indigenous and under-class people of Cochabamba “shut down the city with strikes and roadblocks.” State officials were truly scared that the “Indians are coming to seize the city.” But actually the call from the organizers came in a symbolic way, meaning that they wanted to take over the main square – la toma de la plaza, which they claimed was always theirs. So what preceded all this? In a nutshell, the privatization of water came in the form of Bolivian Law 2029, governing water distribution, especially to rural areas. The law even prohibited the free use of people’s wells in private land and collecting rain water in tanks. President Evo Morales commented on this: “Without light, we can live […] with oil lamps, but without water we cannot live.” It turned out, that the Bolivian government approached IMF (International Monetary Fund) to help the region out with a loan. The IMF would make Cochabamba’s mayor accept a $14 million loan with the condition to privatize their water service. John Briscoe, the World Bank’s senior water official said it bluntly: “[…] getting water to poor communities is not a moral, but a practical question. […] water owned by the public managed by the public hasn’t done us any good in decades.” Subsequently, the Cochabamba government put up a bid to foreign investors. The winner was Bechtel from San Francisco, one of the largest...
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...Great Lakes Water Wars Introduction Water is a requirement of all life, as “it dissolves organic molecules…allows for transportation in and out of cells; and it is involved in many of metabolic reactions in the cells,” (Bennett & Shostak, 2007). Water is therefore in high demand due to its importance need to sustain life. With a rising world population and increasing world pollution, is the supply of clean water is decreasing per capita against its forever growing demand. “While about three-fourths of the earth's surface is covered with water, only about 2.7 percent of it is drinkable,” (Allardice, 2005) “Some two-thirds of that is locked up in snow and ice,” (Ehewnman, 2003). Water is in conflict between countries as the quality of clean water per person is steadily decreasing. The Great Lakes, the biggest body of water in North America, and supplies water to Canada and the U.S. and its rivers are also used for Hydro powered damns. This paper examines the Great Lakes water conflicts between Canada and the U.S., by observing the drinkable water that can be supplied. While also observing the legalities and regulations of who has the rights to Canada’s massive water supply. Even if the water is in Canada’s country, they may not have complete control over it. Many solutions from one side, such as water diversion, have created concerns for the other. Due to Canada’s high water supply from other lakes and river systems, they do not as dependent on the Great Lakes as much...
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...The water that we all have been drinking isn't as clean as we all think it is. The water actually has nitrates, which is in the fertilizers that farmers lavish on their crops and it's also a naturally occurring byproduct of nitrogen in soil. Drinking this water could not only be very unhealthy for you but could also be deadly. The article “Iowa's Nasty Water War’’ and “Dead Zones” published by National Geographic, explains the effects that Nitrates have one us and the world around us. Around the 1940’s a big disease spread called Blue Baby Syndrome. Blue Baby Syndrome is caused by nitrates getting in the water that babies drink. The syndrome deprives the babies of oxygen. In any healthy heart their is 4 separate chambers, the top two pumps blood into the bottom two. The bottom chambers or ventricles then pump the blood into the the lungs through the pulmonary artery, which gives our bodies oxygen. What Blue Baby Syndrome is doing is mixing the nitrates that are in the water that the babies are drinking and its making their blood become unoxygenated creating a blue color and making the babies a slight blue color. If the farmers were to stop putting so much chemicals in fertilizer on the crops then the fertilizer wouldn't leak into the ground and wreck the water. Also if we could clean the water we could save hundreds of 6 month year old babies from a terrible disease...
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...planet seen by space; we sure do have a lot of blue water enough to satisfy our ever-growing population. But, what may be hidden from thought is our 7 billion human population: all requiring the access to clean, drinkable water. An Internet article written by Global Public Square staff found in a post by CNN’s Jason Miks discusses this issue, the war over water. The article begins with a study from NASA and the University of California Irvine; satellite imagery exposing the loss of 144 cubic kilometers of water in the Middle East. Global Public Square staff states, “We tend to think of the Middle East and its upheavals as defined by oil. Perhaps in the future it will be defined by water.” Earth may be a blue water planet from space but up close... and through the use of satellite imagery we see that Earth does not have an infinite amount of water and the more we continue to draw upon our source of it the less we have of it in our foreseeable future. We have evidence to prove this is a problem of hear and now; The Pacific institute states “225 conflicts” sprouting over the ownership of water and half of them throughout the two last decades. A major role in these conflicts are the very 7 billion population all needing the same thing. Our resources are dwindling and with The United Nations forecasting 9 billion people by 2050, the situation isn’t going to get any relief. Already 3 million people die a year from this lack of water, and the problem may stem from the lack of care we...
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...Phosgene was first used in combination with chlorine gas when Germany dropped 88 tons of the gas on British troops during World War One. It was used as a choking agent, and it was the cause of 80 percent of all chemical fatalities. Phosgene is a chemical that is used to make plastics and pesticides. It was used vastly in the war because it was the easiest chemical to make, you could make it at home. Phosgene is colorless and has a “grassy” odor. It is not found naturally in the environment so people had to make it. If Phosgene is released in the air it can enter your body from contact with your eyes or skin and can be breathed in. If it is out into water people can be exposed to Phosgene by drinking the water or just by touching it (which I find to be very scary)....
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...George Research Paper Water Water is a very important source that is well needed throughout the world. There is water damage and real problems in water extremely all around the entire world. Water has been more of an indirect source of conflict, rather than a direct source or cause for war. Are these problems that we really need to be having? No I wouldn’t say or think so and it should be better to try and solve these problems. Sometimes wars are fought on waterways. Water is the life’s growth for many things. Water is a very reliable source but it can have its scary downfalls, which can led to diseases, death, and no more water at all which would be terribly worst for the world, Earth, and humans. Everything needs water, without water mostly everything will die. Without water is like living breathing air without a heart or lungs. Water is very essential, pure fresh and it can also save a life. You have a great chance of surviving if you have pure fresh water throughout life. On the other hand unsanitary water is very harmful and is a natural killer alone, which can come from a disease-related issue. Water is a very well-being and important to many sectors of the economy. Water dissolves more substances than any other liquid. Do you think so? I can compare the cause of this with some additional information. Wherever water travels, water carries chemicals, minerals, and nutrients with it. Thus, there are a lot of people that lack access to safe water supplies approximately...
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...Colonists had no fresh drinking water and tried to fix this problem by building wells, which hardly helped (Doc A). Jamestown was also under a drought since the amount of rainfall was less than average. (Doc B). This evidence helps explain why so many colonists died because the tide would come twice a day, contaminating the water from the wells, so colonists had no clean water to drink and would die. Because of the drought, famers also were unable to successfully grow crops because they were not able to water the plants. The effect from this was people had no vegetables. Without nutrients from these vegetables, colonists would not be able to be stable and stay...
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...environment for these energy sources? NATURAL GAS Advantages • • • • • • • Burns clean compared to cola, oil (less polluting) 70% less carbon dioxide compared to other fossil fuels helps improve quality of air and water (not a pollutant) does not produce ashes after energy release has high heating value of 24,000 Btu per pound inexpensive compared to coal no odor until added Drawbacks • • • not a renewable source finite resource trapped in the earth (some experts disagree) inability to recover all in-place gas from a producible deposit because of unfavorable economics and lack of technology (It costs more to recover the remaining natural gas because of flow, access, etc.) Other information • • 5,149.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserve left (more than oil but less than coal) 23.2% of total consumption of natural gas is in the United States WATER POWER Pros • • • • • • • Provides water for 30-30% of the world’s irrigated land Provides 19% of electricity Expands irrigation Provides drinking water Supplies hydroelectric energy (falling water used to run turbines) Easier for third world countries to generate power (if water source is available) It is cheaper Cons • • • • • • • • Destabilizes marine ecosystems Water wars (up river and down river; e.g., the water war between...
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...Natural Resources The effects of overpopulation are quite severe. The first of these is the depletion of resources. The Earth can only produce a limited amount of water and food, which is falling short of the current needs. Most of the environmental damage being seen in the last fifty odd years is because of the growing number of people on the planet. They are cutting down forests, hunting wildlife in a reckless manner, causing pollution and creating a host of problems. Those engaged in talking about overpopulation have noticed that acts of violence and aggression outside of a war zone have increased tremendously while competing for resources. Degradation of Environment: With the overuse of coal, oil and natural gas, it has started producing some serious effects on our environment. Rise in the number of vehicles and industries have badly affected the quality of air. Rise in amount of CO2 emissions leads to global warming. Melting of polar ice caps, changing climate patterns, rise in sea level are few of the consequences that we might we have to face due to environment pollution. Conflicts and Wars Overpopulation in developing countries puts a major strain on the resources it should be utilizing for development. Conflicts over water are becoming a source of tension between countries, which could result in wars. It causes more diseases to spread and makes them harder to control. Starvation is a huge issue facing the world and the mortality rate for children is being fuelled...
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...Kirstie Hagmann Professor Holper English 1A 28 Sept. 2012 Water: The New Gold Rush Humboldt County, CA, is one of the last great frontiers on the West Coast. Framed by ancient redwoods, Humboldt boasts a wealth of rivers, forests, beaches and mountains. On the surface, it sounds like nature’s paradise. Dig a little deeper though, and you can still see the same elements of cruelty and greed that have characterized this area since the first settlers arrived, hoping to find gold, harvest lumber, or trap fish and game. In the present day, ruthless opportunists still lurk in the shadows of this rich and fertile land. Some are locals, seeking to line their pockets. Some are politicians, looking for support and voting advantages. All of the ruthless and lawless behavior that characterized the Gold Rush has now been dressed up in legal jargon, and underhanded maneuvers behind closed doors. Only this time, the greed for gold has become the greed for water, a natural resource of ever increasing value. The players may have changed, but the greed is just as ruthless as a gunfight in the Wild West. Take, for example, the Klamath River, one of six rivers in Humboldt County. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that “The Klamath River basin which covers 10.5 million acres in Southern Oregon and Northern California is home to six federally recognized tribes and several National Wildlife Refuges, Parks and Forests. The Klamath River has been the third largest producer...
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...Water and wind were used as mill-based energy sources. The millers obtained skill in the equipment and the design. The waterpower eventually came to be used on industries in Europe instead of milling grain. Europe’s conversion to milling had extreme impacts to their culture and didn’t affect MENA that much. During the end of the 19th century cities in Morocco had many horse mills but only some watermills. The mills in MENA were operated by animals. Commercialization altered the milling role around the 18th century and it enforced new duties for example cleaning up the grain, bolting the food, and blending up the flour. The miller also had to let his assistants to do more of the physical work and he had to be more of a business person. It was not uncommon for a miller to do some farming and many millers were also baker in a bakery. The millers...
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...then that war and a dictator decided to make the marshlands into a desert. The marshland Arabs opposed Saddam Hussein and were strong supporters of the Shiite uprising. This support caused Saddam Hussein cut the flow of water to the Basin between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Hussein used dams, dikes and canals to bring an end to the Shiite supporters. In doing so, the marshlands transformed from a beautiful garden paradise to a desert void of the life it had once been home to. Most of the marshland people, who were fisherman moved to the cities, as there was no life and their financial stability depended on the marshlands, which was now completely gone. After 90% of the marshland had been destroyed, many people believed the marshland had been destroyed forever. Thankfully, this was not the case. After the fall of Saddam in 2003, the water was again allowed to flow freely. The people of the marshland and formerly of the marshland began to break the dams and dikes to bring the water back. Many others, who were concerned with the Iraqi marshlands, also, came back to bring the water back to the marshlands. Within months, life came back to the “desert” marshlands. The people returned, the birds and fish returned and much of the wildlife has returned. The fisherman have begun to be able to provide, once again, for their families in the marshland. United Nations and environmentalist have created a system to keep the system from becoming stagnant and have keep the waters flowing...
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...We know very little about our ocean, despite the fact that it plays a role in our existence, from the air that we breath to daily weather and climate patterns. It covers 71 percent of our planet and holds 97 percent of the Earth’s water, but more than 95 percent of it remains unexplored. The deeper waters remain a mystery even though we are increasingly relying more on these areas for resources. Ocean exploration is a fundamental step to reducing the unknowns about our waters. Findings made through it can reveal new sources for medical drugs, food, energy resources, and other products. It can also help us predict natural disasters and understand how we are affecting the Earth’s climate and atmosphere. One of the biggest challenge to deep ocean exploration is to figure out what is living in the deep waters. Many different species of organisms remain unknown and unreachable to us. In a decade-long international study by Census of Marine Life,...
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