'There Will Be No Water' by 2040? Researchers Urge Global Energy Paradigm Shift

[Uncle Joe]

"There will be no water by 2040 if we keep doing what we're doing today," said Professor Benjamin Sovacool of Denmark's Aarhus University, who co-authored two reports on the world's rapidly decreasing sources of freshwater.

Many troubling global trends could worsen these baseline projected shortages. According to the report, water resources around the world are "increasingly strained by economic development, population growth, and climate change." The World Resources Institute estimates that in India, "water demand will outstrip supply by as much as 50 percent by 2030, a situation worsened further by the country's likely decline of available freshwater due to climate change," the report states. " Power demand could more than double in northern China, more than triple in India, and increase by almost three-quarters in Texas."

(snip)

In addition to an expanding global population, economic development, and an increasing demand for energy, the report also finds that the generation of electricity is one of the biggest sources of water consumption throughout the world, using up more water than even the agricultural industry. Unlike less water-intensive alternative sources of energy like wind and solar systems, fossil fuel-powered and nuclear plants need enormous and continued water inputs to function, both for fueling thermal generators and cooling cycles.

(snip)

The research says that utilizing alternative energy sources like wind and solar systems is vital to mitigating water consumption enough to stave off the crisis. "Unsubsidized wind power costs... are currently lower than coal or nuclear and they are continuing to drop," the report states. When faced with its worst drought in 2011, Texas got up to 18 of its electricity from wind power and was able to avoid the kind of rolling blackouts that plague parts of China, where existing water shortages prevent power plants from operating.

http://commondreams.org/news/2014/07/30/there-will-be-no-water-2040-researchers-urge-global-energy-paradigm-shift

More on the link.

[FreakinDJ]

1. India and China should work towards Zero population growth

The whole world for that matter

[Louisiana1976]

2. +1 million

[Nuclear Unicorn]

25. Is it just me or --

Is there something chortle-worthy about agreeing with a call for zero population growth with a post of "+1 million"?

Not a criticism, just noting.

[Uncle Joe]

5. I agree, FreakinDJ and we need to accelerate a major switchover to renewable forms of energy

as well and get off this headlong dash down the fossil fuel dead end.

Humanity needs to find balance and ways of living in harmony with our environment.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

13. the whole world.

I've been saying for decades that human overpopulation is the ultimate, root cause of every emergency we face on this planet.

[muriel_volestrangler]

27. To give China their due, they've already been working on that

Some say they've been too authoritarian about it. The UN estimate (medium variant) has their population hitting maximum (1,453 million) in 2030, dropping to 1,436 million by 2040 (currently about 1,380 million).

[NightWatcher]

3. Let's stop wasting it on fracking, lawn watering, and other NON ESSENTIAL wastes of water

Make illegal water use punishable by public whipping.

Also try to reign in corporations wasting water. Lets promote desalination research and implementation.

[Kablooie]

11. Here in LA all the freeways are lined with lush green borders that have to be regularly watered.

It looks nice but it wastes a hell of a lot of water.
They should explore walls, artwork, rocks or anything that doesn't drink up our water resources.

In the last few weeks California, at least, implemented a 500$ fine for anyone who has water running into the street.

[PasadenaTrudy]

23. That pipe rupture

out by UCLA sure didn't help either

[hobbit709]

4. No USABLE fresh water.

Plenty of water.

[Divernan]

6. FRACKING, 2-8 million gallons each well, per frack.

How much water is used during fracking operations?

Generally, 2-8 million gallons of water may be used to frack a well. Some wells consume much more. A well may be fracked multiple times, with each frack increasing the chances of chemical leakage into the soil and local water sources.

The sheer volume of water brought to and from the fracking site means a glut of tanker trucks through your town. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation estimates each well, per frack, will require 2.4 to 7.8 million gallons of water. This translates into roughly 400 to 600 tanker truckloads of liquids to the well, and 200 to 300 tanker truckloads of liquid waste from the well. An eighteen-wheeler weighs up to 80,000 lbs. Day-in, day-out, these trucks destroy roads and bridges, leaving towns to clean up the mess.

Further, the one-well model is not an accurate representation of fracking operations, which can consist of 20 wells per "pad" and dozens of pads. Overall, 38,400 to 172,800 tanker truck trips are possible over a well pad life.

http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/whats-fracking/faq/water-used

In addition the fracking fluid, containing a witch's brew of toxic chemicals/heavy metals contaminates nearby wells, seeps into water tables, spills via leaky containment vessels into rivers and streams, etc.

[Uncle Joe]

7. That's a nice post and link, Divernan.

Peace to you.

[malaise]

8. I had no idea

It's worse than I thought

[mountain grammy]

17. Here in Colorado, the big sell is on. Two fracking regulating amendments will be on the ballot

in Nov. The oil and gas money is being spread thick. Meantime we have 300 days of sunshine and abundant mountain winds.

Safe fracking is like clean coal. It doesn't exist. But every pretty face, Republicans and Democrats, are telling me Colorado needs fracking.

[marions ghost]

24. And

earthquakes too.

Fracking is so stupid in every way.

[BootinUp]

9. Peak Oil!

[Divernan]

10. Look at the maps of extreme drought in California, at this link.

Data released Thursday by the U.S. Drought Monitor shows that 58 percent of California is facing “exceptional drought,” the most severe condition on the center’s scale and the worst ever recorded in the state.

“You keep beating the record, which are still all from this year," climatologist Mark Svoboda of the National Drought Mitigation Center told the Los Angeles Times, noting that this is the first time such dryness has ever been recorded in California since the federal government started releasing drought reports in the 1990s.

The latest assessment is a startling jump from two months ago, when the entire state was first labeled as being in “severe” drought or worse.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/31/california-drought-record-dry_n_5639039.html?cps=gravity

[Uncle Joe]

12. This is a rapidly growing catastrophe, Divernan.

?1

[HeiressofBickworth]

14. I've had word that the annual event I go to in Sacramento,

Gold Rush Days, has been cancelled due to the drought. The festival began 14 years ago, always a Labor Day weekend event, and draws huge crowds (est. 100,000 over 3 days). Think of the hotels, restaurants, saloons, and small businesses that have relied on this annual boost in income and will not receive it this year. Not to mention the vendors, performers, historical re-enactors, and "strollers" (costumed individuals) who look forward to this event all year. I've cancelled my trip and hotel reservations. It will be a long time until Labor Day 2015.

[LeftyMom]

18. As a local, I suspect construction more than drought.

The mall accross the freeway from Old Sac starts getting knocked down tomorrow (edit: for the arena, which is all the mayor cares about,) and that area is going to be a noisy, dusty traffic snarl without adding tourist traffic.

OTOH, I can't imagine the drought being a factor at all.

[HeiressofBickworth]

19. Sacramento Bee July 28, 2014

"Old Sacramento’s Gold Rush Days, hosted over the Labor Day weekend since 2000, have been canceled because of the drought, city tourism officials announced Monday.

The Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau, which organizes the annual event, said it used lots of water. To recreate the atmosphere of the 1850s, the city covers the streets of Old Sacramento in dirt. It then has to dampen the roads to keep the dust down, which requires 3,000 gallons of water a day. Another 100,000 gallons of water is needed at the end of the weekend to wash the dirt away."

As to the suggestion that they dispense with the dirt, the Bee says:

"Hammond said the convention bureau board of directors was also concerned that the lack of soft dirt would make streets hazardous for performers and the farm horses that draw wagons through Old Sacramento during the event. Unlike the horses that pull carriages in Old Sacramento year-round, these horses are not used to walking on asphalt streets for four straight days."

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/28/6587925/drought-forces-cancellation-of.html#storylink=cpy

Apparently, the mayor isn't pleased with the cancellation because city tourism officials did not consult him first. I love Gold Rush Days and have traveled from Seattle every Labor Day weekend for the past 11 years to participate. I'm one of the "strollers". My friend who lives there keeps my costumes at her place so I don't have to schlep them back and forth every year. I'll really miss the event this year. I always have such a good time.

[LeftyMom]

20. Pretty sure that's not it.

They could have opted out of the dirt and limited the horses, rather than cancel entirely. But there's a huge construction site next door, which will need the same parking areas and freeway ramps.

Nobody ever made a decision in Sacramento that wasn't about making developers money. The timing of the decision is indicative: the city's construction bond was approved a few days ago, demo starts tomorrow.

[flvegan]

15. We could just start by stopping or diminishing our eating meat.

Just saying. It could happen for everyone today, or tomorrow.

[DeSwiss]

16. Jeremy Rifkin - 5 Reasons Why Nuclear Power Is A Dead Ender Business Model

K&R

[bigtree]

21. a Native American prophesied

. . . it will look like water, but it won't be water. We won't be able to drink it.

[Duppers]

22. k&r

Thanks for posting, Uncle Joe.

[0rganism]

26. i.e. "no safe, cheap and easily available water"

If you're rich, you'll still be able to get plenty of water to drink, bathe in, and irrigate your spacious lawns. For the rest of us, things are going to be a bit different...