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Revealed: the massive scale of UK's water consumptionEach Briton uses 4,645 litres a day when hidden factors are included•
Felicity Lawrence • The Guardian, • Wednesday August 20 2008 • Article history
The scale of British water consumption and its impact around the world is revealed in a new report today, which warns of the hidden levels needed to produce food and clothing.
The UK has become the sixth largest net importer of water in the world...Only 38% of the UK's total water use comes from its own resources; the rest depends on the water systems of other countries, some of which are already facing serious shortages.
...Experts at this week's World Water Week forum in the Swedish capital are increasingly talking of fresh water as "the new oil", a finite resource that is running out in some areas and will become more and more expensive with a knock-on impact on consumer prices....The WWF report identifies Spain, northern African countries including Egypt and Morocco, South Africa, Israel, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as countries which face acute water stress and yet supply the UK with substantial exports of their water.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/aug/20/water.food1Running dry Aug 21st 2008
NEW YORK
From The Economist print edition
Everyone knows industry needs oil. Now people are worrying about water, too“WATER is the oil of the 21st century,” declares Andrew Liveris, the chief executive of Dow, a chemical company. Like oil, water is a critical lubricant of the global economy. And as with oil, supplies of water—at least, the clean, easily accessible sort—are coming under enormous strain because of the growing global population and an emerging middle-class in Asia that hankers for the water-intensive life enjoyed by people in the West. Oil prices have fallen from their recent peaks, but concerns about the availability of freshwater show no sign of abating. Goldman Sachs, an investment bank, estimates that global water consumption is doubling every 20 years, which it calls an “unsustainable” rate of growth. Water, unlike oil, has no substitute. Climate change is altering the patterns of freshwater availability in complex ways that can lead to more frequent and severe droughts.Untrammelled industrialisation, particularly in poor countries, is contaminating rivers and aquifers. America’s generous subsidies for biofuel have increased the harvest of water-intensive crops that are now used for energy as well as food. And heavy subsidies for water in most parts of the world mean it is often grossly underpriced—and hence squandered....
El desierto avanza sobre España
La sequía extrema acecha al 37% del territorio - El Gobierno tarda cinco años en aprobar el Programa de Acción Nacional de Lucha contra la Desertificación E. DE BENITO - Madrid - 20/08/2008 España se seca. Un 18% del territorio corre un riesgo alto o muy alto de desertificación; otro 19%, un peligro medio. Ésa es la realidad y el punto de partida del Programa de Acción Nacional de Lucha contra la Desertificación (PAND) del Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Rural y Marino, que acaba de entrar en vigor tras su publicación ayer en el BOE. La iniciativa, sin nueva dotación presupuestaria, llevaba desde 2003 en manos del Gobierno, cuando la sequía acechaba a un 31% de la superficie, y ya entonces acumulaba un importante retraso. Ahora la amenaza de la desertificación alcanza el 37%.
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Isto são só 3 dos muito artigos escritos sobre o assunto.Parece-me que o problema é mais grave do que relvas regadas ou não regadas...Já agora, a privatização das empresas de distribuição de água que foi feita no Reino Unido não deu grandes resultados. A manutenção da rede básica é dispendiosa e obriga a empregar muito pessoal (que não pode ser contratado na China ou India) o que vai contra o objectivo principal (e muitas vezes unico) de qualquer empresa privada:LUCROS!Será que não está na altura de aprendermos com os erros dos outros em vez de copiar cegamente as 'receitas' da moda?Podem ficar descansados que se vai pagar a água mais caro não tarda muito.Aqueles que poderem pagar, claro.Os outros ???
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Man beaten to death in water row By James Grubel in Sydney Published: 02 November 2007 A retired lorry driver died after being kicked and beaten during a row about water restrictions, police in Australia said yesterday.Ken Proctor, 66, was watering his lawn in the Sydney suburb of Sylvania on Wednesday night when he was allegedly attacked by 36-year-old Todd Munter.Mr Munter, who lived near Mr Proctor, is said to have walked past and made a remark about wasting water. Mr Proctor then turned his hose on Mr Munter, prompting a fight, a police spokesman said. An off-duty officer intervened and arrested Mr Munter but Mr Proctor died in hospital after having a heart attack."He was hit in the head and then went into massive cardiac arrest," said an ambulance spokesman.Mr Munter, who is charged with murder, appeared in court yesterday but did not enter a plea. He seemed close to tears as he was remanded in custody.Council officials confirmed that Mr Proctor had been complying with Sydney's strict drought restrictions, which state that watering with hand-held hoses is allowed only on Wednesdays and Sundays before 10am and after 4pm.Australia is suffering its sixth year of severe drought and all major cities have imposed restrictions on household water consumption.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/australasia/article3121186
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