Article published April 15, 2007
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Shortage of water is a global crisis
By TOM HENRY
BLADE STAFF WRITER
"Whiskey is for drinking. Water is for fighting over."
- Mark Twain.
I tread carefully as I start today's column with that quote, given there's a debate about whether Twain actually said it.
But the point remains: Water tension is getting worse - even in the Great Lakes region.
Lucas County itself is a microcosm of the world's water crisis. While Toledo and other eastern Lucas municipalities have virtually an endless flow from Lake Erie, western townships have wells gone dry.
That brings us to the real crisis: distribution.There's no equity in how water is dispersed. There are haves and have-nots.
International water expert Peter Gleick said it's no exaggeration to call the situation a crisis because one of every six people on Earth doesn't have access to clean drinking water.
Nearly 5 million people - mostly children - die each year from cholera and other preventable, water-related diseases that all but vanished from the United States 100 years ago. His California-based institute calls the death toll "one of the great tragedies of our time."
Mr. Gleick is co-founder and president of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security. Every other year it publishes an inventory of the Earth's water resources.
"I'm afraid the risks of conflicts over water are growing and not shrinking," he said Tuesday while delivering Bowling Green State University's annual Edward Lamb Peace Lecture to more than 200 people.
What does that mean for us? Probably not much, if we continue to insulate ourselves from human misery and suffering in other parts of the world.
But the United Nations has declared all humans have a right to water. And while a lot of people fear we're moving toward an era of bulk exports and water transfers, few seem to understand that some of the world's poorest regions could deal with water shortages better if they simply had modern sanitation.
Why is the world seemingly more focused on text messaging and palm-sized Internet devices than water treatment?
Mr. Gleick said the human race can do better. He said he would support a tax of up to 5 cents on every $1 bottled water container if the revenue is used to fund improvements.
Congress in 2005 passed the Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act in honor of the late Illinois senator's efforts for water equity. The State Department said the act makes access to safe water and sanitation a foreign-aid policy objective by providing $250 million for global water programs.
Mr. Gleick said that's a "paltry" sum, given the staggering need. But it's a start.
Scientists expect more storms as the Earth's average temperature rises. That's not expected to diffuse water tensions, though. Quite the opposite.
Canada, the most water-rich country, is expected to get wetter. Africa, India, and other parched regions - including the southwestern United States - are expected to get dryer.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the world will surpass 6.6 billion people in 2007, twice its 1965 population. By midcentury, the population is expected to surpass 10 billion.
Competition for water will be fierce by people, agriculture, manufacturers, and energy suppliers.
China is the most rapidly developing nation, yet is polluting what little water it has because of antiquated technology, Mr. Gleick said.
"We really have no comprehensive effort to address what I like to call the global water crisis," he said.
Contact Tom Henry at: thenry@theblade.com or 419-724-6079.
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