Tag Archive for 'climate change'

Safe drinking water disappearing fast in Bangladesh

Published on 05/10/2013 in climate change, contaminated water and water shortage. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Bangladesh drinking water

Retrieved from: The Guardian

“The availability of safe drinking water, particularly in Bangladesh’s hard to reach areas, is expected to worsen as the country experiences the effects of climate change, experts say.

“According to a study by the World Bank’s water and sanitation programme, about 28 million Bangladeshis, or just over 20% of the population, are living in harsh conditions in the “hard-to-reach areas” that make up a quarter of the country’s landmass. The study found that char – land that emerges from riverbeds as a result of the deposit of sediments – is among the most inaccessible, along with hilly areas, coastal regions and haors – bowl-shaped wetland areas in north-east Bangladesh.

“People living in hard-to-reach areas are often vulnerable to natural calamities like flooding, riverbank erosion and siltation,” said Rokeya Ahmed, a water and sanitation specialist at the World Bank. “As a result of climate change, salinity in Bangladesh’s coastal areas has increased [a great deal], causing a lack of sweet water. Women in coastal and haor areas need to go miles to collect a pitcher of safe drinking water.”

Read more: The Guardian

sammykayed

NASA: Strange and sudden ice melt in Greenland

Published on 07/25/2012 in climate change and glaciers. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Retrieved from: USA today

“Nearly all of Greenland’s massive ice sheet suddenly started melting a bit this month, a freak event that surprised scientists.

“Even Greenland’s coldest and highest place, Summit station, showed melting. Ice core records show that last happened in 1889 and occurs about once every 150 years.

“Three satellites show what NASA calls unprecedented melting of the ice sheet that blankets the island, starting on July 8 and lasting four days. Most of the thick ice remains. While some ice usually melts during the summer, what was unusual was that the melting happened in a flash and over a widespread area.

“The ice melt area went from 40 percent of the ice sheet to 97 percent in four days, according to NASA. Until now, the most extensive melt seen by satellites in the past three decades was about 55 percent.

“Wagner said researchers don’t know how much of Greenland’s ice melted, but it seems to be freezing again.

“When we see melt in places that we haven’t seen before, at least in a long period of time, it makes you sit up and ask what’s happening?” NASA chief scientistWaleed Abdalati said. It’s a big signal, the meaning of which we’re going to sort out for years to come.”

“About the same time, a giant iceberg broke off from thePetermann Glacier in northern Greenland. And the National Snow and Ice Data Center on Tuesday announced that the area filled with Arctic sea ice continues near a record low.”

Read more: USA today

sammykayed

Water Risk Threatens Businesses, National Security

Published on 04/10/2012 in climate change, displacement of people, drought, floods and management. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Retrieved from: Forbes

“One of climate change’s biggest impacts is on water systems. Unreliable water can impact both corporate bottom lines and jeopardize natural security, as two recent reports point out.

“Climate change is changing precipitation patterns and intensity, increasing the incidence of droughts, floods, and erosion. These changes are making water supply and quality more difficult to obtain, affecting runoff and soil moisture, increasing water temperatures, decreasing snowpack and lake and river ice, threatening fish and aquatic species, and allowing saltwater intrusion and sea level rise. These changes are difficult to plan for, as past water patterns can no longer be used to predict the future. That uncertainty is problematic for businesses and can cause political strife, but some states and regions are taking proactive steps to avoid water trouble and will therefore be more reliable places to do business.

“A recent report from the Natural Resources Defense Council ranked U.S. states based on how their governments are planning and preparing for the water–related impacts of a changing climate, including whether they have strategies to reduce the greenhouse gas pollution that contributes to climate change and whether they have adaptation plans for projected climate-related impacts. The report includes an interactive online map highlighting the unique water vulnerabilities each state faces and what each is doing — or not doing — to prepare. Climate modeling was drawn in part from a 2009 report (PDF) from the U.S. Global Change Research Program, but the NRDC report also considered state’s policies. It said:

“Some states are leading the way in preparing for water-related impacts with integrated and comprehensive preparedness plans that address all relevant water sectors and state agencies. Unfortunately, other states are lagging when it comes to consideration of potential climate change impacts — or have yet to formally address climate change preparedness at all.”

Read more: Forbes

sammykayed

No Doubt Pakistan’s Water Crisis Is Predominantly Manmade

Published on 01/23/2012 in agriculture, drought, water rights and water shortage. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Retrieved from: Greater Kashmir

“Pakistan has in most areas of agriculture a monsoon climate, and there might be abundant rainfall during the wet season and then a very long dry season where crop production depends very heavily on irrigation water.

“Groundwater is a very important source of irrigation for farmers. Ground water is being over-pumped extensively in order to meet current demands for food production but if our demands exceed that renewable supply, then we must be in the situation that we might be over-pumping groundwater to satisfy the demand, or taking too much water from river basin systems, result in formation of salinity and barren land that in long run cause food scarcity. Over-pumping of groundwater for agriculture, industry or domestic use comes at a sharp ecological price. It disrupts the natural hydrologic cycle, causes Rivers and wetlands to dry up, the ground to collapse and fish and wildlife and trees to die.

“Water and agricultural sectors are likely to be the most sensitive to climate change. Fresh water availability is expected to be highly vulnerable to the anticipated climate change. While the frequency and severity of floods would eventually increase in river deltas. The arid and semi-arid regions could experience severe water stress.

Read more: Eurasia review

sammykayed

Billion-plus people to lack water in 2050: study

Published on 03/29/2011 in climate change, displacement of people, drought, tap water, water shortage and world water supply. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Photo retrieved from: cdn.wn.com

“More than one billion urban residents will face serious water shortages by 2050 as climate change worsens effects of urbanization, with Indian cities among the worst hit, a study said Monday.

“The shortage threatens sanitation in some of the world’s fastest-growing cities but also poses risks for wildlife if cities pump in water from outside, said the article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“The study found that under current urbanization trends, by mid-century some 993 million city dwellers will live with less than 100 liters (26 gallons) each day of water each — roughly the amount that fills a personal bathtub — which authors considered the daily minimum.

“Adding on the impact of climate change, an additional 100 million people will lack what they need for drinking, cooking, cleaning, bathing and toilet use.

“”Don’t take the numbers as destiny. They’re a sign of a challenge,” said lead author Rob McDonald of The Nature Conservancy, a private environmental group based near Washington.

“”There are solutions to getting those billion people water. It’s just a sign that a lot more investment is going to be needed, either in infrastructure or in water use efficiency,” he said.”

Read more: Brisbane Times

jenna cavelle

No current water crisis, but warning bells must be heeded, department concedes

Published on 06/04/2010 in climate change, drought and world water supply. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

South African boy drinks clean water.“Department of Water and Environmental Affairs water services chief director Helgard Muller has conceded that there are serious issues surrounding the efficient use of water and, if these are not tackled, “we are heading for a crisis in certain systems”.”

““However, I would not call it a national crisis,” said Muller during the United Association of South Africa (UASA) Water Security seminar, held last month in Johannesburg.”

“University of Pretoria department of geography, geoinformatics and meteorology head Professor Hannes Rautenbach said that climate change in South Africa was a reality in terms of temperature, but not so much in terms of the amount of rainfall a year.”

““However, it seems that the seasons are shifting with the result that summer rain- fall seasons may in future be shorter and winter rainfall seasons longer. This means that excellent planning is needed to prevent possible water shortages during dry spells in future,” Rautenbach said.”

“UASA CEO Koos Bezuidenhout concurred that South Africa was facing a serious water situation.”

““With this conference, we aim to signal the start of a loyal resistance programme and not [one of] confrontation, but of earnest cooperation with the authorities to solve the country’s water problems,” said Bezuidenhout.”

Read more: Engineering News

jenna cavelle

UK relies on ‘virtual’ water from drought-prone countries, says report

Published on 04/24/2010 in drought. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Cut flowers from Kenya

“We must recognise how the UK’s water footprint is impacting on global water scarcity. We should ask whether it is right to import green beans – or even roses – from water-stressed countries like Kenya,” said professor Peter Guthrie, chair of the group of engineers who compiled the report. “The burgeoning demand for water from developed countries is putting severe pressure on areas that are already short of water. Our water footprint is critical”, he said.

“The report backs analysis by the UK chief scientist, John Beddington, the World Bank and others who say that water shortages are worsening, especially in developing countries. More than 700 million people in 43 countries are now regularly affected by water scarcity and this is expected to grow as a result of climate change, population growth, the switch to meat-based diets in countries such as China, rapid urbanisation in Asia and the pollution of rivers and lakes in many developing countries.”

read more: The Guardian

chrismorrow

How We Can Stave Off the Triple Threat of Climate, Water and Food Crises

Published on 04/23/2010 in climate change, groundwater, rainwater harvesting and solutions and outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

“There is growing recognition that water is the “key medium through which climate change impacts will be felt.” Climate impacts on water will directly affect agriculture. And, of course, agricultural practices can both impact and mitigate climate change. Yet, all three–climate, agriculture and water–are facing severe crises. It is the dramatic convergence of these crises that compel us to shift away from the dominant industrial agriculture model toward more sustainable and just alternatives.

“Ultimately, agriculture will play a critical role in addressing global challenges related to climate, water, social justice and food. These challenges cannot effectively be addressed in isolation. Instead, it is time to identify the interconnection between them and develop complementary policy options and action steps.”

read more: AlterNet

chrismorrow

A New Shade of Green

Published on 04/16/2010 in climate change, contaminated water, policy, solutions and outreach and world water supply. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

EARTH2

“We humans with our big cars and our big factories and our big cities were discharging terrible stuff into the air and water, and it had to be stopped or we would soon make our nest uninhabitable. The public was growing increasingly outraged. Every night on color television, we saw yellow sludge flowing into blue rivers; every day as we drove to work, we saw black smudges against the barely visible blue sky. We knew that our indiscriminate use of pesticides and toxic substances was threatening wildlife and public health.”

“But we didn’t do much about it. Until 1970, most regulation of industry was done by the states, which competed so strongly for plants and jobs that regulating companies to protect public health was beyond them.

“Environmentally, it was a race to the bottom.”

read more: Wall Street Journal

chrismorrow

Addressing the Global Water Crisis Through Action In Unity For Change

Published on 04/13/2010 in climate change, drought, solutions and outreach and world water supply. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

http://houstonist.com/attachments/houston_monica/032207_water.jpg

“By 2050, the population of the planet is projected to be 8.5 billion people. According to the work of Jim Thebaut, we will not be able to sustain ourselves if steps aren’t taken to ensure that water resources are available to people. The San Joaquin Valleyin California grows 1/3 of the agricultural crops that feed Americans. But, droughts are spreading across the Southwest on top of the drought that California is already experiencing. There is an undeniable strain on the world’s resources. This strain will grip the world community tighter if steps aren’t taken to combat climate change, the water crisis, and overpopulation.”

read more: Conducive Chronicle

chrismorrow