The Water Wars Cometh (Esquire)

[bronxiteforever]

Nearly a quarter of humanity faces looming crises of water access.
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BY CHARLES P. PIERCE
AUG 6, 2019

This shebeen has been saying since it opened that the next world war is going to be fought not over oil or mineral wealth, but over water. Some countries are going to have it. Some are not. ...Comes now the World Resources Institute to tell us how completely freaking dire the situation already is. From The New York Times:

From India to Iran to Botswana, 17 countries around the world are currently under extremely high water stress, meaning they are using almost all the water they have, according to new World Resources Institute data published Tuesday. Many are arid countries to begin with; some are squandering what water they have. Several are relying too heavily on groundwater, which instead they should be replenishing and saving for times of drought. In those countries are several big, thirsty cities that have faced acute shortages recently, including São Paulo, Brazil; Chennai, India; and Cape Town, which in 2018 narrowly beat what it called Day Zero — the day when all its dams would be dry.

The places under extremely high water stress happen to be where a quarter of humanity presently lives. That's a helluva lot of thirsty people. And, of course, the Chinese Climate Hoaxsters are meddling in this situation.

Climate change heightens the risk. As rainfall becomes more erratic, the water supply becomes less reliable. At the same time, as the days grow hotter, more water evaporates from reservoirs just as demand for water increases. Water-stressed places are sometimes cursed by two extremes. São Paulo was ravaged by floods a year after its taps nearly ran dry. Chennai suffered fatal floods four years ago, and now its reservoirs are almost empty.

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a28623060/quarter-of-humans-high-water-stress-report/

[procon]

1. Ancient cities all around the world were abandoned

when their water supply ran out. The population had no choice but to leave everything behind in search of water. Thousands of years later and here we are facing the same dilemma.

Few governments have policies to control water and minimize waste. We also have greedy profit takers, businesses, like bottled water sellers who profit by stealing precious water from the community.

What happens when a fair sized city runs out of water and the residents are forced to flee to the next closest city with water? Do they welcome water refugees or close the city in fear that their water supply would soon be drained as well?

[bronxiteforever]

2. it's the squeeze of Climate Change

We will lose land to rising waters and lose fresh water resources. I read climate change denier Pompeo said “we just move to different places”.

I agree with the Pentagon study. “Pentagon Fears Confirmed: Climate Change Leads to More Wars and Refugees”
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-23/pentagon-fears-confirmed-climate-change-leads-to-war-refugees

With all the modern weapons of modern war, it ain’t gonna be good. Take India, it is a nuclear power and suppose they really need water. Who is going to tell them no? This Path is definitely dark.

[CrispyQ]

4. "This Path is definitely dark."

Word.

[CrispyQ]

3. The US will have its own internal immigration problem when people living in southern states

move north due to water shortages or extreme heat for half the year or more. Will the northern states accept this or will they turn on their fellow citizens? In the fictional book, "The Water Knife," by Paolo Bacigalupi, Texans were the lowest on the totem pole, followed by Arizonans, & then New Mexicans. I think it was yesterday my friend in Phoenix posted it was 115°. Readings like that will become more common.

[bronxiteforever]

5. Good but sad and truthful points.

[mr_lebowski]

6. This is fine ...