World’s water in the balance

The following is an excerpt from an editorial in the Washington Post:

The World Bank has warned that one of climate change’s most significant impacts will be on a precious resource that many people, particularly in advanced nations, take for granted: water. The concerns go far beyond sea-level rise, which is perhaps the most predictable result of the planet’s increasing temperature, or an uptick in extreme weather. Countries must worry about whether their people will have enough fresh water to farm, produce electricity, bathe and drink.

The countries most responsible for climate change are not most at risk; instead, a belt of nations from Africa through the Middle East to central and East Asia are in most danger, the World Bank concluded. And within those relatively poor countries, water stresses “are felt disproportionately by the poor.”

About four billion people already live in areas suffering from water stress. By 2030, “the world may face a shortfall in water availability of approximately 2,700 billion cubic metres,” the bank reports, “with demand exceeding current sustainable water supplies by 40 per cent.”

The first order of business is to limit the amount of warming humans will induce. That means slashing the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for driving up global temperatures.

But limiting emissions will not be enough. Warming is happening, areas of the world are already experiencing significant water challenges, and population growth will place increasing demands on existing resources.

Countries have to manage water use more rationally.

The answer is to treat water like any other precious resource: Create a fair and transparent market for it, allowing supply to meet demand, which will let the water flow to its most efficient uses. Meanwhile, governments should invest in water storage and gird their infrastructure against floods and other extreme weather events.