Is water becoming ‘the new oil’?
Global demands for freshwater have nearly doubled since World War II, the Christian Science Monitor reports. China, India, and other parts of Asia, are experiencing unprecedented growth, limited by the availability of fresh, potable, water. Throughout Europe, Mediterranean port cities, like Barcelona and Cyprus, plan to ship in water from their neighbors. Global water needs are emerging as the 21st century’s biggest issue: the new oil.
“What’s different now is that it’s increasingly obvious that we’re running up against limits to new [fresh water] supplies,” said Dr. Peter Gleick, a water expert and president of the Pacific Institute. “It’s no longer cheap and easy to drill another well or dam another river.”
And, as global demand for water increases, conflicts between those hoping to profit from the control of water and those saying that water is a basic human right are emerging.
Read more here.
Source : Christian Science Monitor
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I think the comparisons to oil are perhaps a bit misplaced, as oil, unlike water, is an option for humans to use. If we want to stop using oil, we can switch to alternatives. Water on the other hand is something we cant switch.
Although the comparisons to oil are similar when one considers the future global impact of water. It will be interesting to see if countries like Brazil Russia and Canada will begin forming as the new “OPEC”
Sensationalist I know, but all that far off?