South America Archives

Water Scarcity, Food Security Concerns Prompt Global Land Grab

November 17, 2009

Area nearly the size of France purchased, leased for food production around the world. Africa, South America, parts of Europe targeted by cash-rich, food-poor nations

Climate Change Is Water Change — Water Experts React to Barcelona Negotiations

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November 3, 2009

Water experts have convened in Barcelona to ensure water management strategies are integrated into global climate change negotiations – so far their efforts have fallen on deaf ears.

Qatar Food Company Signs $1 billion Deal to Use Sudan Farmland

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November 2, 2009

Qatar furthers the trend of Gulf Arab Countries off-shoring their agricultural production to secure food supplies for its citizens and other populations in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Qatar’s Hassad Foods signed a deal last week, worth potentially $1 billion, to develop 20,000 acres of land in northern Sudan, Reuters reports. Cultivation could expand to 250,000 acres.

Climate Change Burden-Sharing Must Not Compromise Developing World’s Growth, India’s PM

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October 29, 2009

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Barack Obama earlier this year.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that developing countries will not compromise their financial growth for climate change, and that, instead, rich countries need to ensure access to clean technologies.

Venezuela to Ration Water Because of Low El Nino Rainfall

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October 22, 2009

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez urged citizens to cutback on showering time as the country’s electric and water supply problems mount.

Peter Gleick: Water and Population part 2

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October 22, 2009

In a previous post here, I raised the population and water issue in a general way. My point was that ignoring the population component of our resource challenges was a mistake, certainly in the long term and in some places, in the short term. I think this is indisputable -- resource constraints are worse than they would otherwise be if populations are large and growing rapidly rather than small and growing slowly, or even shrinking.

Scientists Decode the Genomes of Parasitic Flatworms

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July 17, 2009

Scientists have cracked the genetic code of one of the world’s deadliest water-borne parasites, opening the door for better drug treatment and prevention.

Drinking From The Sea

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June 29, 2009

Pressed by growing urban populations, drier and warmer climates and the need to fortify supplies stretched by the increasing worldwide thirst, metropolitan and national governments on five continents are building record numbers of industrial plants to use a nearly alchemic technology to produce drinking water from the sea.