The global oil and food crisis have driven the prices of basic commodities to unprecedented levels, resulting in food riots and the toppling of governments as seen by the likes of Haiti. What we are seeing, however, can pale in comparison when people start to feel the effects of a looming water crisis.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stressed that a shortage in water resources could “spell increased conflicts in the future,” exacerbated by climate change and a growing population that is projected to reach 9.1 billion by 2050. The conflict in Darfur, described as genocide by many countries, was triggered by a water shortage that driven by the drought which, as everyone knows, is being blamed on global warming and climate change.
According to a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), more than one third of the planet’s animal and plant species would face extinction if temperatures continue to rise by between 1.5 to 2.5 degrees Centigrade – which could affect billions particularly in Africa. A report by the Asian Development Bank also disclosed that developing countries in Asia face an unprecedented water crisis, leading to serious health and social problems which could cost billions of dollars every year.
Even now as I write this article, virtually the whole world is reeling from the effects of a looming water crisis. In Fresno, California, dire predictions are being made that another year of drought could result in high crime rates and more unemployment. Officials are already predicting that this year alone, the drought would result in the loss of income for 23 percent of the farmers in the area. In Cyprus, scientists forecast “less water and more droughts in the future,” with rainfall expected to drop by 20 percent in the next 70 years – putting the agricultural production in the region in “constant danger.”
In China, over 400 cities and 13 provinces are grappling with a water shortage problem, which ahs placed a serious economic and political pressure to the Chinese government especially with the upcoming Olympics, with all eyes focused on China. According to reports, major water sources like the Yangtze River are drying up due to global warming.
India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh – the list of countries experiencing the effects of a water crisis driven by climate change is growing. And let’s not forget the decade-long drought in Australia which has aggravated the global food crisis with its major crop-producing regions affected the most. Experts say the situation could get worse, with the drought projected to last for 50 years especially with the current low levels of rainfall. Even in the UK, a government-funded group is calling on industries to reduce water wastage, stressing that the impact of the fuel crisis would pale in comparison to the impact of a water crisis.
Water is becoming an increasingly expensive resource – with the potential of becoming even costlier than oil. At least with the oil crisis, people can go back to riding calesas as the people of Isabela have started doing. But water is an altogether different issue since it is a basic commodity, without which people could die. Last year, an acute water shortage exacerbated by a prolonged dry spell caused a crisis particularly in Metro Manila. It was so bad that even the Catholic Church called on the people to resort to prayer power to resolve the crisis. (How I wish the Church will also do a prayer power on how to resolve the population issue.)
It will not be an exaggeration to say that an acute water shortage could result in conflicts between nations as they struggle for a scarce resource, as seen by the example of Darfur. With the Philippines projected to face an acute shortage of fresh water by 2010, obviously, there is a need to manage and conserve water – and it is the responsibility of everyone to contribute in the prudent use of this fast dwindling resource. As they say “you ain’t seen nothin’ yet” when the water crisis kicks in.
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