Reuters 9 Mar 09;
March 10 (Reuters) - World water supplies may be severely stressed in coming decades because of global climate change linked to the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil. The U.S. West is one of the places that has the most to lose with water scarcity, but many other regions around the world will face similar challenges.
Here are some facts and projections on water and climate change:
-- Temperatures are likely to rise by between 1.1 and 6.4 Celsius (2.0 and 11.5 Fahrenheit) and sea levels by between 18 cm and 59 cm (7 inches and 23 inches) this century, according to the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
-- Climate change model simulations for the 21st century see increased precipitation at high latitudes and tropical areas; decreased rainfall in sub-tropical regions.
-- Warming in the western U.S. mountains is projected to cause decreased snowpack, more winter flooding and reduce summer flows, exacerbating competition for over-allocated water resources.
-- Major challenges are projected for U.S. crops near the warm end of their suitable range or which depend on highly utilized water resources.
-- In southern Europe, climate change is projected to worsen conditions like high temperatures and drought, and reduce available water, hydropower potential, summer tourism and crops in general.
-- In Latin America, productivity of some important crops will decrease, while disappearance of glaciers in the Andes will affect water supplies for human consumption.
-- In Africa, by 2020, between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to increased water stress due to climate change. In some countries, yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50 percent.
-- In Asia, by the 2050s, freshwater availability in Central, South, East and South-East Asia, particularly in large river basins, is projected to decrease.
-- Australia's current drought, which helped spark the country's deadliest bushfire disaster ever in early in 2009, has been linked to climate change. By 2030, water problems are projected to intensify in southern and eastern Australia.
-- Rising sea levels could increase salinity in groundwater and estuaries worldwide. This could have grave implications for coastal urban areas such as Miami, Florida. (Sources: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, World Health Organization, Pacific Institute for Studies on Development, Environment and Security)
(Reporting by Ed Stoddard, editing by Mary Milliken)
Business suffers with world water shortages
Reuters 11 Mar 09;
(Reuters) - From cotton farms to factories that make high-tech computer chips, companies face huge risks from droughts like those searing California and Australia and that recently parched the U.S. Southeast.
Climate scientists say droughts will become more common as higher temperatures evaporate water supplies and overuse drain aquifers faster than they can be replenished by natural cycles.
Large cities in China and India are also at risk from droughts as mountain glaciers shrink on the Tibetan plateau.
The risks to big business range from actual physical shortages of water, to rising costs for meeting water quality regulations, to conflicts with local communities.
Below are some sectors that face risk from water scarcity.
-- AGRICULTURE. About 70 percent of global water used is for agriculture, in some developing countries where populations are growing fastest that figure is as much as 90 percent. Australia's drought helped sharply boost global rice prices last year. Companies that make products that require large amount of water, such as meat and biofuels, face drought risks.
-- BEVERAGES. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo bottlers lost licenses to operate in Kerala, India while major beverage firms face opposition to new plants. Bottled water companies also face opposition in places where water is scarce. Some consumers are drinking more tap water for environmental reasons.
-- HIGH TECH. More than half of the world's largest semiconductor factories are in the Asia-Pacific, where water risks are severe. Silicon chips take large amounts of clean water to make and factories face competition with local populations.
-- ELECTRICITY GENERATION. Droughts can severely cut power generation from hydropower, an electricity source that is low in greenhouse gas emissions. In 2001, a drought in Brazil dramatically cut energy output.
-- APPAREL. Cotton and other raw materials of clothes face risks as droughts slash agricultural yields.
-- BIOTECH PHARMACEUTICALS. Companies face new cleanup costs from new regulations to cut the concentration of chemicals and microbes in their waste water streams
-- FOREST PRODUCTS. Water-intensive pulp and paper manufacturing faces risks from droughts, increased costs for water and regulatory costs.
-- METALS/MINING. Companies face regulatory risks from their waste water streams. Mines use lots of water and face competition with local populations.
(Sources: Ceres, Pacific Institute)
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner, editing by Mary Milliken)
Key facts on the world's water supply
Reuters 11 Mar 09
(Reuters) - Water scarcity is likely to change the way of life of millions of people in the U.S. West, one of the richest and most technologically advanced regions in the world. Other parts of the planet may take cues from the West on how to deal with a global water crisis that is expected to worsen with climate change.
Following are some facts and figures about the world's water:
-- There are 1.4 billion cubic kilometers of water on the planet but almost 97 percent is salt water. Most freshwater is locked up in glaciers or deep underground, leaving only a fraction available for human consumption or use.
-- Most experts believe there is still enough water to go around, but its distribution is very uneven. According to the Pacific Institute for Studies on Development, Environment and Security, North Americans have access to over 6,000 cubic meters per person per year stored in reservoirs. But the poorest African countries have less than 700 and Ethiopia has less than 50 cubic meters per person per year of water storage. Wealthy but water-scarce countries such as Saudi Arabia can afford expensive desalination projects, but poor ones cannot.
-- Agriculture accounts for 66 percent of human water consumption, industry 20 percent, domestic households 10 percent, according to the World Water Council. About four percent evaporates from man-made reservoirs.
-- Providing clean drinking water to the poor is one of the biggest development challenges. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals pledged at the start of this decade "to halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation." The U.N. says that since 1990, 1.6 billion people have gained access to safe water. But nearly a billion people still lack safe drinking water.
(Sources: Reuters, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations, Pacific Institute for Studies on Development, Environment and Security, World Water Council
(Reporting by Ed Stoddard, editing by Mary Milliken)
Key facts about water in the US West
Reuters 11 Mar 09;
(Reuters) - The West has been one of the United States' fastest-growing regions, with its warm, dry climate a major draw. But much of its landscape is desert or semi-arid and many of its cities are facing a long-term water supply crisis.
Here are some facts and figures:
-- The Southwest was home to 14 of the 25 fastest-growing American cities with populations over 100,000 between 2006 and 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
-- It is home to seven of America's 10 largest cities. By order of ranking: Los Angeles (2), Houston (4), Phoenix (5), San Antonio (7), San Diego (8), Dallas (9), San Jose (10).
-- The six-county area of Southern California, including Los Angeles and San Diego, is home to nearly 22 million people, with population growth expected to add 6 million residents by 2030. Yet 60 percent of its overall water supply is "imported" from distant sources, such as northern California or the Colorado River. In some areas, only 10 percent of the water comes from local sources.
-- Outdoor water use, such as lawn irrigation, accounts for 40 percent of average household consumption in the city of Los Angeles, which has a population of about 4 million. The city averages close to 15 inches of rainfall annually, but that amount varies widely from year to year.
-- Las Vegas gets only 2 or 3 inches of rainfall a year, and in 1959 it went 150 straight days without measurable rain. Because the Southern Nevada climate is so much drier than Los Angeles, grass lawns there require a third more water.
-- Water use in Los Angeles is projected at about 208 billion gallons this fiscal year, roughly the same amount that the city has consumed annually for the past 25 years despite population growth of about 1 million. City water officials attribute this to a combination of greater conservation practices and more water-efficient appliances and fixtures. (Reporting by Steve Gorman and Ed Stoddard; Editing by Mary Milliken)
