The big news this week will be Copenhagen – the worldwide climate summit that has been in the headlines for weeks, months or years, depending on how closely you read environmental websites and blogs.

What I’m picking up, though, is an alarming increase in headlines relating to water crises – shortages that are happening now, or that will be felt long before the really bad aspects of climate change kick in in 50 or 100 years or more.  Following is just a sample from the last couple of days.  (The stories are from various sources, but are all available on the excellent website, Circle of Blue).

Before the stories, though – what’s the connection?  There’s a couple of things to think about here:

1)Climate Change isn’t about something that’s coming down the road “later on” – as in the California story, it’s here now as well as in the future.

2)Even if Climate Change weren’t at work behind the scenes, a lot of these problems would be with us anyway.  In fact, story #3, the worldwide water shortage, is alarming because it is based on the optimistic (some might say fictional) idea that the baseline supply will remain constant, when in fact, that supply is shrinking dramatically (from ground water drying up, for example) even as demand grows.

What’s to be done?  I’m not sure I can tell you that – but any solution has to start with a good long look at the problem.

Here’s the stories:

Melting Glaciers, Drought Jeopardize Bolivian Capital’s Water (BBC)

Planned migrations to water-rich areas are being considered as an emergency option as La Paz’s water supply hangs in the balance.

If new reservoirs and deep aquifers do not supply enough water to Bolivia’s capital of La Paz, government officials are considering moving people to areas with more abundant water supplies, the BBC reports.

“We are thinking about a planned program of migration, mainly to the north of the region,” said Pablo Ramos, governor of the La Paz region, to the BBC. “For sure there’s going to be a huge movement of people – planned and unplanned.”

Specific details about the program – who would be moved, how people would be compensated – were unavailable.

La Paz’s supply problem stems in part from the migration of people who are seeking better economic opportunities in the city. A quarter of the families living in a village near the capital have left in the last decade for the urban center because of a shortage of water supplies for farming, according to the BBC. The glacier on which the nearby village depends is slowly receding.

Drought Causes Record Low Water Allocations for California

Climate conditions and regulations are causing California to reassess water allocation, potentially taking drastic conservation measures.

California’s water supply agency says the urban areas and irrigation districts can expect only five percent of their usual contracted water allotments in 2010 because of ongoing drought and environmental restrictions.

The initial allocation figure— the lowest since the agency was started in 1967—reflects the worst drought in the state’s history. Low reservoir levels and federally mandated restrictions on water deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect endangered fish species have compounded scarcity issues.

The allocation is “a very conservative estimate” of what the Water Resources Department expects it can deliver to users next year, according to a press release from the state agency. The amount of water that will eventually be delivered is expected to be greater once actual water supply conditions are determined.

Sources: California Water Resources Department, San Francisco Chronicle, Reuters, New York Times

Water Demand-Supply Gap Rising At Alarming Rate, Report Shows

By Andrea Hart
Circle of Blue

Global water demand will grow at an accelerated rate — from 4,500 billion meters cubed to 6,900 billion cubed — by 2030 increasing the water gap.

If water consumption continues without reform or regulation over the next 20 years, 40 percent of global demand will not be met, according to a McKinsey & Co. report released last week. More than one billion people already don’t have access to clean water.

The report warns that governments must act now to avoid severe health and economic consequences.

“There is a looming water crisis where scarcity will increase – basically the demand is outstripping supply,” said Lars Thunell, CEO of the International Finance Corporation, which, along with other organizations affiliated with the 2030 Water Resources Group, helped author the report.

Formed in 2008, the 2030 Water Resources Group is comprised of the IFC and an extended business consortium, which includes Coca-Cola Co. and the Switzerland-based Nestle SA – all of which endorsed and signed the report. Representatives from the 2030 group held a conference last week announcing the report.

Soure: Circle of Blue

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