Global Issue:
Water
Americans care very
little about water, because for most of our history water has been abundant and
good. The problems with infrastructure
and supply are growing. Globally, the
water crisis is much worse. The climate
is changing and we do not have the water infrastructure to handle the
change. With the increase of climate
change we will experience more extremes in water impacts either we will have too much water or not enough water. Water use is increasing much faster than
population.
Water is an essential
resource for life and good health. A
lack of water to meet daily needs is a reality today for one in three people
around the world. Globally, the problem is getting worse as cities and
populations grow, and the needs for water increase in agriculture, industry and
households.
There are health
consequences with the water scarcity, its impact on daily life and how it could
slow down international development. It makes me want to be part of efforts to
conserve and protect the resource.
What
are possible solutions? How should we, as a global community, become more
proactive?
Businesses can do the
same. An increasing number of large businesses are investing in or buying
electricity from solar or wind projects. This helps to address climate and water
issues, but it’s also an investment that saves them money in the long term.
Governments can
facilitate the development of more solar and wind power through a large variety
of policies and programs. One effective
policy seems to be feed-in tariffs; but renewable energy standards, investment
and production tax credits, and carbon pricing are also options that have
successfully brought down the price of renewable technology and increased growth. Advancing renewable energy is critical for
our future. Among its many other benefits, it is a top solution to our growing
water crisis.
Another
option is water banking which is defined as:
Water
banking is the practice of forgoing water deliveries during certain periods,
and “banking” either the right to use the forgone water in the future, or
saving it for someone else to use in exchange for a fee or delivery in kind. It
is usually used where there is significant storage capacity to facilitate such
transfers of water.
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As a journalist I would expose as many
wasteful uses of water as possible.
Partner with environmental groups and advocate having their concerns
broadcasted and published thru as many airways as possible. Promote pressure our government and city
leaders to put a plan in place to educate our children and secure our futures
through any journalist means available.
What
would you want the public (the masses) to know and to put into action, right
now?
The greatest perceived
barriers to sustainable water management are government policy and public
understanding. Sustainability needs to
be translated through long-term planning that includes the public, specialists,
managers, environmental advocates and agricultural users.
Stresses on water
supply will continue to grow over the next couple of decades, causing
increasingly difficult challenges for communities, regional and national
governments and operating facilities across nation. We need to educate starting with our children. They will be the ones who are left here to
figure it out. We will inundate the
public when there is a presidential election and a candidate we support. In this case we all should be voting for the
same candidate: our water and children future. We should have public
announcements, set water usage limits per household and start teaching in
elementary school through college about water conservation. The public needs a shock factor.
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