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Syria: Climate Change, Drought and Social Unrest
March 3rd, 2012
Via Think Progress, an article examining the link between drought and water scarcity and the current Syrian unrest. As the report notes: NOAA concluded in 2011 that “human-caused climate change [is now] a major factor in more frequent Mediterranean droughts.â€Â Reds and oranges highlight lands around the Mediterranean that experienced significantly drier winters during 1971-2010 than […]
Read more »The Parched Tiger and Thirsty Dragon: Indian Official Denies Claims Brahmaputra Levels Low
March 3rd, 2012
Via AFP News, a report analyzing recent claims that Chinese dams have caused Indian river levels to drop. As the article notes: Water levels of a major river flowing through India’s northeast are “normal,” an Indian government official said Friday, denying claims a dam in neighbouring China had caused them to plunge. The senior official […]
Read more »Central Asia: A Dam Debacle
March 2nd, 2012
Courtesy of China Dialogue, a insightful look at Central Asia’s water predicament where grand engineering schemes have failed to address the political problems of water management and, as climate change dries up the rivers, regional tensions will likely escalate. As the article notes: The Toktogul Dam in Kyrgyzstan is an imposing structure. The dam guards […]
Read more »Global Water Resources Pushed to the Brink
March 1st, 2012
Via The Environmental Leader, a report on how a global population of seven billion people will push water resources to the brink, unless agriculture and industry act fast to cut demand: Water use could reach 8,680,000,000,000 cubic meters this year. A study warned in 2009 that global water requirements would grow to 6,900 billion m3 by […]
Read more »The Parched Tiger: India Supreme Court Again Pushes National River Linking Project to Proceed (2)
March 1st, 2012
Via Circle of Blue, another look at the recent Indian high court ruling that is the second time the court has promoted the mega-project that would link the major rivers in the north with those in the south as a way to better manage water, moving it from areas of perceived surplus to areas without […]
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