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The Great Siphoning: Drought-Stricken Areas Eye The Great Lakes
June 6th, 2018
Via the StarTribune, commentary on the Great Lakes: Outside Two Harbors, Minn., on a cliff overlooking the broad expanse of Lake Superior, you are overwhelmed by grandeur — shimmering water, crashing waves, a down-bound ore boat on the horizon, miniaturized by distance. As you fill your senses, you may be unaware of the invisible others […]
Read more »Turkey Seeks to Reassure Iraqis Over Upstream Dam
June 6th, 2018
Courtesy of the New York Times, a report on Turkish/Iraqi water concerns: Turkey said Tuesday that Iraqis have nothing to fear from the filling of an upstream reservoir on the Tigris River, saying “sufficient quantities of water” would continue to flow to the neighboring country. Ambassador Fatih Yildiz told reporters in Baghdad that it will […]
Read more »Middle East: Dry and Discontented
June 2nd, 2018
Courtesy of The Economist, a report on the impact of climate change and drought in the Middle East: SIX years ago Nabil Musa, a Kurdish environmentalist, returned from over a decade abroad to find Iraq transformed. Rivers in which he had swum year-round turned to dust in summer. Skies once crowded with storks and herons […]
Read more »Central Asia Facing Hunger, Refugee Flows, and Violence Because of Drought
June 1st, 2018
Via Window on Eurasia, commentary on the impact of drought in Central Asia: Lower than normal snowfalls last winter in the Pamirs and Hindukush mountains are leading to serious problems for Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Iran – including shortages of water for crops and consumption, refugee flows, “and even military actions,” according to Fergana news […]
Read more »Drought Adds To Afghanistan’s Woes
June 1st, 2018
Courtesy of the New York Times, a look at the impact of Afghanistan’s growing drought: Afghanistan, already torn by decades of intensifying violence, is grappling with a drought in two-thirds of the country that could lead to severe food shortages for up to two million more people, the United Nations has warned. The United Nations […]
Read more »As Droughts Worsen, U.S. Water Insecurity Grows
June 1st, 2018
Via the StarTribune, a report on growing U.S. water stress: Less than eight months after Hurricane Harvey pelted the Texas Gulf Coast with torrential rainfall, drought has returned to Texas and other parts of the West, Southwest and Southeast, again forcing state governments to reckon with how to keep the water flowing. Nearly a third […]
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