BLOG
The Thirsty Dragon: Beijing’s Water Crisis
May 5th, 2011
Courtesy of Circle of Blue, a detailed report on how Beijing’s water demand is outpacing supply despite conservation, recycling, and imports: The 200-kilometer drive from Beijing to the Guanting Reservoir in Hebei Province takes you from the urban jungle of China’s capital to the dry farm fields and tumble-down villages of one of the country’s […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: How China Is Dealing With Its Water Crisis
May 5th, 2011
Courtesy of Columbia’s Earth Institute, an interesting look at China’s efforts to face its increasingly perilous water crisis: “…China becomes drier each year—its freshwater reserves declined 13% between 2000 and 2009. Severe droughts occurred in 2000, 2007 and 2009. Normally the southern regions receive 80% of China’s rainfall and snowmelt, about 79 inches a year, […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: China’s Water Supply At Risk
April 27th, 2011
Via Terra Daily, a report that China’s government has officially recognized the threat that climate change is posing for China’s water supply: “China faces an imbalance between the supply and demand of water to support its rapid social and economic development, while protecting the natural environment and ecosystems,” Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei told […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Dam Tensions On The Mekong
April 20th, 2011
Two additional articles looking at the recent tensions over planned dams on the Mekong. First, via the Washington Post, a report that China defended its ambitious network of dams, saying that it is developing its rivers in a responsible way and would never do anything to harm the interests of neighbors who live downstream of […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Laos’ Dam Project and the China-Vietnam Balance
April 20th, 2011
Courtesy of STRATFOR (subscription required), an interesting look at Laos’ reported deferral of its decision on whether to pursue a controversial dam on the Mekong River that has sparked strong opposition from its downstream neighbors, particularly Vietnam. Though Vietnam retains strong influence over Laos, and could use its investment and aid as a bargaining chip […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Water Wars – China’s New ‘Political Weapon’?
April 16th, 2011
Courtesy of The San Francisco Chronicle, an interesting article looking at how China’s vast thirst for power and water and its control over the sources of the rivers is giving it significant potential leverage it can use to keep any riparian neighbors on good behavior. As the article notes: “…The wall of water raced through […]
Read more »