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The Parched Tiger: Government Underlines India’s Water Crisis
March 21st, 2016
Via The Third Pole, a detailed look at the deleterious impact that Indian subsidies for water and power are having: Scarcities due to climate change impacts will necessitate a focus on “more for less”, and this makes it imperative to redress the current system of incentives and subsidies, says the latest edition of India’s annual economic survey. […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: China’s Watergy Challenge To Quench The Thirst of China’s Dry North
March 20th, 2016
Via the Wilson Center’s China Environment series, an extensive report on what some have long considered the “black box” of China’s energy-water nexus challenge, namely the energy footprint of cleaning, treating, and transporting water to quench the thirst of cities in China’s dry north: China’s dramatic urbanization over the past four decades has fundamentally reshaped […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: China’s Dam Boom Stokes Concerns In Asia
March 16th, 2016
Via Nikkei Asian Review, some interesting commentary on the concerns arising in Asia that China is seeking to turn water into a potential political weapon: China’s centralized, megaprojects-driven approach to water resources is the antithesis of the situation in another demographic titan, India, where the constitution makes water an issue for state governments and where […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Water, The 13 FYP, and Beautiful China 2020
March 16th, 2016
Via China Water Risk, a summary of water’s role in the 13 FYP and Beautiful China 2020 initiative: Highlights -Target reduction in water use per unit of GDP by 23% by 2020; also reduction in COD & NH discharge by 10% each -Expect more eco-red lines + tech & policy innovations. Insurance, green bonds & […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon and Parched Tiger: Geopolitics of India and China’s Shared Water Sources
March 15th, 2016
Via Future Directions International, an interesting look at the geopolitics of India and China’s shared water sources: Key Points China and India are water-scarce countries that will face significant challenges to food and water security in the future. As lower riparians, India and Bangladesh rely on the Brahmaputra River for water, agriculture and livelihoods. Upstream, China […]
Read more »Bolivia: High And Dry
March 14th, 2016
Via The Financial Times, a look at water tensions in Bolivia where mining-led development comes at a cost for nation’s fishing communities: Fishing boats on the dried Poopó lake bed near La Paz in west Bolivia Vicente Valero wears a poncho that tells the story of his ethnic group, the Uru-Murato, in multicoloured stripes. Thought […]
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