BLOG
How The U.S. West Was Lost
August 6th, 2014
Via National Geographic, a report on the drought gripping the U.S. west: The Colorado River at it delta Just as the settling and development of the arid American West was fueled by harnessing its available fresh water, the growing lack of water availability may well be its undoing. California’s epic drought is just the latest […]
Read more »Iraq: Controlling Dams Key To Controlling The Country
July 30th, 2014
Via Future Directions International, another look at the role that dams and water are playing in the Iraqi crisis: In a recent statement, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, warned against the use of dams as ‘an instrument of terror’ in the current conflict. As rebels from the Islamic […]
Read more »The Parched Tiger: India’s Plan To Connect Rivers With Canals Is A Geopolitical Issue
July 29th, 2014
Via The Financial Times, a look at Prime Minister Modi’s plans to connect India’s rivers with new canals: Narendra Modi is not noted for building bridges. The Indian prime minister, already viewed warily by non-Hindus, reportedly plans to speak Hindi when meeting international leaders, despite being fluent in English. He has also upset Delhi bureaucrats […]
Read more »Death On The Nile: Egypt’s Burgeoning Food And Water Security Crisis
July 29th, 2014
Via Future Directions International, commentary on near-term and medium-term threats related to Egypt’s water crisis: Key Points One in five Egyptians are currently experiencing food insecurity as a result of structural issues in the food supply system. The Nile is Egypt’s only renewable water source, but the shifting geostrategic balance between states in the […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Importing Food So It Can Dedicate Scarce Water To Other Uses
July 29th, 2014
Via Reuters, a report on China’s plans to import food so that it can redirect use of its declining water reserves towards other uses: China should boost imports of food so it can dedicate more of its scarce water supplies to energy production, especially in arid but coal-rich regions like Xinjiang and Ningxia, a senior […]
Read more »Tibet And 21st Century Water Wars
July 27th, 2014
Courtesy of The Globalist, an examination of how the Tibetan Plateau may determine the course of Asia’s future: The crucial global role that Asia will play in the 21st century cannot be underestimated. The pivot of global economic power is shifting east. Asia represents the new arena for analysis, power and influence. The narrative of […]
Read more »