Economist April 11, 2009 . Sin Aqua Non: Water shortages are a growing problem, but not for the reasons that people think

In an attempt to dispel the common perceptions people have for water shortages, the author argued that water shortages entail a local and not a global problem. Global human water consumption, the author estimated as nine percent of total supply. The repercussions of this volume of use had adverse effects on water ecosystems worldwide—the inability of major rivers to reach the sea, diminishing fresh water fish stock, the infusion of salt water into fresh water deltas, and the decline in wetland habitats.

The author noted a number of trends that can make the situation more acute—population growth, diet, and global warming. The world population continues to grow and become more affluent, increasing the amount of meat in the diet. The author contended that meat required more water to produce than a vegetarian diet. Climate change altered historic water usage patterns three ways, the way plants grow, water management due to more rain and less snow, and the emphasis on water-intensive biofuels rather than oil. The second pattern fueled a demand for more dams as storage units worldwide.

Increased efficiency, the author posed as an answer to local and global water problems. Industry has realized greater efficiency, of the 20 percent of the world’s water that it uses.
Agriculture, the biggest guzzler of water, using 70 to 80 percent, could have the greatest impact on reduced consumption by increased efficiency. Chandra Madramootoo, of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, assumed a 30 percent decrease in agricultural water use with improved practices. Koichiro Matsuura, the head of UNESCO, recommended “changing incentives, improving information flows, and improving the way water use is governed” (p. 1). Water managers display ignorance in measurements of water use, such as the amount of water extracted from lakes and aquifers. Water governance varies by locale. Balkanized systems prohibit efficiencies. Erratic financing lacks a coherent plan. “Angel Gurría, the head of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, talks of ‘a crisis in water financing’” (p. 1). To reward water efficiency, the Nature Conservancy has formulated a “certification plan which aims to give companies and businesses seals of approval (a bit like the Fairtrade symbol) according to how efficiently they use water. The plan is supposed to get going in 2010” (p.1). The first step of a process.