Paris (AFP) Oct 20, 2010 – South Asia is the world’s most climate-vulnerable region, its fast-growing populations badly exposed to flood, drought, storms and sea-level rise, according to a survey of 170 nations published on Wednesday. Of the 16 countries listed as being at “extreme” risk from climate change over the next 30 years, five […]
Measured on conventional indicators, water stress is increasing. Today, about 700 million people in 43 countries live below the water-stress threshold of 1,700 cubic metres per person—an admittedly arbitrary dividing line. By 2025 that figure will reach 3 billion, as water stress intensifies in China, India and Sub-Saharan Africa. Based on national averages, the projection […]
By FELICITY BARRINGEROctober 18, 2010, 2:05 pm Sometime between 11 and noon on Sunday, the water level in Lake Mead, the massive reservoir whose water fills the taps of millions of people across the Southwest, fell lower than it ever has since it was filled 75 years ago. Even as a flurry of thunderstorms dropped […]
By Chisa Fujioka; editing by David FogartyMon Oct 18, 2010 9:44am EDT NAGOYA, Japan (Reuters) – The world cannot afford to allow nature’s riches to disappear, the United Nations said on Monday at the start of a major meeting to combat losses in animal and plant species that underpin livelihoods and economies. The United Nations […]
Annual flows (in million cubic meters) of the Colorado River into the delta from 1905 to 2005 at the Southern International Border station. Note that, in most years after 1960, flows to the delta fell to zero as total withdrawals equaled total (or peak) renewable supply. The exceptions are extremely high-flow years when runoff exceeded […]
By TERESA CEROJANO, Associated Press WriterTue Oct 12, 6:58 am ET MANILA, Philippines – Booming populations, rapid urbanization and competing demands for food and energy will drain Asia’s dwindling freshwater supplies unless the region better manages its resources, experts said Tuesday. Unless something is done, demand for water will exceed supply by 40 percent by […]
By Michael Carlowicz23 September 2010 In August 2010, Lake Mead reached its lowest level since 1956. The largest reservoir in the United States was straining from persistent drought and increasing human demand. Two images from the Thematic Mapper on the Landsat 5 satellite show some of the stark changes on the eastern end of the […]
Adjusted human water security threat is contrasted against incident biodiversity threat. Much of the developed world faces the challenge of reducing biodiversity threat and protecting biodiversity, while maintaining established water services. The developing world shows tandem threats to human water security and biodiversity, posing an arguably more significant challenge. Large, contiguous areas of low threat […]
By Alister Doyle, Environment CorrespondentWed Sep 29, 2010 3:50pm EDT OSLO (Reuters) – The world’s rivers are in crisis including in North America and Europe where governments have invested trillions of dollars to clean up freshwater supplies, a study showed Wednesday. “Threats to human water security and biological diversity are pandemic,” Charles Vorosmarty of the […]
By FELICITY BARRINGERSeptember 27, 2010 LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, Nev. — A once-unthinkable day is looming on the Colorado River. Barring a sudden end to the Southwest’s 11-year drought, the distribution of the river’s dwindling bounty is likely to be reordered as early as next year because the flow of water cannot keep pace […]
