It's the Opposite of a "Watery Grave"

No surprise here.  A quarter of the world's population is in "extreme water stress." There's not enough to go around.

Experts at the World Resources Institute (WRI) warned that increasing water stress could lead to more “day zeroes” – a term that gained popularity in 2018 as Cape Town in South Africa came dangerously close to running out of water. 

Qatar, Israel and Lebanon were ranked as the most water stressed countries in the world, with Badghis in Afghanistan and Gaborone and Jwaneng in Botswana the world’s most water-stressed regions.

“Water matters,” said Betsy Otto, global director for water at WRI. “We’re currently facing a global water crisis. Our populations and economies are growing and demanding more water. But our supply is threatened by climate change, water waste and pollution.” 

The global research organisation compared the water available to the amount withdrawn for homes, industries, irrigation and livestock. 

In the 17 countries facing extremely high water stress, agriculture, industry, and municipalities were found to be using up to 80% of available surface and groundwater in an average year. When demand rivals supply, even small dry spells, which are set to increase because of the climate crisis, can produce dire consequences.

It's the sort of thing that can cause deep social unrest which is not a good thing for those murderous swine running Saudi Arabia. The Saudis still have plenty of oil but water, not so much.

One Saudi groundwater expert at King Faisal University predicted in 2016 that the kingdom only had another 13 years’ worth of groundwater reserves left. 

“Groundwater resources of Saudi Arabia are being depleted at a very fast rate,” declared the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation as far back as 2008. “Most water withdrawn comes from fossil deep aquifers, and some predictions suggest that these resources may not last more than about 25 years.”

But, surely, if you've got oil and a coast, there's always desalination, right? Yeah only that's proving to be a double edged sword.  Using sea water it's possible to extract 40 per cent by volume of freshwater but then you're left with the waste water, brine. That has to be pumped back out to sea.

Brine is a lethal cocktail of concentrated salt and every other toxin normally found in sea water. When it's pumped back into the sea it can wreak havoc on the marine food chain.

Desalination plants release 142 million cubic meters of salty brine every day, 50 percent more brine than formerly estimated. Brine is water containing large amounts of salt and often includes chemicals such as chlorine and copper used in desalination. The salty brine is mostly released into the sea. 

Edward Jones is the lead writer of the report. He explains that brine can cut oxygen levels in seawater and cause serious harm to sea animals, including shellfish. This harm leads to observable damage throughout the food chain.

But you don't have to go to the Middle East to find water stress. Most of the US southwest is water insecure.

A handful of US states – including New Mexico and California – are facing significant strains on their water supplies that will only intensify with global heating, according to new rankings.

New Mexico tops the list and is the only state with “extremely high” pressures on its water availability. The state’s score is on par with the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East and Eritrea in Africa, the World Resources Institute (WRI) found. 

California ranks second, followed by Arizona, Colorado and Nebraska.
“We’re stretching our water supply pretty much as far as it can go… and even further,” said Leah Schleifer, a spokeswoman for WRI’s water program. 

Experts with WRI said the data shows a global water crisis. 

“The picture is alarming in many places around the globe, but it’s very important to note that water stress is not destiny,” said Betsy Otto, WRI’s global water director. “What we can’t afford to do any longer is pretend that the situation will resolve itself.”

Then there's the High Plains aquifer, a.k.a. the Ogallala, that supports eight States that comprise the bulk of America's grain belt. A 2009 article in Scientific American warned that water, equivalent to 18 Colorado rivers, was being pumped to the surface for human needs, especially farming. But, don't worry, the Ogallala will recharge - in 6,000 years.

With a liquid treasure below their feet and a global market eager for their products, farmers here and across the region have made a Faustian bargain—giving up long-term conservation for short-term gain. To capitalize on economic opportunities, landowners are knowingly “mining” a finite resource.

Gee, a Faustian bargain - giving up long-term benefits for short-term gain - that sounds familiar, doesn't it? That's precisely what underlies the attitude of our Liberals and Conservatives on the Tar Sands. Make hay while the sun shines, kids.