Water map shows billions at risk of 'water insecurity'

[Tank]

Water map shows billions at risk of 'water insecurity'

About 80% of the world's population lives in areas where the fresh water supply is not secure, according to a new global analysis.

Researchers compiled a composite index of "water threats" that includes issues such as scarcity and pollution.

The most severe threat category encompasses 3.4 billion people.

Writing in the journal Nature, they say that in western countries, conserving water for people through reservoirs and dams works for people, but not nature...

Forget the oil, the water is running out.

[joeactor]

That's a scary map... but why isn't the region around the great lakes blue?

Largest body of fresh water on the planet.  Just sayin'...

[Tank]

That's a scary map... but why isn't the region around the great lakes blue?

Largest body of fresh water on the planet.  Just sayin'...

Click the radio button top left of the map to 'managed' and you can see how man has influenced and exploited water availability. This makes a huge difference.

However, when the impact of the infrastructure that distributes and conserves water is added in - the "managed" picture - most of the serious threat disappears from these regions.

Africa, however, moves in the opposite direction.

[karadan]

Time to move to Northern Russia or Canada then.

[The Magic Pudding]

That's a scary map... but why isn't the region around the great lakes blue?

Largest body of fresh water on the planet.  Just sayin'...

How are we measuring? Surface area?

The largest fresh water body in the world is Lake Baikal located in Southern Siberia. Its over 400 miles long and just over 5,300ft deep.

Not meaning to be picky, just wonderin, do all the great lakes combined beat Baikal?

In Australia prevailing rain bearing weather patterns seem to have moved south 1000km or so missing land and falling in the ocean.
Though this year has been the wettest for a long while.
Major cities now find it necessary to build de-sal plants.
Water is no longer nearly free.
You don't see kids playing with hoses and under sprinklers so much.
But the population has grown as well.

Northern Russia may do alright, but other parts are having problems with forest and peat fires.

[joeactor]

Not meaning to be picky, just wonderin, do all the great lakes combined beat Baikal?

Good point.  Lake Superior is the largest by surface area.

Here's a wiki for lakes by volume:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lakes_by_volume

Looks like the Great Lakes combined are slightly smaller than Baikal...

[DropLogic]

This planet can sustain about 2.4 billion people according to Jared Diamond.  I can't remember which of his books covers this topic...maybe Guns, Germs, and Steel.  The universe has a way of balancing itself, and unfortunately, we need to be balanced.  We're writing a lot of checks that we can't cash.  Until we figure out how to farm the moons of Jupiter and Saturn...we're pretty much f'd.

[Tank]

World's Rivers in 'Crisis State', Report Finds

ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2010) â€" The world's rivers, the single largest renewable water resource for humans and a crucible of aquatic biodiversity, are in a crisis of ominous proportions, according to a new global analysis...

I take clean drinking water and enough water to what I like as a given. I always have because it has always been there. I can't comprehend what it must be like to live where you don't know where your next drink is coming from, let alone your next meal.

[Asmodean]

Largest body of fresh water on the planet.  Just sayin'...

For salt water, I believe that would be the Pacific Ocean in... The Pacific Ocean.

For fresh, still water, I believe it would be Baikal in Russia somewhere

Rivers... Amazonas, SA, yes?

In any case, my entire country is nice and deep blue. I approve