280-Impending Water Crises - Desertification and Climate Change.

Abstract

As populations increase throughout the world, water consumptive use is increasing, resulting in dramatic implications for many countries of the world. The expansion into and creation of, desert-like conditions in areas where such conditions have not naturally occurred, is approaching critical conditions as a result of overgrazing, overcultivation, deforestation and extensive and unsustainable irrigation practices. The result is that one-third of the present global deserts are man-made, the result of human mis-use of the land. As a demonstration of the situation, in 1990, only 5 countries were in water scarcity. In 1995 there were 26 countries in water scarcity and in 2025 it is projected there will be 50 countries with a total population of 3 billion, in the situation of water scarcity. The paper reviews the situation, providing examples in China, Iran and Canada including reflections on the basis of available water per capita and the lack of sustainability of the current situation and indications of trends from historical data. Some of the pressures for water transfer and some indications of the potential impact of global climate change are considered, all of which point to growing crises which are imminent in many countries of the world.