The Societal Ramifications & Consequences of the Making and Taking of Food

This site dedicated to the matters of food above and beyond the mere satiation of flavors on one's palette; but rather the ramifications to society from the consequences of how its' production, distribution, and nutrition affect living systems. How we sow, reap, harvest, legislate and base our economic systems on food is key to how we ultimately treat each other and the Earth.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Will the Real Water Hog Please Stand Up

Who is using the most water in the nation? It is estimated per (Berg & Hager, 2007) that by 2025, only one third of the world's population will have access to fresh water. Currently, about one billion persons do not.

Global energy consumption is expected to grow by 50% by 2030, squeezing already scarce water resources. Mike Hightower and Suzanne A. Pierce recommend ways to integrate water and energy planning.


In January 2008 at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged business and political leaders that the looming crisis over water shortages should be at the top of the global agenda in an effort to prevent conflicts over the growing scarcity of freshwater supplies. By 2025, more than half the nations in the world will face freshwater stress or shortages, and by 2050, as much as 75% of the world's population could face freshwater scarcity1. Nature Journal Article Water and Energy Planning

 
Total Water Withdrawals by Category, 2005

Livestock < 1%
Domestic, 1 percent
Mining, 1 percent
Aquaculture, 2 percent
Industrial, 4 percent
Public supply, 11 percent
Irrigation, 31 percent
Thermoelectric, 49 percent

http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1344/pdf/c1344.pdf

Berg and Hager (2007). Visualizing Environmental Science. Hoboken, N.J. John Wiley and Sons. P. 236.
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