Increasingly precarious water supplies are likely to be the source of conflicts over the coming years, with over half the world’s population already facing water shortages. This is particularly problematic in common water basins that are shared between different nations, and will require immense amounts of goodwill and cooperation between nations to resolve peacefully and fairly.
The UNEP has also published a list of measures that countries and individuals can undertake to help:
>These included measures to protect and restore natural spaces, improving water efficiency, tackling water leaks, exploiting unconventional water sources such as treating and reusing wastewater and applying integrated approaches in decision-making.
Hrmbee on
Some points from the article:
>The prospect of water wars is a long-running and active debate, with everyone from high-ranking U.N. officials to renowned hydro-politics experts voicing their concern about the perceived risks.
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>Others, however, are more skeptical. The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), a non-profit with expertise in water governance, has said that even amid a possible rise in social conflicts and violence, “water can be a bridge to peaceful negotiations rather than a trigger or weapon of war.”
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>The severity of the global water crisis has been further underlined by an alarming rise in the number of security incidents. Data cited by Control Risks in early June found that the average number of monthly water-related security incidents increased by more than 230% between the start of 2019 and May 2024.
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>The global risk consultancy, which said these incidents included protests and violent unrest linked to water shortages or pollution, warned that this trend was “very unlikely” to slow in the coming months.
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>Villanova University’s Galgano identified nine international river basins as flashpoints in which conflict is either already taking place or the potential for armed conflict is high.
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>These included the Nile Basin in Africa, the Tigris-Euphrates River Basins of southwestern Asia and the Helmand and Harirud Rivers along the border of Afghanistan and Iran.
It’s certainly possible to resolve these governance and access issues peacefully, though this will require a good deal of work on the parts of the affected nations as well as the international community. This is something that should be the goal of all nations, lest more serious conflicts develop from these triggers.
minaminonoeru on
Precipitation around the world is increasing in a similar trend with global warming. Even in the United States, precipitation is increasing across the country.
This means that this is a problem that can be solved technologically. Of course, the dams that China and Turkey are building will have to be solved politically.
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Submission statement:
Increasingly precarious water supplies are likely to be the source of conflicts over the coming years, with over half the world’s population already facing water shortages. This is particularly problematic in common water basins that are shared between different nations, and will require immense amounts of goodwill and cooperation between nations to resolve peacefully and fairly.
The UNEP has also published a list of measures that countries and individuals can undertake to help:
>These included measures to protect and restore natural spaces, improving water efficiency, tackling water leaks, exploiting unconventional water sources such as treating and reusing wastewater and applying integrated approaches in decision-making.
Some points from the article:
>The prospect of water wars is a long-running and active debate, with everyone from high-ranking U.N. officials to renowned hydro-politics experts voicing their concern about the perceived risks.
>
>Others, however, are more skeptical. The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), a non-profit with expertise in water governance, has said that even amid a possible rise in social conflicts and violence, “water can be a bridge to peaceful negotiations rather than a trigger or weapon of war.”
>
>…
>
>The severity of the global water crisis has been further underlined by an alarming rise in the number of security incidents. Data cited by Control Risks in early June found that the average number of monthly water-related security incidents increased by more than 230% between the start of 2019 and May 2024.
>
>The global risk consultancy, which said these incidents included protests and violent unrest linked to water shortages or pollution, warned that this trend was “very unlikely” to slow in the coming months.
>
>Villanova University’s Galgano identified nine international river basins as flashpoints in which conflict is either already taking place or the potential for armed conflict is high.
>
>These included the Nile Basin in Africa, the Tigris-Euphrates River Basins of southwestern Asia and the Helmand and Harirud Rivers along the border of Afghanistan and Iran.
It’s certainly possible to resolve these governance and access issues peacefully, though this will require a good deal of work on the parts of the affected nations as well as the international community. This is something that should be the goal of all nations, lest more serious conflicts develop from these triggers.
Precipitation around the world is increasing in a similar trend with global warming. Even in the United States, precipitation is increasing across the country.
This means that this is a problem that can be solved technologically. Of course, the dams that China and Turkey are building will have to be solved politically.