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Global Water Crisis
The Scientist provides a very well-done and disturbing picture of the role of water shortages in our lives and in our politics for the next several decades:
Desalinating seawater is another technology that is in widespread use; more than 11,000 desalination plants are located throughout the world. Many of these plants are located in the Persian Gulf region, but make use of an
older technology that basically just boils the water. Dwindling oil supplies will make those plants unusable.
Read more about this problem in this excellent article - Facing the Global Water Crisis.
Science fiction writer Frank Herbert, author of the Dune series of books, was fascinated by desert technologies. Read about dew collectors from the book; this technovelgy item also has links to real-life dew collection technologies.
Possible solutions include the development of virtual water sources. The idea is that countries with water shortages can alter their economies so they can import water-intensive goods, leaving them with a net "gain" of water.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 5/11/2004)
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