water shortage – News Stories About water shortage - Page 2

You May Have to
Turn Vegetarian
by 2050

You May Have to Turn Vegetarian by 2050

...because of water constraints, say scientists

(Newser) - If you're not a fan of black beans and tofu, you may be out of luck in about 40 years. Some of the world's foremost water scientists say the planet will have to cut its consumption of animal-based products from 20% to about 5% by 2050, assuming we...

Africa Sitting On
Tons of ... Water?

Apr 20, 2012 9:34 AM CDT

Africa Sitting On Tons of ... Water?

Seemingly dry continent has vast groundwater reserves

(Newser) - Believe it or not, Africa is lousy with water—it's just mostly underground. British scientists have produced a new map of the groundwater hidden in aquifers under the arid continent, and found that there's about 100 times more water down there than there is on the surface, the...

Weapon of the Future: Water

US intelligence fears 'water-based state conflict' in not-so-distant future

(Newser) - Soon, the precious commodity that starts wars may not be oil: It'll be water. Thanks to fresh-water shortages, droughts, and floods, US intelligence thinks it's increasingly likely that water could be "used as a weapon" in war, with one state denying water to another, according to a...

Melting Peru Glaciers
Threaten Water Crisis

Dec 28, 2011 1:32 PM CST

Melting Peru Glaciers Threaten Water Crisis

Water is in decline 20 to 30 years earlier than expected

(Newser) - Peru’s arid Rio Santa watershed could find itself facing a serious water shortage, as rapidly melting glaciers are causing a decrease in supply 20 to 30 years earlier than anticipated. The glaciers in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range, which covered some 530 square miles in the 1930s, now cover...

Drought Hits
Crisis Level in
Pacific Islands

Oct 4, 2011 5:46 AM CDT

Drought Hits Crisis Level in Pacific Islands

Little or no rain in six months on Tuvalu, Tokelau

(Newser) - Some island groups in the South Pacific, already in danger of being swamped by rising seas, have run out of fresh water. Tuvalu and Tokelau have declared states of emergency because of the water crisis, caused by six months of low or no rainfall and by groundwater becoming contaminated with...

Climate Change
Will Snatch West's
Dwindling Water

fed report

Apr 27, 2011 3:03 AM CDT

Climate Change Will Snatch West's Dwindling Water

Flow is already down in major rivers

(Newser) - Climate change is going to make the western US an even thirstier place in decades to come, according to a new report from the Interior Department. The report predicts that water flow in major river basins including the Colorado and Rio Grande could drop by up to 20% this century,...

Within 20 Years,
an Alarming
Water Shortage

Feb 28, 2011 12:23 PM CST

Within 20 Years, an Alarming Water Shortage

Demand will exceed supply by 40% in many countries

(Newser) - The world is facing a vast water shortage within the next 20 years, say scientists who are gathering in Canada this week to talk about such things. In many countries, demand will exceed supply by 40%, leaving one-third of the planet's population with only half the water they require to...

Hundreds Die in India Heatwave

May 31, 2010 7:44 AM CDT

Hundreds Die in India Heatwave

Heatstroke, blackouts, water shortages plague parched country

(Newser) - Hundreds of people have died in northern India as the country suffers the hottest temperatures it has ever recorded. Along with the at least 260 people reported dead, thousands have flooded hospitals suffering heat stroke or food poisoning. In cities the heat has also led to electricity blackouts and water...

Let's Start Paying
for Water—Or Lose It

OPINION

Aug 30, 2009 11:54 AM CDT

Let's Start Paying for Water—Or Lose It

Solution to 'crisis' may be controversial, but problem will only worsen

(Newser) - You may receive a water bill every month, but you’re not actually paying for water. You’re paying for the cost of service, and this free-rider problem is contributing to the worsening water crisis that threatens to dehydrate the US, author and law professor Robert Glennon argues in the...

World's Rivers
Running Low: Study

Apr 22, 2009 4:50 PM CDT

World's Rivers Running Low: Study

(Newser) - The world’s rivers are drying up as climate change worsens and the demand for water increases, the BBC reports. Researchers studying 925 major waterways—from the Ganges to the Colorado—found significantly less fresh water flowing into oceans in 2004 than 50 years earlier. If the trend continues, the...

Drought Turns Off Tap
in Mexico City

Apr 10, 2009 3:52 AM CDT

Drought Turns Off Tap in Mexico City

Citizens counting on water trucks during shutoff

(Newser) - A record drought forced officials to turn off the major water pipeline providing fresh water to Mexico City, reports the BBC. The shutoff was scheduled to last 36 hours and affects 5 million residents. Emergency water trucks were supplying hard-hit citizens, but Easter weekend was chosen when many people leave...

LA Moves to Ration Water

Feb 18, 2009 2:11 AM CST

LA Moves to Ration Water

Statewide water shortage means LA may impose first water limits since 1991

(Newser) - Los Angeles is taking steps toward rationing water for the first time since 1991, reports Reuters. The LA Department of Water and Power has approved a plan to charge a penalty rate for water use over a set monthly limit that will take effect in May unless it is vetoed...

UK Press Grinds Starbucks for Wasting Water

Oct 10, 2008 11:50 AM CDT

UK Press Grinds Starbucks for Wasting Water

Firm vows change after tabloid claims chain uses 6.2M gallons daily

(Newser) - Starbucks is abuzz as it tests new methods of spoon-cleaning, a reaction to a UK tabloid's report that the caffeine titan wastes 6.2 million gallons of water daily, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. Every store leaves a tap running constantly, the Sun said; Starbucks confirmed the claim, explaining that the...

Next Resource in Crisis: Water

OPINION

Jun 4, 2008 4:30 PM CDT

Next Resource in Crisis: Water

H2O is no longer 'cheap and unlimited,' says scientist

(Newser) - While economists and world leaders fret about the global food crisis, there is another emergency that is just as urgent: the shortage of water, writes British scientist Fred Pearce in Yale Environment 360. No longer is water "a cheap and unlimited resource," and with two-thirds of water extracted...

Emergency H20
Flows Into
Parched
Barcelona

May 14, 2008 8:36 AM CDT

Emergency H20 Flows Into Parched Barcelona

Water tanker arrives as Spain suffers severe drought

(Newser) - Barcelona is having to ship in emergency supplies of drinking water as Spain suffers its worst drought since records began 60 years ago, the Guardian reports. The first shipment of 5 million gallons arrived yesterday and dozens more are scheduled. The city's reservoirs are down to a quarter of capacity...

Odinga Rejects Unity Rule; Kenya Health Crisis Looms

Jan 6, 2008 8:32 AM CST

Odinga Rejects Unity Rule; Kenya Health Crisis Looms

Aid chiefs sound alarm in wake of chaos

(Newser) - Opposition leader Raila Odinga today rejected President Mwai Kibaki's offer of a unity government and demanded an international mediator, AP reports. "We want a properly negotiated settlement, not a coalition government," Odinga said, warning that his party would stage more rallies, threatening a new burst of violence after...

UN Warns of 'Abrupt' Warming

Nov 17, 2007 6:18 AM CST

UN Warns of 'Abrupt' Warming

Earth at 'tipping point' of irreversible catastrophe: UN chief Ban Ki-Moon

(Newser) - The last and most forceful of a series of UN reports on climate change unveiled today urges swift action to avoid "abrupt and irreversible" damage to the environment. Melting glaciers will cause a rapid rise in sea levels, wiping out vulnerable species and destroying water and food supplies for...