Water Scarcity Could Result in War Essay Example for Free

Water Scarcity Could Result in War Essay Water is a very important resource since no one can live without water. In many countries especially those enclosed by borders, water remains to be a scarce resource. Because of many factors such as pollution and climate change, water has become a greater issue and has been identified as a possible cause for war. It is of greater importance in comparison to oil since people can live without oil but not without water. Even as much of the earth is composed of water, only 2. 5 percent is not saline and two thirds of this 2. 5 percent is frozen in ice caps and glaciers. At least 20 percent of what remains are situated in areas away from civilization. Consequently, humans have access to only 0. 08 percent of the planet’s water not to mention a portion of this that is not potable because of pollutants. With a limited supply of potable water and a demand that is expected to increase by 40 percent in the next two decades, the world is facing a water crisis (Kirby). India is one country that is experiencing a water crisis and it is not expected that the level of precipitation in India would increase to make up for a relatively high rate of population increase. Another factor that affects the water supply in India is that much of its rivers are polluted. This urged the local government to act and clean all major rivers. Professor Klaus Topfer explains that the world population is increasing but the amount of drinking water available does not increase which results in conflict over the resource (Joshi). The water crisis in India could even spark war with China as the latter diverted the flow of the Brahmaputra River, coming from Tibet flowing into the mainland and into India, in order to bring water to water-scarce areas in the country. This has spawned tension between the already not-so-good relations between the two countries. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh talked to Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao about the issue when he visited Beijing but Jiabao argued that the move is critical to the country’s survival (Ramachandran). Numerous other countries have had conflicts regarding water supply. Turkey planned to build a dam on the Euphrates River. Syria accused Turkey of meddling with their water supply which almost triggered war between the two nations. Tension also existed between Botswana, Namibia and Angola because of the Okavango basin. Additionally, conflict has existed between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia because of water from the Nile River. Water scarcity was also a crucial factor in the Arab-Israeli war in 1967. Israel mainly controls the Jordan River which causes Jordan and Palestine to suffer from a limited water supply (Reid). Even states within the United States have engaged in conflict with each other because of the scarcity of drinking water. In October 2007, Alabama filed a complaint against the Engineer Corp for reducing the water released from Lake Allatoona which will have serious implications on the state’s water supply as well as the navigability of the Alabama River. Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue wanted to cut the release of water from Lake Lanier into Chattahoochee River which means taking water from Alabama as Georgia is suffering from a severe drought (Dille). According to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, â€Å"water scarcity threatens economic and social gains and is a potent fuel for wars and conflict. † Several environment experts in Great Britain also pointed in the same direction. They have identified 46 countries that are vulnerable to a water crisis arising from climate change and other crises that could result in violent conflict. These 46 countries are home to more than 2. 7 billion people (Trumpet). Various studies and models suggest that climate change will have a significant impact on the availability of freshwater resources, on water quality, and on the demand for water. Climate and regional hydrologic models suggest changes in the variability of storms, in the frequency, intensity, and area of tropical disturbances, and in the frequency of droughts and flooding in particular areas. (van der Molen Hildering 136) However, climate change may not be the real reason behind the water crisis, also considering that climate change whether it is true or not is still unproven. Even if the world’s water supply was not affected by climate change, the supply would still not be able to meet the demand. There needs to be 20 percent more potable water in order to satisfy the demand once world population reaches 8 billion in 2005 (Trumpet). In 2001, United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan said that war, instead of being triggered by the battle for oil, would be triggered by the scarcity of water resources. Probable sites of conflict are bodies of water such as rivers that are shared by a number of countries (AAP). It may be noted that conflict had always been caused by the battle for resources even as people are not aware of it. This is the natural law for survival (Mason). Water is a very important resource since it is critical for the survival of humans aside from its other uses. Many countries have already engaged in conflict with other countries because of water. Even US states have had quarrels with each other because of the scarcity of the resource. In the future, war would be fought for water instead of oil and this is hardly an exaggeration. The world is a game of survival and people need water to survive. If there is not enough of the resource, it can be expected that people would fight over it. Works Cited AAP. 2006. â€Å"Lack of water, energy could cause war. † Energy Refuge. December 18, 2008 http://www. energyrefuge. com/archives/energy_and_war. htm Dille, Shannon. 31 October 2007. â€Å"Drought Causes Water War Among Southern States. † Samford Crimson. December 18, 2008 http://media. www. samfordcrimson. com/media/storage/paper1166/news/2007/10/31/News/Drought. Causes. Water. War. Among. Southern. States-3068251. shtml Joshi, Yateendra. 26 February 2003. â€Å"Water: cause for war in the future. † Mumbai Central. December 18, 2008 http://www. mumbai-central. com/nukkad/feb2003/msg00891. html Kirby, Alex. 2 June 2000. â€Å"Dawn of a thirsty century. † British Broadcasting Corporation. December 18, 2008 http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/science/nature/755497. stm Mason, Betsy. 21 November 2008. â€Å"The Science of the Future of War. † Wired. December 18, 2008 http://blog. wired. com/wiredscience/2008/11/sex-and-war-exc. html Ramachandran, Sudha. 12 August 2008. â€Å"India quakes over China’s water plan. † War In Iraq. December 18, 2008 http://iraqwar. mirror-world. ru/article/183411 Reid, John. 28 February 2006. â€Å"Water Wars: Climate change may spark conflict. † Independent. December 18, 2008 http://www. independent. co. uk/environment/water-wars-climate-change-may-spark-conflict-467957. html â€Å"Water Scarcity: A Cause for War. † 6 December 2007. Trumpet. December 18, 2008 http://www. thetrumpet. com/index. php? q=4532. 2790. 0. 0 Van der Molen, Irna Hildering, Antoinette. â€Å"Water: cause for conflict or co-operation? † Journal on Science and World Affairs 1. 2005:136.