Water is the basis for the functioning of all ecosystems on the planet. Many countries are experiencing an acute shortage of clean fresh water today. According to UN experts, access to drinking water is limited for 1/6 of the population, and access to drinking water that cannot be called drinking water is limited for 1/3.
What causes the problem of fresh water?
First of all, by the growth of population. Every year, the number of people on the planet increases by about 85 million, which, accordingly, increases
water consumption.In a
geometric progression ,
environmental pollution of various kinds by garbage, including sewage, is also growing. Already in our century, world needs will significantly exceed fresh water supplies.
Global warming is causing more intense melting of glaciers, which store two-thirds of all fresh water. In the Alps, for example, glaciers lose up to 1% per year. It turns out that the loss is every 10 years - 10%, every 20 years - 20%. And this means that by the end of this century, perhaps nothing will remain of the glaciers. The same applies to Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia. Moreover, the melting of Alaska's glaciers has accelerated by half.
Plus, the melting of the Arctic ice has accelerated, which will inevitably cause an increase in sea level. And this means that in the next 20-30 years, London, Berlin, Paris, New York, St. Petersburg and other cities may be under water.
According to previously classified Pentagon analysts, climate change will cause major flooding in the near future, leading to global catastrophes. It is not difficult to guess the consequences: serious military conflicts will begin. Drinking water will become strategic object No. 1. Its reserves will decrease so much that the government of most countries will be forced to protect its resources by resorting to weapons, and of mass destruction. Wars over possession of freshwater sources can begin around the world. The authors of the report equated the current situation with what was happening about 8000 years ago: crop failures, famine, epidemics, mass migrations, fierce wars.
Fresh water in Russia makes up one third of the total world supply. It turns out that it is Russia that automatically becomes the main target for attacks, a potential tidbit for most countries.
What is Lake Baikal worth! This is the purest fresh water, the volume of which is equal to the volume of the five
Great Lakes in North America, and is 23,000 cubic meters. Km! This is 20% of the total freshwater volume of the entire planet. Baikal has no analogues.
Actually, fresh water has become a strategic commodity right now. We are no longer surprised by plastic bottles with plain water on store shelves, although it was a rarity 20 years ago in the CIS (former USSR). More than 100 billion liters of water is sold annually, the profit from the sale is fantastic: a trillion dollars annually (and this is approximately). This is approximately half the income of all oil companies. Everything goes to the fact that a business built on clean water (without quotes, in the literal sense) will become the most profitable. It is entirely possible that pure fresh water will become scarce even for our children ...