Facing the Freshwater Crisis
As demand for freshwater soars, planetary supplies are becoming unpredictable. Existing technologies could avert a global water crisis, but they must be implemented soon
Facing the Freshwater Crisis
- 6. Exploit Advanced Desalination Technology Ninety-seven percent of the world's water is salty. New lower-cost desalination plants could expand freshwater supplies for coastal population centers. Essentially, pressure is applied to salty water (left) so that water molecules within it pass through a selective membrane, yielding freshwater on the other side (right)... 5W INFOGRAPHICS
- 5. Adopt Low-Water Sanitation Urban and suburban sanitation services soak up plenty of water, some 100 cubic kilometers worldwide. Low-water-use toilets could make a big dent. Residents of the Gebers Housing Project in suburban Stockholm are demonstrating a system that operates like a garden composter... 5W INFOGRAPHICS
- 1. Conserve Irrigation Water Farm irrigation eats up huge quantities of water; a 10 percent drop in irrigation water would save more than is used by all other consumers. Plugging leaks in the irrigation water-delivery system, banking water underground to limit evaporation, applying drip-irrigation methods and modifying crops to withstand less moisture could do the trick... BOB ROWAN Progressive Image/Corbis
