Posted by Jennifer Vettel | Nov 10, 2009 | 0 Comments
In my previous blogs, I defended water as a human right and began the discussion of ways in which the human right to clean water is violated. I have already discussed how economic scarcity occurs, and this week I will be discussing physical scarcity of water.
Physical scarcity is the issue that the water just isn’t [...]
Posted by Jennifer Vettel | Oct 29, 2009 | 0 Comments
In my earlier blog, I began arguing that water is a human right, and that the extreme lack of potable water is a significant human rights violation. The scale of the human rights violation of the right to drinking water is on an extremely large scale. The largest occurrence of this right being violated is [...]
Posted by Jennifer Vettel | Oct 22, 2009 | 3 Comments
In the world, over one billion people live without access to clean water resources. These people have extremely large death rates to completely preventable, waterborne illnesses. It is estimated that over two million people die every year from preventable waterborne diseases, and a large percentage of those people are children under the age of five. [...]
Posted by Tobias Siegfried | Aug 18, 2009 | 0 Comments
Water resources management in the Central Asia region faces formidable challenges. The hydrological regimes of the two major rivers in the region, the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya, are complex and vulnerable to climate change. Water diversions to agricultural, industrial and domestic users have reduced flows in downstream regions, resulting in severe ecological damages. [...]
Posted by Jennifer Vettel | Aug 11, 2009 | 3 Comments
As much as the bottled water debate grows, it seems unlikely that any time in the near future, bottled water use will dramatically drop or stop altogether. The convenience of it and the lack of availability of water fountains and tap water when we might need it will continue to lead us to buy that [...]
Posted by Ju Young Lee | Jul 4, 2009 | 1 Comments
Fourth of July fireworks across the United States are definitely a long tradition that millions of people eagerly wait and enjoy. The concern is that fireworks traditionally have included potassium perchlorate as the oxidizer, a material that provides the oxygen that fireworks need to burn and that perchlorate is an environmental pollutant with potential adverse effects on people (it affects the functioning of the thyroid gland) and wildlife. However, the good news is that we are making the right way to “green” fireworks, green as in environmentally friendly. According to American Chemical Society news, Fourth of July fireworks might go green in near future.
Posted by Ju Young Lee | Jun 11, 2009 | 1 Comments
Don’t get upset–it is merely an instance of irony. Irony works in getting people’s attention and emphasizing the real meaning behind it. The video is more for the general public who are not familiar with water issues, but it can also be motivating to professionals and people who are active concerning water issues. The message [...]
Posted by Daniel Stellar | Jun 5, 2009 | 10 Comments
Recently, in a discussion about bottled water, my colleague stated, “I’ve heard this argument before - it’s the bottle, not the water, that’s the problem. Would these people be happier if the bottle was made from recycled glass?” As one of “these people” who are troubled by bottled water (and in spite of the disparaging remark, [...]
Posted by Ju Young Lee | May 31, 2009 | 3 Comments
Water is an increasingly scarce commodity in many parts of the world, and it seems seawater desalination is one of very attractive solutions available to these regions. Of all the Earth’s water, 94 percent is saltwater from the oceans and only 6% is fresh. If plenty and easily accessible seawater could turn into fresh drinking [...]
Posted by Daniel Stellar | Apr 2, 2009 | 3 Comments
A recent article in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel highlighted some of the problems of building water infrastructure in the very regions where the Columbia Water Center is trying to work. The article cited intense corruption, as well as other factors, as barriers towards building improved water infrastructure. The most shocking point in the article is that [...]
