|
|
Collect oxymora? How about this: Optimistic hydrographer?
"Currently, the human population consumes approximately 54% of all the
accessible freshwater contained in rivers, lakes, and underground aquifers. By
2025,
population growth alone could push this figure to 70%."
"Population, Water & Wildlife: Finding a Balance," Don
Hinrichsen, Karin Krchnak, and Katie Mogelgaard, National Wildlife
Federation
"Today irrigation accounts for two-thirds of water use worldwide and as much
as 90% in many developing countries. Meeting the crop demands projected for
2025, when the planet's population is expected to reach eight billion, could
require an additional 192 cubic miles of water - a volume nearly equivalent to
the annual flow of the Nile 10 times over."
Sandra Postel, Director, Global Water Policy Project
"As much as 8% of food crops grows on farms that use ground water faster than
the aquifers are replenished, and many large rivers are so heavily diverted
that they don't reach the sea for much of the year. As the number of urban
dwellers climbs to five billion by 2025, farmers will have to compete even more
aggressively with cities and industry for shrinking resources."
Sandra Postel, Director, Global Water Policy Project
While each of the four environmental organizations linked from our "Think
Environment" pages takes an interest in the connection between population
growth
and water shortfall, we are not aware of a national or an international
organization which concentrates primarily on the population-water connection.
If
you do, please click on "Contact Us" and tell us about yourself and about
that
organization.
|
|
|
 |
