Entire Island Nation Runs Out of Water

This island could be threatened by rising sea levels

Author: Brian Merchant 10/18/2011

http://www.treehugger.com/clean-water/entire-island-nation-runs-out-of-water.html?campaign=th_rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+treehuggersite+%28Treehugger%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

The small island nation of Tuvalu only has few days worth of fresh water reserves. Global warming caused the rising sea level. The rising sea level caused the aquifer to become salty and drought which prevents rainwater harvesting. Tuvalu is now dependent on desalination equipment and hydration packets from New Zealand and Australia. Tuvalu is a low lying island so if the sea level keeps rising it will eventually sink into the ocean. Other island nations will also experience this in the near future if the sea level continues to increase. This crisis in Tuvalu foreshadows what could happen all over the world in the future.

I'm really surprised that an entire nation ran out of water.I think its ridiculous that this is happening and that people are still polluting the environment. The problem is that people don't know about this. I'm sure that if enough people were more aware of the affects of pollution then something would be done about this.

1. Do think that the sea level will become high enough to make islands go underwater?

2. Why don't people evacuate those islands?

3. Could rising sea levels affect aquifers on the mainland?

Uranium in the Navajo Nation's Water Supply By: Margot-Perez Sullivan, 11/07/11, http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/73115D51AB9860568525794100

Several federal agencies are meeting to address the very serious problem of uranium in the Navajo Nation's water supply. The Navajo Nation spans three states and is around the size of West Virginia. This meeting is to address the problem and to see about how to clean it up. The agencies addressing this problem are the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Indian Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The meeting is being held in Farmington New Mexico. This will be the first comprehensive strategy to address uranium contamination in the Navajo Nation.

I can't believe that there is something so deadly in our water supply. It's a surprise that the people of the Navajo Nation were comfortable with their water for so long. If there was something so deadly in my drinking water I would be surviving off bottled water for a long time. It's a relief to know that something is being done about the uranium though.

How long do you think people knew the water was contaminated?

What do you think will be done about this problem?

How do you think the uranium got in the water?

Water Availability in Africa

Water availability in Africa under stress due to increasing population pressure and climate change.
http://www.grida.no/publications/vg/africa/page/3116.aspx

the image displays how Africa's annual precipitation is very low in most areas of Africa.

Africa's water resources are highly dependent on the climate. since there is very little precipitation, there is a very limited supply of water. this creates pressure on the human population of Africa. climate changes such as droughts will cause even more pressure to that issue as well. though those who are poor in Africa have it the worst as they cannot afford water or they don't have access to good clean water. the main reason that no one has water is because it isn't there for the majority of the people, only those in good areas or the rich (whicch is extremely rare). because of this, there will be many economical restraints in Africa as well.

i think that people should be more aware of this problem. it isn't fair for these people to be suffering when other people have the capability to help. the problem is that many people don't have the full picture. sure, they know that Africa is lacking the right amount of water, but no one really knows the extent to which that goes.

how could people help more?
why aren't people talking about this more?
do people find this issue to even be important?

Nestle vs. Oregon: Battle Heats Up Over Columbia River Gorge by Rachel Cernansky, October 28, 2011, http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/nestle-vs-oregon-battle-heats-up-over-columbia-river-gorge.html?campaign=th_rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+treehuggersite+%28Treehugger%29

This graphic relates to the article because this is what citizens of Oregon are afraid of what will happen to the Columbia River Gorge after the Nestle company is done taking water from them. 

Nestle owns the bottled water brands Poland Spring, Perrier, Pure Life, and Arrowhead. It is a very successful water company that has been taking water from different places around the U.S. freely. They are trying to tap over 100 million gallons of water from Oregon's Columbia River Gorge. Citizens of Oregon are angry and trying to stop this from happening. There have been more than 4,300 comments and letters pertaining to this situation from citizens of Oregon against Nestle tapping the river. Julia DeGraw, Northwest Organizer for Food & Water Watch said, "Oregon's water belongs to all of us and is too precious to sell off to a multinational bottling company with a track record of leaving some of the communities it enters in worse economic and environmental shape than it found them." Oregon citizens are afraid of what will happen to their drinking water after Nestle has left the river. 

Nestle is the world's top-selling water bottle company, but I don't think they earned this fairly. This article relates to the video we saw in class about Nestle and how they were taking water in Maine, but I didn't know they were taking water in Oregon too. The article says that Nestle has tapped over 100 million gallons of water from Oregon's Columbia River Gorge, and that Oregon citizens aren't happy. I would not be happy about this either and do everything I could to try and save the river. 

Should Nestle not be allowed to take water freely?

Do you think saving the river would be worth the lower profit of the Nestle company(having to lay off workers)?

How many people do you think are affected by this situation?