150630 WATERINTAKE 05_2015 - Massenbach

Transcription

WATERINTAKE
5/2015
Mai / Juni
30.06.2015
High-Level International
Conference on the
implementation of the
International Decade for Action
“Water for Life” (2005-2015)
6-7 June 2015 in Dushanbe.
http://waterforlifeconf2015.org/eng/
CONFERENCE PROGRAM
http://waterforlifeconf2015.org/eng/programma/
Statement by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the Opening Ceremony
… Tajikistan initiated the International Decade of Water For Life to raise awareness and
galvanize action … Here in Central Asia, and far beyond, pressures on water resources are
building. Yet water also has the power to connect. It can be a source of cooperation – and
from that cooperation even greater good can flow. Bringing people together around how they
might share a scarce and precious resource opens the door to bringing them together around
wider issues of peace and security. Here, we can prove that true. The countries of this region
are interconnected by shared water resources. Yet these resources are limited. Strains will
only increase as populations grow, standards of living rise, and climate change accelerates. I
will never forget my visit five years ago to the Aral Sea. It is one of the worst manmade
environmental disasters on earth … It is crucial to reach consensus over the management of
trans-boundary water resources in Central Asia. The United Nations – led by our Regional
Centre for Preventive Diplomacy — is committed to supporting Central Asian countries find
durable and sustainable solutions, in close cooperation with the rest of the UN family.
Climate change is intensifying the need for us to act … we have our chance this year. The
international community has agreed to adopt a universal, meaningful climate change in Paris
this December. I salute President Rahmon’s [Staatspräsident von Tadschikistan J.B.]
orientation towards green growth. I am following with interest his proposal to launch a new
International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development,” which would
complement and support the achievement of the proposed Sustainable Development Goals
– or SDGs — for water. Water’s place in the SDGs go well beyond access — taking into
account critical issues such as integrated water resources management, efficiency of use,
water quality, transboundary cooperation, water-related ecosystems, and water-related
disasters. Water, like other areas of the post-2015 development agenda, is intricately
interconnected with other challenges. One vital connection is women’s empowerment.
Around the world, when it comes to water, women and girls do most of the “heavy lifting”.
The burden of gathering drinking water falls largely on them … As we forge ahead with the
post-2015 development agenda, it is crucial to involve women in decision making at all levels
to ensure access and sustainable management of water and sanitation …
http://waterforlifeconf2015.org/eng/statement-by-the-un-secretary-general-at-the-openingceremony-of-the-high-level-international-conference-on-the-implementation-of-theinternational-decade-for-action-water-for-life-2005-2015/
… weiter zum Thema Wasser in Zentralasien unter: WASSERQUELLEN.
9-10 June 2015 Declaration of the High Level International Conference on the
implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life” …
… We acknowledge that much progress has been achieved during the Decade, particularly
in terms of implementation of integrated water resources management plans, water
cooperation, level of project implementation, the involvement of women as important
stakeholders and the development of the global water community, and specifically on
monitoring, private sector involvement, knowledge, advocacy, awareness raising,
intergovernmental and interagency coordination in a UN context and stakeholder
participation, which has been facilitated by improved knowledge and advocacy raising efforts
on specific Decade themes ... acknowledge that today the water community is less
fragmented and more able to engage in a coordinated manner, but that there are several
gaps, including, inter alia, the need to develop Water Efficiency Plans and to address
emergent water issues such as water-related disasters and water environment problems
including waste water management, that resulted from discussions about the implementation
of the Decade from national, regional and global perspectives, as well as from discussions
about progress and achievements, lessons learned and best practices … exhort the
international community to promote green economy in a context of sustainable development
and poverty eradication and identify solutions along the water-food-energy-environment
nexus through multipurpose and integrated water resources planning and management that
also takes mining, extractive industries and tourism into consideration, to better understand
and work for common answers and results to handle scarce water resources … also
acknowledge the importance of water cooperation across sectors and at all levels, including
transboundary, as one of the conditions to achieve water related goals, socio-economic
growth and prosperity and public health and the important role of multilateral and bilateral
arrangements, basin institutions, including aquifers, and other cooperative institutional
platforms to catalyze action … We acknowledge that governments have the responsibility to
ensure the sustainable management of water resources while taking into account competing
demands and the interests of other stakeholders; it is important therefore to encourage
stronger dialogue, as appropriate, and meaningful stakeholder participation at the local,
national and international levels with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders including
women and children …
http://waterforlifeconf2015.org/eng/declaration/
WASSERSTANDSMELDUNGEN
Tap dance: Water's effect on Arab-Israeli relations
June 21, 2015 … The dramatic increase in Israel’s water supply over the past five years has
opened the way for potential cooperation with its thirsty Arab neighbors. With a surplus of
water – and that includes last year, the driest here on record – the country is in a better
position to share with Palestinians or Jordanians. “If Israel’s water economy was 2 billion
cubic meters per year five to seven years ago, today it’s approaching 3 bcm, and that’s a
game changer,” says Gidon Bromberg, Israeli director of EcoPeace Middle East, a group that
promotes peace through environmental initiatives. “If in the past sharing the natural water
more freely with the Palestinians would have meant that Israeli farmers would have seen a
cut in water allocation, that’s no longer the case.” In March, Israel doubled its sales of water
to Gaza from 5 million cubic meters to 10 mcm. It has the capacity to supply an additional
10.5 mcm. Also in March, Israel and Jordan agreed to a water swap, in which Israel will
provide water to northern Jordan from the Sea of Galilee, which will help to alleviate the
stress on Jordan’s resources caused by a massive influx of Syrian refugees. In exchange,
Jordan will build a desalination plant in Aqaba to provide water to southern Jordan and Israel
…
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2015/0621/Tap-dance-Water-s-effect-on-ArabIsraeli-relations
Israel Bets On Recycled Water To Meet Its Growing Thirst
June 21, 2015 Recycling sewage water has helped free Israel, a desert country, from
depending on rain. Treated sewage water provides close to a quarter of Israel's demand for
water, right behind desalination, the other major process that has eased Israel's fear of
drought. But making that water — from toilets, showers, and factories — clean enough to use
is challenging … At Hebrew University's Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Chefetz studies the
effect that elements from pharmaceuticals and personal care products in treated sewage
have on soil and food when used for irrigation … There is a lot to learn, he says. "We have
no idea what [are] the consequences," he says, if a child is continuously exposed to even tiny
amounts of medications by eating carrots or cucumbers. He says it's important to figure out
what's safe, because using treated sewage water is important. "I'm not saying we need to
stop irrigating with treated waste water," he stresses, noting agriculture in Israel and other
Mideast countries is dependent on this source. "We don't want to stop irrigation, we want to
continue, knowing that it's safe."
http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/06/21/415795367/israel-bets-on-recycled-waterto-meet-its-growing-thirst
Global water supplies are ‘in distress’
June 16, 2015 More than a third of the world’s biggest aquifers, a vital source of fresh water
for millions, are “in distress” because human activities are draining them, according to
satellite observations. Scientists from Nasa, the US space agency, and the University of
California, Irvine, analysed 10 years of data from the twin Grace satellites, which measure
changes in groundwater reserves by the way they affect Earth’s gravitational pull. “Twentyone of the world’s 37 biggest aquifers have passed sustainability tipping points . . . they are
being depleted” … “Over a third are so bad that they are experiencing exceptionally high
levels of stress” … The results … show that the Arabian Aquifer System, an important water
source for more than 60m people, is the most “overstressed” in the world. It is followed by
the Indus Basin aquifer of India and Pakistan and the Murzuq-Djado Basin in northern Africa.
California’s Central Valley, currently at the centre of a political battle over water rights, was
classed as “highly stressed” and suffering rapid depletion — mainly for agriculture …
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/51f8c3ec-1383-11e5-aa7f00144feabdc0.html#axzz3dnGvZPos
[Danke für den Hinweis auf diesen Beitrag nach Berlin-Gendarmenmarkt. J.B.]
150517 Wolverton WaterMoney
150622 Gralund Pope Francis
More than a thousand attend Cork ‘burn water bills’ rally
Jun 6, 2015 A “Burn the water bills” protest in Cork city centre attracted over a thousand
people on Saturday afternoon … Campaigners say that more than 1.5 million water bills have
been sent out by Irish Water since early April. They believe that more than a million of these
have since passed the due date for payment. More than 70 residents in the Glanmire area of
Co Cork gathered last Wednesday night to show their support for the growing national
boycott of the controversial water charge bill. They assembled outside Glanmire credit union
last Wednesday to bin their water bills. The binned bills were brought to the rally yesterday
where they were burned along with thousands of other bills. Also last Wednesday
householders at Willowbank in Fairhill on the northside of Cork city prevented the
installations of water metres by Irish Water workers.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/more-than-a-thousand-attend-cork-burnwater-bills-rally-1.2240396
siehe auch:
Video Jul 1, 2015 Thousands march in anti-water charges protest in Dublin
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/thousands-march-in-anti-water-charges-protestin-dublin-1.2257402
Iraq says ISIS is using water as a weapon
June 4, 2015 Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants have reduced the amount of
water flowing to government-held areas in Iraq's western Anbar province … It's not the first
time that water has been used as a weapon of war in Mideast conflicts and in Iraq in
particular. Earlier this year, ISIS reduced the flow through another lock outside the militantheld town of Fallujah, also in Anbar province. But the extremists soon reopened it after
criticism from residents … The reduced flow of water through the militant-held dam on the
Euphrates River will threaten irrigation systems and water treatment plants in nearby areas
controlled by troops and tribes opposed to the extremist group, provincial council member
Taha Abdul-Ghani told The Associated Press. Abdul-Ghani said there would be no
immediate effect on Shiite areas in central and southern Iraq, saying water is being diverted
to those areas from the Tigris River. The United Nations had said on Wednesday that it was
looking into reports that ISIS had reduced the flow of water through the al-Warar dam. "The
use of water as a tool of war is to be condemned in no uncertain terms," the spokesman for
the U.N. secretary-general, Stephane Dujarric ... "These kinds of reports are disturbing, to
say the least." He said the U.N. and humanitarian partners will try to "fill in the gaps" to meet
water needs for the affected population …
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/iraq-says-isis-reduced-water-flow-to-anbar/
siehe auch:
09.06.2015 Mit Überflutungen Krieg führen …Die Geschichte der Niederlande ist eine
des Deichbaus und der Überflutungen. Das Wasser wurde dabei bisweilen als Waffe
eingesetzt … Wasserkriege im Nahen Osten: Auch heute noch setzen Militärs und
paramilitärische Gruppen auf Wasser als Waffe. Beim Vormarsch des Islamischen Staats im
Irak beispielsweise setzten die Islamisten im letzten Jahr Überflutungen gezielt ein, um den
Kampf um die Stadt Falludscha zu entscheiden. Zudem wurden Befürchtungen geäußert, die
Terrormiliz könnte den kurzzeitig eroberten Mossul-Damm sprengen, um kurdische und
irakische Einheiten zurückzuschlagen. Bereits zuvor hatte Saddam Hussein durch
beabsichtigte Trockenlegungen der mesopotamischen Sümpfe versucht, die dort lebenden
Schiiten zu vernichten oder zur Flucht zu zwingen. "Strategisches Fluten ist eine höchst
riskante Taktik. Sie geht nur auf, wenn ein gut durchdachter Sicherungs- und Notfallplan
damit einhergeht …
http://www.spektrum.de/news/wenn-mit-wasser-krieg-gefuehrt-wird/1349905
Videos: NASA water data shows overstressed basins across the world
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2015/0617/NASA-water-data-shows-overstressedbasins-across-the-world-video
Hamburg Wasser warnt vor TTIP
04.06.2015 Das städtische Versorgungsunternehmen Hamburg Wasser bangt wegen des
geplanten Freihandelsabkommens TTIP um die Trinkwasserqualität für seine rund zwei
Millionen Kunden. "Die Wasserversorgung muss absoluten Vorrang haben", sagte
Geschäftsführer Michael Beckereit ... Umweltstandards dürften nicht aufgeweicht werden.
Beim geplanten Freihandelsabkommen mit den USA befürchtet der Versorger beim Einsatz
von Pestiziden im Obstanbau eine Angleichung von Grenzwerten zum Nachteil Europas …
Auch die Folgen des möglichen Frackings betrachtet Hamburg Wasser mit Sorgen … Auch
dies könne die Trinkwasserqualität gefährden, so die Befürchtung …
https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/hamburg/Hamburg-Wasser-warnt-vorTTIP,hamburgwasser114.html
Wasting water is a luxury we can no longer afford
29 May 2015 … Every aspect of our lives has a water footprint: we need water to grow food,
make clothes, build offices and homes, construct cars, and do and make almost everything
else we come into contact with. You will never see or touch most of the water you are
responsible for using: a kilogramme of beef has a water footprint of 16,000 litres; a cup of tea
needs 35 litres. A sheet of paper has a footprint of 10 litres of water; and just one of the
microchips in your laptop took 30 litres of water to make. A kilogramme of cotton comes with
a water footprint of 10,000 litres, on average, though this figure varies according to where it
comes from – cotton from India can “cost” up to 22,500 litres per kilo. Meanwhile, at home,
you will use almost 190 litres for a five-minute shower, 10 litres to brush your teeth, and
between 10 and 30 litres for each toilet flush. … Ever since the beginnings of agriculture,
12,000 years ago, humans have found new and ever-more-wasteful ways to use water to
build their growing civilisations. Cities and empires have been built on diverting rivers and
moving water over vast distances to feed crops and people in ever-growing numbers.
Perhaps it was fine to waste water in 6,000BC when there were only a million people spread
across our vast planet. Today, there are 7 billion of us hankering after the same level of
resource. Most of today’s profligate water use occurs in the richer nations – the average
American uses around 575 litres of water per day, while Europeans somehow manage on
250 litres per day. Compare that to more than a billion people in developing countries who
have to make do with less than 19 litres each, and double that population who don’t have
access to basic sanitation … Human societies, unfortunately, can no longer afford that same
luxury.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/29/wasting-water-luxury-shortagefour-billion-people
Nestlé und der Kampf ums Wasser
29.05.2015 Nestlé eckt mit seinen Geschäftsgebaren immer wieder an … Der Plan von
Nestlé SA, Quellwasser im US- Bundesstaat Oregon abzufüllen, hat zu einem Kampf mit
Umwelt- Aktivisten und Abgeordneten geführt. Ihrer Meinung nach sollte kein Unternehmen
von den Natur-Ressourcen der Region profitieren, während sich die Dürre im Bundesstaat
ausweitet … Eine Dürre hat den Westen der USA fest im Griff. Das rückt Quellwasserabfüller
wie Nestlé und andere Unternehmen wie Starbucks Corp. ins Rampenlicht. Sie verkaufen
Wasser aus einer Region, in der Landwirte dazu gezwungen sind, Felder brach liegen zu
lassen. Einigen Bewohnern droht sogar eine verpflichtende Senkung des Wasserverbrauchs
und Politiker erwägen sogar, mit Hilfe einer Meerwasserentsalzungsanlage den Pazifischen
Ozean anzuzapfen …
http://www.bilanz.ch/unternehmen/nestle-und-der-kampf-ums-wasser-416811
Jemen: 16 Millionen ohne sauberes Wasser
26. Mai 2015 Im Jemen haben zwei von drei Menschen keinen Zugang zu sauberem
Trinkwasser. Dies berichtet die Organisation Oxfam … befürchtet nun die Ausbreitung
tödlicher Krankheiten … Laut der Hilfsorganisation Oxfam hätten andauernde Luftangriffe,
Bodengefechte und Treibstoffknappheit dazu geführt, dass die Gesamtzahl der Jemeniten
ohne sauberes Wasser auf mindestens 16 Millionen gestiegen sei. «Dies entspricht den
Einwohnerzahlen von Berlin, London, Paris und Rom zusammengenommen» … Die
Menschen würden gezwungen, Wasser zu trinken, das die Gesundheit massiv gefährde …
http://www.srf.ch/news/international/jemen-16-millionen-ohne-sauberes-wasser
Weite Teile der Rebellen-Gebiete offenbar ohne Wasser
25. Mai 2015 … Durch die Kämpfe in der Ostukraine ist die Bevölkerung in weiten Teilen der
von Rebellen kontrollierten Gebiete offenbar ohne Wasser. Eine Hauptversorgungsleitung in
die Region sei durch Kämpfe beschädigt worden, erklärte am Sonntag der Kiew-treue
Gouverneur der Region Lugansk, Gennadij Moskal. Fast alle Dörfer und Städte seien
betroffen. Eine konkrete Zahl nannte Moskal nicht. Auch machte er keine Angaben, wer für
die Zerstörung der Wasserleitung verantwortlich ist … Moskal teilte über Facebook mit, dass
die ukrainischen Behörden die zerstörte Hauptleitung nicht reparieren wollten. „Sie werden
aber einem Reparaturteam der Separatisten den Zugang erlauben“ …
http://www.focus.de/politik/ausland/ukraine-krise/ukraine-krise-separatistenchef-beianschlag-in-der-ostukraine-getoetet_id_4703521.html
Staatlich verordneter Strom aus Wasser
24.5.2015 Um die Wasserkraft in der Schweiz steht es schlecht. Die Kantone schlagen nun
vor, die Verbraucher mit einer Quote zum Konsum von Strom aus Wasserkraft zu zwingen …
Die Idee wird kommenden Mittwoch von den zuständigen Ständeräten in der Kommission für
Umwelt, Raumplanung und Energie (Urek) diskutiert. Im Grundsatz sollen die
Stromkonsumenten zum Verbrauch von Strom aus erneuerbaren Energien gezwungen
werden. An ihrer Stelle sollen deshalb die Stromversorger gesetzlich verpflichtet werden,
einen Strommix aus erneuerbaren Energien wie Sonne, Wind aber auch Wasser anzubieten.
Die Anteile der jeweiligen Energieträger werden über eine Quote gesteuert, die regelmässig
erhöht wird; so lange, bis der Strommix im Jahr 2050 gemäss den Zielen der
Energiestrategie zu 100 Prozent aus erneuerbaren Energien besteht … Mario Cavigelli
(cvp.), Bündner Energiedirektor ... «Niemand konnte damals ahnen, dass die Strompreise
dereinst so verzerrt sein würden.» Damit spricht er vor allem den deutschen Ökostrom an,
der stark subventioniert wird und deshalb extrem billig ist. Demgegenüber ist die Schweizer
Wasserkraft nicht mehr konkurrenzfähig. «Rund 60 Prozent des Schweizer Stroms stammen
aus Wasserkraft. Doch im Gegensatz zur Energie aus Sonne oder Wind wird sie nicht
subventioniert … Es ist Zeit für gleich lange Spiesse unter den erneuerbaren Energien. Die
Wasserkraft gehört hier auch dazu.» … die Verbraucher müssten einen Mix mit einem 60prozentigen Anteil inländischer Wasserkraft anbieten. Dadurch würde die bestehende
Wasserkraft wieder rentabel. Unter Energiepolitikern wirft indes genau dieser Punkt Fragen
auf: Ist eine derartige Bevorzugung inländischer Wasserkraft mit EU-Recht kompatibel? Ja,
sagt Mario Cavigelli und verweist auf ein Rechtsgutachten, das die Initianten des QuotenModells in Auftrag gegeben haben. Darin bescheinigen Spezialisten für Energierecht das
Quotenmodell als EU-kompatibel, zumal ein ähnliches in Schweden angewendetes Konzept
der aktuellen Schweizer Idee Pate gestanden hat …
http://www.nzz.ch/nzzas/nzz-am-sonntag/staatlich-verordneter-strom-aus-wasser1.18548268
Detroit water shutoffs to begin Tuesday
May 24, 2015 The water department has delivered about 3,000 shutoff notices to
households with delinquent bills since May 11, giving those customers 10 business days to
make arrangements to pay their bill. Water shutoff crews will begin cutting service Tuesday
to Detroiters behind on their bills while officials continue to debate possible water bill
subsidies for those living in poverty … The latest crackdown is raising fears of a growing
public health crisis. Thousands already are living in southeast Michigan without running
water …
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2015/05/24/detroit-water-shutoffspoverty-unpaid-bills/27852135/
Obama Plans New Rule to Limit Water Pollution
MAY 22, 2015 The Obama administration is expected in the coming days to announce a
major clean water regulation that would restore the federal government’s authority to limit
pollution in the nation’s rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands. Environmentalists have praised
the new rule, calling it an important step that would lead to significantly cleaner natural
bodies of water and healthier drinking water. But it has attracted fierce opposition from
several business interests, including farmers, property developers, fertilizer and pesticide
makers, oil and gas producers and a national association of golf course owners. Opponents
contend that the rule would stifle economic growth and intrude on property owners’
rights.Republicans in Congress point to the rule as another example of what they call
executive overreach by the Obama administration … “Water is the lifeblood of healthy people
and healthy economies,” Gina McCarthy, the E.P.A.’s [Environmental Protection Agency]
administrator, wrote in an April blog post promoting the water rule. “We have a duty to protect
it. That’s why E.P.A. and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are finalizing a Clean Water Rule
later this spring to protect critical streams and wetlands that are currently vulnerable to
pollution and destruction” … The rule is being issued under the 1972 Clean Water Act, which
gave the federal government broad authority to limit pollution in major water bodies, like
Chesapeake Bay, the Mississippi River and Puget Sound, as well as streams and wetlands
that drain into larger waters. But two Supreme Court decisions related to clean water
protection, in 2001 and in 2006, created legal confusion about whether the federal
government had the authority to regulate the smaller streams and headwaters, and about
other water sources such as wetlands … the new rule will clarify that authority, allowing the
government to once again limit pollution in those smaller bodies of water — although it does
not restore the full scope of regulatory authority granted by the 1972 law …
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/23/us/politics/obama-set-to-strengthen-federal-role-inclean-water-regulation.html
EPA - Release Date: 05/27/2015: Clean Water Rule Protects Streams and Wetlands Critical
to Public Health, Communities, and Economy …
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/bd4379a92ceceeac8525735900400c27/62295cdd
d6c6b45685257e52004fac97!OpenDocument
BEZUGSDOKUMENTE: EPA - Clean Water Rule
http://www2.epa.gov/cleanwaterrule
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army, Department of Defense
Factsheet: http://usarmy.vo.llnwd.net/e2/c/downloads/395791.pdf
Clean Water Rule …
http://usarmy.vo.llnwd.net/e2/c/downloads/395793.pdf
http://usarmy.vo.llnwd.net/e2/c/downloads/396061.pdf
siehe auch:
June 10, 2015 What the new clean water rule means for metro areas … In May, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
finalized a long-debated clean water rule to limit pollution in a variety of streams, tributaries,
and wetlands. Aiming to clarify what types of waters receive protection under the 1972 Clean
Water Act, the rule offers greater regulatory certainty concerning upstream resources—
critical to water quality—and marks a departure from the time-consuming, case-by-case
regulatory process currently in place. Not surprisingly, the new rule has triggered a national
political firestorm focused on the measure’s legal jurisdiction and EPA’s potential overreach,
issues previously raised in two Supreme Court cases, but more salient questions loom over
the rule’s long-term environmental impact at the state and local level. The rule will also have
a number of economic implications for developers, utilities, and farmers, among numerous
other public and private actors …
http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/the-avenue/posts/2015/06/10-new-clean-water-rule-metroareas-kane-puentes
06/10/15 Senators vote to block Obama’s water rule … A Senate committee voted along
party lines Wednesday to overturn the Obama administration’s new regulation asserting
control over small waterways like streams and wetlands …
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/244525-senators-vote-to-overturn-obamaswater-rule
05/28/15 Democrats buck Obama on water rule … “The only people with reason to
oppose the rule are polluters who want to threaten our clean water,” said Brian Deese,
Obama’s top environmental adviser … Farmers and ranchers have been among the most
vocal opponents of the water rule, saying it would mandate expensive permits and federal
review for common agricultural tasks like digging ditches and spraying fertilizer …
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/243299-democrats-buck-obama-on-water-rule
MAY 27, 2015 Obama Announces New Rule Limiting Water Pollution … Republican
lawmakers are advancing legislation on Capitol Hill meant to block or delay both the climate
and clean water rules … Speaker John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, called the rule “a
raw and tyrannical power grab that will crush jobs,” adding, “House members of both parties
have joined more than 30 governors and government leaders” to reject the rule …
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/28/us/obama-epa-clean-water-pollution.html
Global Finance and Global Warming
MAY 22, 2015 – Since 2008, when the global financial crisis nearly brought down the world
economy, financial reform has been among the top items on policymakers’ agendas. But, as
leaders move from fixing the problems of the past to positioning the financial system for the
future, they must also grapple with new threats to its stability, particularly those stemming
from climate change. That is why a growing number of governments, regulators, standardsetters, and market actors are starting to incorporate rules concerning sustainability into the
financial system. In Brazil, the central bank views the integration of environmental and social
factors into risk management as a way to strengthen resilience. And in countries like
Singapore and South Africa, companies listed on the stock market are obligated to disclose
their environmental and social performance, a requirement that investors and regulators
increasingly view as essential to the efficient functioning of financial markets … As the threat
from climate change becomes more evident, financing the response to its impact will become
increasingly important. Developed countries have committed to mobilize $100 billion in
annual financial flows to developing countries by 2020, but much more is needed. Above all,
it is essential to place the financing challenge posed by climate change within the broader
context of the green economy and sustainable development. The task for those charged with
governing the financial system is to enable the orderly transition from high- to low-carbon
investments and from vulnerable to resilient assets. According to the New Climate Economy
initiative, $89 trillion will be spent on global infrastructure investment by 2030 – with an
additional $4.1 trillion needed to make it low-carbon and resilient … Promising avenues for
international cooperation are now opening up. For example, the G-20 finance ministers and
central bank governors have just asked the Financial Stability Board to explore how the
financial sector could address climate issues. Actions such as these will not only strengthen
climate security; they will also contribute to a more efficient, effective, and resilient financial
system.
http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/global-finance-global-warming-by-naina-lalkidwai-and-nick-robins-2015-05
Security risks: The tenuous link between climate change and national security
May 21, 2015 … The White House’s report on the national security implications of climate
change is actually pretty measured and largely avoids waving red flags, but it overstates for
effect, as do the President’s remarks to the Coast Guard Academy. The report gets right the
notion that climate change will hit hardest where governance is weakest and that this will
exacerbate the challenge of weak states; but it’s a pre-existing challenge and almost all weak
states are already embroiled in forms of internal war—climate change may exacerbate this
problem, but it certainly won’t create it. The White House report also asserts a link to terrorist
havens, and of course there are risks here—but it’s far from a 1:1 relationship, and there’s
little evidence that the countries where climate will hit governance worst are the places where
the terrorism problem is most serious. The report also highlights the Arctic as a region most
dramatically effected by climate change, and that is true—but so far what we’re seeing in the
Arctic is that receding ice is triggering commercial competition and governance cooperation;
not conflict. The security challenge from the Arctic is modest: the climate challenge of melting
ice caps and potential release of trapped greenhouse gases is potential very serious indeed.
Then there are the domestic effects. The report highlights that the armed services may be
drawn in more to dealing with coastal flooding and similar crises, and that’s a fair point—
though it’s a National Guard point more than its an armed forces point. That is to say, it’s
about the question of whether we have enough domestic disaster response capacity: an
important question, not obviously a national security question … We need urgently to pivot
our scientific establishment away from the now well-trod field of predicting temperature shift
to getting a much more granular understanding about the ways in which changing
temperature will affect water sources, agricultural productivity, biodiversity, and dramatic
weather events. And we need to treat those who willfully deny science—in climate and other
areas—as a serious threat to our nation’s future. I’m just not convinced that national security
is the right or best way to frame the arguments and mobilize the America public’s will around
this critically important issue.
http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/order-from-chaos/posts/2015/05/21-climate-change-nationalsecurity-jones
California Water Crisis
BROWN IS THE NEW GREEN
150408 Cagle Governor Brown saving water in the
bathroom
150204 Granlund Calif. water curbs
Navy bases do their part to conserve water in California drought
June 27, 2015 … For the Navy, the future arrived in 2008 when then-President Bush signed
an executive order mandating water reduction by federal agencies. The order was expanded
by President Obama in March. Since 2007, water use has been reduced by 23% at the nine
bases in California and one in Nevada that are managed by an admiral and other officials at
Navy Region Southwest, with headquarters on the San Diego waterfront. At Naval Base San
Diego, the most populous of the 10 bases, some 1.5 million square feet of landscaping was
replaced by drought-resistant plants or artificial turf, or just allowed to turn brown …
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-navy-water-20150628-story.html
Is California trying to take our water?
June 27, 2015 … Republican Gov. Doug Ducey and Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva don’t
agree on much, but both worry California could take Arizona’s water. The conservative
governor and the liberal congressman say Arizona must be vigilant to ensure its droughtparched neighbor doesn’t use federal action to grab some of Arizona’s Colorado River supply
… Collaboration between the states and between the U.S. and Mexico has helped Colorado
River management for 15 years, increasing the reliability of everyone’s water supply, while
starting to solve some of the river’s worst environmental problems, said Pitt, the fund’s
Colorado River program director. “Creating winners and losers threatens that progress.” Most
importantly, California already holds all the cards on water due to the 1968 CAP law, said
Kenney and water researchers John Fleck in New Mexico and Brad Udall in Colorado. While
Arizona worries about a theoretical risk from California, it actually should be more concerned
about ongoing efforts by Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming to build dams and other
projects that would take more Colorado River water this state uses, said Kenney. Those
states are targeting unused water they already have the legal rights to. California has the
most to lose if the Colorado River compact issue goes back to Congress, said Fleck, who is
writing a book on river management that’s scheduled to be published next year by Island
Press …
http://tucson.com/news/local/is-california-trying-to-take-our-water/article_9f374f9e-504558b7-9e3b-3af65e86f4aa.html
Troubled Delta System Is California’s Water Battleground
JUNE 24, 2015 Fighting over water is a tradition in California, but nowhere are the lines of
dispute more sharply drawn than here in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a 720,000-acre
network of islands and canals that is the hub of the state’s water system. Giant pumps pull in
water flowing to the delta from the mountainous north of the state, where the majority of
precipitation falls, and send it to farms, towns and cities in the Central Valley and Southern
California, where the demand for water is greatest. For decades, the shortcomings of this
water transportation system, among the most ambitious and complex ever constructed, have
been a source of conflict and complaint …
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/25/science/troubled-delta-system-is-californias-waterbattleground.html
California Golf Trip Lands Obama in a Water-Use Debate
JUNE 21, 2015 … Amid this crisis, Air Force One banked out of a crystalline blue sky and
landed in what boosters have long described as “America’s desert oasis.” Having already
exercised for nearly an hour in the gym of the InterContinental Hotel in San Francisco, the
president — wearing a striped shirt with sleeves rolled up, light trousers and brown shoes —
jogged down the stairs and posed for pictures with Representative Raul Ruiz and his two
infant daughters. He was then driven through blocked streets to Sunnylands, the former
Annenberg estate where political leaders and celebrities have come to rest and meet for
decades. The Palm Springs area has the highest concentration of golf courses in California,
with 122 in the Coachella Valley, where Rancho Mirage and Palm Springs both sit, said
Craig Kessler, the government affairs director for the Southern California Golf Association …
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/22/us/california-golf-trip-lands-obama-in-a-water-usedebate.html
Videos:
June 17, 2015 U.S. cities running out of water
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/17/24-7-wall-st-cities-running-outwater/28790905/
June 16, 2015 California Water Cuts Leave City Days Away From Running Out Of
Water
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2015/06/16/california-water-cuts-leave-city-days-away-fromrunning-out-of-water/
Drought versus dollars: California's wealthiest balk at water restrictions
June 18, 2015 A wealthy Californian recently stopped watering the lawn, removed all the
flowers, and made plans to replace them with drought-resistant vegetation. The result? A
citation from the homeowners’ association, demanding the household resume watering the
grass and replant the flowers. Drought-resistant vegetation was rejected for violating the
community’s "theme of luxury homes" …
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2015/0618/Drought-versus-dollars-Californias-wealthiest-balk-at-water-restrictions
Rich Californians balk at limits: ‘We’re not all equal when it comes to water’
June 13, 2015 Drought or no drought, Steve Yuhas resents the idea that it is somehow
shameful to be a water hog. If you can pay for it, he argues, you should get your water.
People “should not be forced to live on property with brown lawns, golf on brown courses or
apologize for wanting their gardens to be beautiful,” Yuhas fumed recently on social media.
“We pay significant property taxes based on where we live,” he added in an interview. “And,
no, we’re not all equal when it comes to water.” Yuhas lives in the ultra-wealthy enclave of
Rancho Santa Fe, a bucolic Southern California hamlet of ranches, gated communities and
country clubs that guzzles five times more water per capita than the statewide average. In
April, after Gov. Jerry Brown (D) called for a 25 percent reduction in water use, consumption
in Rancho Santa Fe went up by 9 percent …
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/rich-californians-youll-have-to-pry-the-hoses-fromour-cold-dead-hands/2015/06/13/fac6f998-0e39-11e5-9726-49d6fa26a8c6_story.html
siehe auch:
17.06.15 Stars verschwenden Wasser – ab an den Pranger
… was die "staatliche Wasserpolizei" mit ihrer Strafandrohung nicht schafft, könnten jetzt die
Bürger über die sozialen Netzwerke erreichen. Auf Twitter und YouTube haben sie sich lose
zusammengeschlossen und stellen die Wasserverschwender an eine Art Internetpranger …
auch Kim Kardashian lässt ihr Anwesen … nicht durch die Macht der Natur verschandeln.
Luftaufnahmen zeigen ihr Millionenanwesen weiterhin mit grünem Park und blauem
Swimmingpool. Und auch wenn ihre Sprecherin behauptet, "Kim und Kanye würden die
Dürre ernst nehmen", für die Nachbarn ist das Grün auf dem Grundstück der Stars "einfach
ekelhaft". Doch die 1000 Dollar Strafe für die Wasserverschwendung stört eine Kardashian
offenbar nicht. Wer dem Ehemann für 100.000 Dollar eine Geburtstagparty im Stapels
Center schmeißt, wo eigentlich die Los Angeles Lakers spielen, und ihm als Geschenk einen
Basketballplatz bauen lässt, dürfte über das Wasserticket eher lachen. Schwester Khloé
bringt die Arroganz der Reality-Stars deshalb auf den Punkt: "Rasen ist grün, so ist das
einfach, und so muss es sein" …
http://www.welt.de/vermischtes/article142659584/Stars-verschwenden-Wasser-ab-an-denPranger.html
Nudist resort owners charged with stealing water
06/13/2015 In a case that highlights growing tensions brought on by California's drought,
the owners and two resident-employees of the Lupin Lodge nudist camp have been charged
with felony conspiracy for allegedly stealing water last year from a neighboring property to
keep their parched resort open … The complaint … alleges that Glyn Stout, 77, his wife Lori
Kay Stout, 53, Michael Buckland, 38 and John Berryessa, 49, piped water from Hendry's
Creek to the drought-affected, clothing-optional business despite numerous warnings to stop
…
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_28302284/nudist-resort-owners-chargedstealing-water
siehe auch:
June 16, 2015 Skinny-dipping nudists accused of stealing water … The nipples may be
free at Lupin Lodge, but the water isn’t …
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/06/16/in-drought-strickencalifornia-skinny-dipping-nudists-accused-of-stealing-water/
California Cuts Farmers’ Share of Scant Water
JUNE 12, 2015 … Farmers with rights to California water dating back more than a century
will face sharp cutbacks, the first reduction in their water use since 1977, state officials
announced Friday. The officials said that rights dating to 1903 would be restricted, and that
such restrictions would grow as the summer months go on, with the state facing a prolonged
drought that shows few signs of easing …
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/us/california-announces-restrictions-on-water-use-byfarmers.html
More California families look at in-home water recycling to save gardens, yards in
drought
June 5, 2015 … Showering during California's drought is a guilt-free experience for
homeowners Catarina Negrin and Noah Friedman … are early adopters of a home plumbing
do-over that's becoming more popular during California's record four-year dry stretch … while
others think about hauling buckets to catch stray drips from their sinks and tubs, Negrin and
Friedman can relax: Each gallon they use in the shower means another for the butterflies
that duck and bob over their vegetable garden, for the lemon tree shading the yard, and for
two strutting backyard chickens busily investigating it all … Recycling water at home is not as
easy as just hooking your shower up to the lawn sprinklers, and recycled water probably
won't save the lawn … "Just like there's no one sure way to fight the drought, there's no one
sure way for gray-water treatment," the state gray-water chief said. "Everybody has to look at
all the options and figure out what works for them." Water from toilets is considered "black"
water and sent straight to wastewater treatment plants. Many states also bar water from
kitchen sinks, since homeowners may have contaminated it by washing raw meat. In
California, homeowners are now allowed to irrigate with untreated water straight from
bathroom sinks, washing machines and bathtubs, as long as — among other requirements
— the water lines run beneath soil or mulch, so as not to come in contact with people. That
rules out using untreated gray water on lawns, which typically need above-ground spray
heads or sprinklers. Gray water can even go to vegetable gardens like Negrin's and
Friedman's, as long as it doesn't touch root vegetables or any other plant part that's eaten.
Tomatoes are fine, but forget about carrots … About 20 states now allow gray-water
recycling, and around the country, Arizona has some of the friendliest laws. California still
has more to do …
http://www.usnews.com/news/science/news/articles/2015/06/05/californias-drought-spurringwater-recycling-at-home
Farmer David 'Mas' Masumoto's drought insight: Less water yields more flavorful
peaches
June 4, 2015 … My latest thing about the whole water situation is seeing this as an
opportunity. Because it's a driver of change, like sometimes natural disasters are. You know:
out of a tornado, a town rebuilds itself as green. An earthquake happens and everyone
realizes they have to bring things up to a seismic safety level … We've been experimenting
with this petite peach method this year, where we're cutting back water use 30%, 40%, 50%
on some select areas of the orchard to see how it responds. Part of my thinking initially was:
How much are we over-watering to chase a cosmetic quality? And it's mainly size. Can you
not grow a small, water-efficient peach that has just as intense flavor? And you can …
They're small this year, but, good god, the flavor is great. It's fantastic. It's probably the most
intense I've ever had … If these peaches are naturally small, I don't need to water them as
much. Let me just grow them naturally. I realized, I don't think these peaches want to be big.
What's the matter with that? That's my breakthrough: Oh, my god, I may have been overwatering all these years. Why? Because we had access [to water]. It was cheap. It was
supposedly free. And it's not now.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-qa-peach-farmer-20150604-story.html
California water restrictions start Monday
June 1, 2015 … The state's more than 400 water agencies don't have to induce every
customer to reduce water use by a specific amount, but they do have to ensure that overall
water consumption goes down by the right percentage. If they don't, they could eventually
face fines of up to $10,000 per day … Here's a summary of the steps already taken by local
water providers: City of Coachella … City of Indio … Coachella Valley Water District …
Desert Water Agency … Mission Springs Water District … Myoma Dunes Mutual Water
Company …
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2015/06/01/california-water-restrictionsstart-monday/28310781/
California’s Drought Is So Bad, Thieves Are Now Stealing Water
05.29.15 Forget gold or cash, credit cards or gas: The hot new commodity in the land of
drought is H20 … At least one managed to make off with a 500-gallon water tanker … “The
drought is driving the price of water up and you’re starting to see people who are desperate
for it willing to get it any way they can … We’ve had situations in the past where people have
stolen from their neighbor’s houses when they’re gone to some folks who didn’t want to pay
for the water and dug under the street and tapped into the main line” … If it’s not tankers
being targeted by water bandits they’re certainly not shy to wrench water hydrants loose …
M&M Truck & Trailer Repair had rented a truck to a contractor and the company’s driver was
unlicensed. “We did observe this vehicle that was using a hose connected to the fire hydrant
and our officers conducted a stop and investigated,” Sacramento police officer Justin Brown
told The Daily Beast. Cops immediately impounded the vehicle, which had already been
pumped more than three-quarters filled with pirated water before city officials swooped in …
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/29/california-s-drought-is-so-bad-thieves-arenow-stealing-water.html
Turning sewage into drinking water gains appeal as drought lingers
May 24, 2015 As the drought drags on, water managers and environmentalists advocate
turning sewage into drinking water … But there's just one problem — the "yuck factor" …
Unlike nonpotable reuse — in which treated sewage is used to irrigate crops, parks or golf
courses — direct potable reuse takes treated sewage effluent and purifies it so it can be
used as drinking water. It's a concept that might cause some consumers to wince, but it has
been used for decades in Windhoek, Namibia — where evaporation rates exceed annual
rainfall — and more recently in drought-stricken Texas cities, including Big Spring and
Wichita Falls. In California, however, similar plans have run into heavy opposition … Instead
of flushing hundreds of billions of gallons of treated sewage into the Pacific Ocean each year,
as they do now, coastal cites can capture that effluent, clean it and convert it to drinking
water … To be sure, it will be years, or even a decade, before direct potable reuse systems
begin operation in California — if ever. One reason for this is that there is no regulatory
framework for the approval of such a system … Potable reuse advocates insist the public's
distaste for the concept is based on ignorance. They note that more than 200 wastewater
treatment plants already discharge effluent into the Colorado River, which is a primary
source of drinking water for Southern California …
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-toilet-to-tap-20150525-story.html#page=1
California’s Drought: There Will Never Be Enough Water
5/24/15 These days, it seems everyone is looking for a silver bullet solution to California’s
drought. Some advocate increasing supply through more storage, desalination or water
reuse. Others propose controlling demand through conservation or restriction of water use by
urban and agricultural users. Rarely do proponents of these single solutions seem to fully
appreciate the complexity of California’s water situation. The fact is that in this large and
semi-arid state, water is intimately tied to every aspect of life. Over time, we have
consistently increased supplies while reducing demands to support a growing population and
higher levels of agricultural commodity production … To understand California’s water
situation, one must recognize a fundamental paradox: Enough will never be enough. We are
a land-rich but water-limited state, and increased supply leads to more demand, which
makes answers to California’s water challenges complex, involving a combination of policy,
technology and conservation … Our abundant water supplies have helped create an
incredible agricultural industry that leads the world in production. At the same time, given the
size of the state, we will always have more land available to bring into production than we will
have water to put on it … Accepting this fundamental paradox doesn’t mean that we should
throw our hands in the air and do nothing—and in fact, we aren’t. We should be, and are,
looking at augmenting supplies and increasing conservation efforts. We need to pursue all of
these options in order to have healthy communities, healthy agriculture and a healthy
environment. We also need to recognize, however, that these options will never fully
eliminate future scarcity … Cities are striving for water independence. With conservation and
supply augmentation through desalination and water reuse, the urban sector will continue to
become more efficient and independent … Agricultural users will also continue to look at
conservation and supply augmentation to increase resilience and even expand production.
But, because there is a nearly endless supply of land to be brought into production,
agriculture will face years of plenty and years of scarcity …
http://www.newsweek.com/californias-drought-there-will-never-be-enough-water-334993
siehe auch:
June 25, 2015 How A Historical Blunder Helped Create The Water Crisis In The West
… In 1922, seven Western states — Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada,
Wyoming and California — drew up an agreement on how to divide the waters of the
Colorado River. But there was one big problem with the plan: They overestimated how much
water the river could provide. As a result, each state was promised more water than actually
exists. This miscalculation — and the subsequent mismanagement of water resources in
those states — has created a water crisis that now affects nearly 40 million Americans …
http://www.npr.org/2015/06/25/417430662/how-a-historical-blunder-helped-create-the-watercrisis-in-the-west
California Drought: Delta farmers propose voluntary water cuts to avoid bigger pinch
05/20/15 Farmers in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta who have California’s oldest
water rights are proposing to voluntarily cut their use by 25 percent to avoid the possibility of
even harsher restrictions by the state later this summer as the record drought continues …
Under the deal expected to be presented to state officials … farmers would either take less
river water for irrigation or leave a quarter of their crops unplanted. If the state accepts the
deal, Delta water managers say it may become a model for farmers throughout California
who also are facing curtailments. It is difficult to predict how many farmers will participate …
Those making the proposal are so-called riparian water rights holders, who have the oldest
and most secure access to California rivers. The harsh drought has caused state officials to
say they may start ordering even these rights holders to stop taking water. A coalition of
Delta farmers and officials for the State Water Resources Control Board continue to work out
the details …
http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20150520/california-drought-deltafarmers-propose-voluntary-water-cuts-to-avoid-bigger-pinch
siehe auch:
05/28/15 California drought: Farmers’ ‘senior’ water rights under siege … “If we were
designing the California water system today, it would look very different from what we had,”
said Peter Gleick, co-founder of the Pacific Institute, an Oakland-based think tank that focus
on water issues. “The system of senior water rights might have made sense 100 years ago,”
he said. “But given our new realities, it is not going to work in the long run.” The current
approach “neither protects the environment nor ensures efficient use of our limited water,” he
added. “It just clarifies who was there first” …
http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20150528/california-drought-farmerssenior-water-rights-under-siege
23.05.2015 Dürre in Kalifornien: Erste Bauern drosseln Wasserverbrauch um ein
Viertel … Es ist ein ungewöhnliches Entgegenkommen: Eine Gruppe von Landwirten in
Kalifornien hat sich angesichts der schlimmsten Dürre seit 1200 Jahren freiwillig bereiterklärt,
ihren Wasserverbrauch im Sommer um 25 Prozent zu senken. Die Maßnahme beginnt im
Juni … 4000 Bauern in der Delta-Region besitzen diese umfassenden Rechte zur
Wassernutzung - entweder weil sie Anbauflächen haben, die an Flüsse und Wasserläufe
angrenzen, oder weil ihre Wassernutzungsrechte bereits mehr als hundert Jahre alt sind.
Einige stammen sogar noch aus der Zeit des kalifornischen Goldrausches …
http://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/natur/duerre-in-kalifornien-bauern-im-delta-verzichtenauf-wasser-a-1035275.html
May 21, 2015 As parched California digs deeper into water cuts, farmers with
strongest rights offer deal … will affect those holding century-old water rights in the
watershed of the San Joaquin River, which runs from the Sierra Nevada mountains to San
Francisco Bay and is one of the main water sources for farms and communities … Farmers
who hold longstanding claims to water because their land lies along the waterways of the
Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta offered to voluntarily reduce their water use by a quarter
… California's water rights system is built around the claims staked in the 19th century.
Nearly 4,000 companies, farms and individuals are first in line to receive water because they
made claims to water before 1914 or have property touching a waterway …
http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2015/05/21/california-water-cuts-move-tothose-with-century-old-rights
California’s Snowpack Is Now Zero Percent of Normal
May 29, 2015 California’s current megadrought hit a shocking new low … the state’s
snowpack officially ran out … some measurable snowpack in the Sierra mountains usually
lasts all summer. But this year, its early demise means that runoff from the mountains—
which usually makes up the bulk of surface water for farms and cities during the long
summer dry season—will be essentially non-existent. To be clear: there’s still a bit of snow
left, and some water will be released from reservoirs … but this is essentially a worst-case
scenario when it comes to California’s fragile water supply …
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/05/29/california_s_snowpack_now_zero_percen
t_of_normal_a_worst_case_scenario_for.html
Locals question logic of building Dublin [California] water park in midst of historic
drought
May 20, 2015 -- Construction of a new water park in Dublin is drawing sharp criticism from
some residents, who say it's out of touch with California's drought emergency, mandatory
water cutbacks, and statewide conservation efforts … The aquatic center will require about
480,000 gallons of recirculating water … If the drought conditions continue, however, the
District spokeswoman says there is no guarantee the city will be able to fill the pools when
construction has been completed … The aquatic center is scheduled to open in early 2017
…
http://wn.ktvu.com/story/29109651/locals-question-logic-of-building-dublin-water-park-inmidst-of-historic-drought
California drought: People support water conservation, in theory
May 19, 2015 Californians widely support Gov. Jerry Brown’s call for mandatory water cuts
amid the deepening drought, according to a new poll of state residents — but many don’t
know if they can pitch in. The survey results .. show that while nearly two-thirds of
respondents agree that water agencies should be forced to reduce consumption by an
average of 25 percent, more than 4 in 10 homeowners say they don’t have the ability to cut
back much. And 7 in 10 homeowners are alarmed by the prospect of higher water rates — a
tool often employed by water managers to temper demand — saying hikes of 15 or 25
percent would be a serious problem …
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/California-drought-People-support-water-6271681.php
California faces a tough test to tame its unquenchable thirst for water
15 May 21 In the fourth year of the most severe drought in state history, Californians are
finally starting to turn away from arcane rules and practices that have allowed them nearly
unlimited use of water since the era of the Gold Rush. This week, a group of farmers who
enjoyed a riparian right to as much water as they needed from the San Joaquin River sought
to strike a bargain with state officials: They would voluntarily cut the amount they use by 25
percent in exchange for keeping the remaining 75 percent for irrigation, even as the drought
continues … The Golden State has been lax about its water use since it was founded in the
mid-1800s … “We have a 21st-century water problem with 19th-century infrastructure, and
. . . hundred-year-old water laws and water rights allocation,” said Peter Gleick, president and
co-founder of the Pacific Institute, a nonprofit research and policy group based in Oakland.
Across the state, a quarter of a million homes still lack meters, many in the dry Central
Valley, Gleick said. Occupants of those homes pay a flat monthly fee for water — or nothing
at all, in a few cases — because there’s no way to track how much they use … “It’s a
historical artifact of when we had plenty of water, the way the state developed,” Gleick said.
“Even with this waste, even with this inefficient system … everybody got the water they
wanted. That’s no longer true” … The state is using a carrot-and-stick approach … As the
state grew more serious about water conservation, Sacramento decided to rush to complete
its meter installation project five years earlier than the original deadline of 2025 … Hopefully
… the drought is a wake-up call to all Californians. “This has the possibility of being one of
those moments you get that critical mass of attention and people’s behavior really starts to
change … There might be a lifestyle change in California that’s more consistent with the area
that we live and our available resources … Fifteen years from now, people might look back
and say, ‘Isn’t it odd that we used to do things that way?’ ”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/california-utilities-face-a-tough-testto-tame-an-unquenchable-thirst-for-water/2015/05/21/bb091a80-f335-11e4-bcc4e8141e5eb0c9_story.html
WASSERQUELLEN
EUISS
A new climate for peace
… major new report, co-authored by the EUISS, highlights how climate change will drive
security and fragility threats in the 21st century. The report was commissioned by members
of the G7 and presented at the meeting of G7 foreign ministers on 15 April …
http://www.newclimateforpeace.org/
Der Wettlauf um Zentralasien und was Wasser damit zu tun hat …
CSIS
Central Asia in a Reconnecting Eurasia - Evolving Foreign Economic and Security
Interests
Jun 18, 2015 … More than any time since the collapse of the Silk Road five centuries ago,
today we have to focus on Eurasia as a whole. Over the past two decades, Eurasia has
begun to slowly reconnect, with the emergence of new trade relationships and transit
infrastructures, as well as the integration of Russia, China, and India into the global
economy. Even as this reconnection is under way, the center of economic dynamism in
Eurasia, and in the world as a whole, has increasingly shifted to the East. The impact of this
shift is potentially enormous, but they remain poorly understood because of our tendency to
limit analysis to a single country or region without the broader Eurasian space … the United
States has a strong interest in developing economic and security ties with the states of
Central Asia, and doing so in a way that is no longer driven by the exigencies of the war in
Afghanistan, but is responsive to the needs and interests of the region itself, as well as
enduring U.S. interests …
Leider sind in den pdf-Dokumenten alle Bearbeitungsfunktionen (auch Kopie von Textteilen)
gesperrt … also – sorry - selber durchscannen. J.B.
Kazakhstan Water S.3, 12, 15ff
http://csis.org/publication/central-asia-reconnecting-eurasia-kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan Water S.4, 7ff (auch Fergana-Becken), 13, 15, 30
http://csis.org/publication/central-asia-reconnecting-eurasia-kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan … sees opportunities in the expansion of its hydro-power sector …
Water S.4ff, 23, 26ff
http://csis.org/publication/central-asia-reconnecting-eurasia-tajikistan
Turkmenistan Water S.3ff
http://csis.org/publication/central-asia-reconnecting-eurasia-turkmenistan
Uzbekistan … is also main regional water consumer, a key player in Central Asias’s water
management challenges … Water S.2ff, 16ff, 24, 42
http://csis.org/publication/central-asia-reconnecting-eurasia-uzbekistan
Hintergründe: CSIS - Eurasia Initiative
http://csis.org/program/eurasia-initiative
Congressional Research Service
Central Asia: Regional Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests
March 21, 2014 … The United States and others have urged the regional states to cooperate
in managing their water resources … Regional cooperation remains stymied by personal
leadership rivalries and disputes over water, borders, and energy … On the one hand, the
Central Asian states have wrangled over water-sharing, border delineation, trade and transit,
and other issues: Tajikistan’s relations with Uzbekistan have been problematic, including
disagreements about water-sharing, Uzbek gas supplies, the mining of borders, border
demarcation, and environmental pollution … In late 2010, Uzbekistan began a transit
slowdown and other economic measures to pressure Tajikistan to halt building the Roghun
power plant … In February 2014, Uzbekistan sentenced four citizens to 15-18 years in prison
on charges of spying for Turkmen intelligence on water-supply, border security, and other
issues … Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan possess the bulk of the region’s water resources, but in
recent years both countries have suffered from droughts. Despite the region’s development
potential, the challenges of corruption, inadequate transport infrastructure, punitive tariffs,
border tensions, and uncertain respect for contracts and entrepreneurial activity have
discouraged major foreign investment … Cotton-growing has contributed to environmental
pollution and water shortages, leading some observers to argue that cotton-growing is not
suited to the largely arid region. Tajikistan has alleged that Uzbekistan delays rail freight
shipments, purportedly to pressure Tajikistan to halt construction of the Roghun hydroelectric power dam on the Vakhsh River, which Uzbekistan fears could limit the flow of water
into the country …
https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33458.pdf
Höchst verwunderlich ist, dass weder in den EU-, noch in den U.S.-Papieren auf die
Arbeit der OSZE in der Region und im Wassersektor hingewiesen wird. Das
möchte ich hier mal nachholen:
Environmental Activities
http://www.osce.org/what/environmental
Governing Water – Preventing Conflicts
http://www.osce.org/water
Water Diplomacy
http://www.osce.org/secretariat/120614
“Water governance in the OSCE area – increasing security and stability through cooperation”, First Preparatory Meeting of the 23rd OSCE Economic and Environmental
Forum, Vienna, 26-27 January 2015.
http://www.osce.org/secretariat/144136
Vor dem Hintergrund, dass Deutschland in 2016 den OSZE-Vorsitz
übernehmen wird, es eine von Deutschland in 2007 eingebrachte EU-ZentralasienStrategie gibt und es mit der „Wasserinitiative Zentralasien“ / „Berliner Prozess“
in der Region bereits präsent ist, ergäben sich für deutsche Wasserdiplomatie
großartige Möglichkeiten, sich konstruktiv gestaltend in Zentralasien auszuwirken …
wenn „man“ sich denn zu wollen traut …
-----Defense & Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy
Water Technology and Infrastructure at an Industrial Level: The Next Source of
Strategic Dominance.
March 1, 2015 … The issue is broader than the delivery of potable water ... But the matter
of potable water delivery is existential to human survival, progress, and strategic power …
Our infrastructure, and particularly our water infrastructure, is what defines us and our
potential. Throughout history … the water matrix has always been with us … is not to deny
the real impetus which water technologies gave to the rise of strategic power … History has
shown that strategic power, wealth, and leadership derives from the creation and dominance
of the vital infrastructure of the era … Given the substantial increase in overall … demand for
water and the corresponding atrophy of existing systems, this must be the infrastructural age
of water ... The vast US strategic industrial base … make the US the logical focus for the
creation of a globally dominant strategic water capability. But US response to this situation
can by no means be taken for granted … leadership in the comprehension of the
hydrological age could be the next great US economic leadership arena. It is possible that …
no infrastructural endeavors will be bigger or more important to the viability and health of life
than those linked to the creation and delivery of pure, clean drinking water … The US and its
Coalition partners discovered, at great cost, the critical necessity of water to tactical military
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. And this was the Achilles' heel … US industry is well
poised to expand into the new age of water technology, and it will require a totally new
scientific and industrial capability … the next great area of dominance … is the creative
dominance and leadership of the water infrastructure. It is vital for the US, if it is to rebuild its
domestic viability. It is vital for the world, where conflict avoidance and stability is possible
through the export of more creative ways to find, clean, and deploy water. The window for
achieving dominance in this field, globally, will be contested soon and decisively. Indeed,
given the strong governmental and commercial impetus behind water technology and waterrelated industry in France and Israel, the US capital formation advantage will face significant
competition from those two states (and others) for global dominance in the water business …
In the defense domain, the United Kingdom has begun to recognize the reality that water
delivery in the military context was one of the great limiting factors in operational viability in
the recent Coalition operations in Iraq and Afghanistan …
Kostenpflichtig:
https://www.questia.com/magazine/1P3-3667212781/water-technology-and-infrastructure-atan-industrial
… offen im Netz mit weitgehend identischen Inhalten:
March 27th, 2015 Warning to high tech West: Your water infrastructure and water
quality are in decline …
http://www.worldtribune.com/2015/03/27/warning-to-high-tech-west-your-water-infrastructureand-water-quality-are-in-decline/
E-Atlas of the Orontes River Basin […noch eine Seite im Werden. J.B.]
… provide a comprehensive overview of water resources, infrastructures, usages and
management issues in the Orontes River basin. It is developed within a research program
led by the Graduate Institute of International and development Studies with the support of the
Global Program Water Initiatives of the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency as part
of an overall project on Water Security in the Middle East. The program aims to analyze
water management challenges and perspectives and to establish a multidisciplinary scientific
and technical network on water management in the Orontes River basin including Lebanese,
Syrian and Turkish organizations. It is conducted in collaboration with the Lebanese
Agricultural Research Institute, the Hydrogeology Center of the University of Neuchâtel, the
Laboratory of Geographic Information Systems of the Federal Institute of Technology,
Lausanne, the Faculty of Geosciences and Environment of University of Lausanne, the
“Maison de l’Orient et de la Méditerranée”, Lyon. The Atlas is under development, the current
version focuses on the upper and middle reaches of the basin. The Turkish section of the
basin will be addressed in the second phase of the program …
https://www.water-security.org/
Vielen Dank für diesen Hinweis nach Bonn! J.B.
Earth Security Index Report (ESI)
Managing global resource risks and resilience in the 21st century
… defines a clear and strategic direction for companies and governments for some of the
world’s most urgent and complex resource challenges … Blueprint 6 Converging interests
in the Nile Basin around food security pp.32 …
http://earthsecurity.org/earth-security-index/
Stimson Center, Washington, DC
… River Basin and Water Management Issues … works in the Mekong, Indus, and beyond to
facilitate better information sharing and develop smarter approaches to hydropower
development. We bring together environmental groups, regional institutions, and
governments …
http://www.stimson.org/research-pages/fresh-water-resources/
Regional Capacity Building and the Global Commons
http://www.stimson.org/research-pages/regional-capacity-building-and-the-global-commons/
Global Security and the Urban Future … Water and Security in the Urban …
http://www.stimson.org/research-pages/global-security-and-the-urban-future/
Connecting the Drops: An Indus Basin Roadmap …
http://www.stimson.org/research-pages/connecting-the-drops/
Environment and Security Discussion Series
http://www.stimson.org/research-pages/2013-environment-and-security-discussion-series/
WATER ALTERNATIVES - June 2015 Issue
Misrepresenting the Jordan River Basin
… advances a critique of the UN Economic and Social Commission for West Asia’s
(ESCWA’s) representation of the Jordan River Basin, as contained in its recently published
Inventory of Shared Water Resources in Western Asia. We argue that ESCWA’s
representation of the Jordan Basin is marked by serious technical errors and a systematic
bias in favour of one riparian, Israel, and against the Jordan River’s four Arab riparians …
http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol8/v8issue2/290-a8-2-13/file
Diesel Subsidies and Yemen Politics: Post-2011 Crises and their Impact on
Groundwater Use and Agriculture
Groundwater is the main source of agricultural and municipal water and contributes 70% of
total water use in Yemen. All aquifers are depleting at a very high rate owing to combined
effects of a host of socioeconomic, institutional and climate-change factors. The government
policy on diesel subsidy was largely believed to be one of the significant factors which
stimulated large-scale pumping of water for irrigating water-intensive cash crops … A rapid
field assessment was conducted … to analyse the impacts of the severe diesel crisis that
accompanied the political turmoil of 2011 on groundwater use and agriculture. The study
highlighted winners and losers in the process of adapting to diesel shortage and high diesel
prices …
Discourses of Deflection: The Politics of Framing China’s South-North Water Transfer
Project
Despite significant financial, ecological and social trade-offs, China has moved forward with
constructing and operationalising the world’s largest interbasin water transfer project to date,
the South-North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP). While it is fundamentally linked to broader
political-economic goals within the context of China’s post-Mao development agenda, the
SNWTP is frequently discussed in apolitical terms … the Chinese government is using
"discourses of deflection" to present the project as politically neutral in order to serve its
ultimate goal of maintaining the high economic growth rates that underpin its continued
legitimacy. These discourses, which replace concerns with human-exacerbated water stress
with naturalised narratives about water scarcity and the ecological benefits of water transfer,
serve to deflect attention away …
Spatialising Agricultural Water Governance Data in Polycentric Regimes
Water governance in the Colorado River Basin (CRB) is based on a historical and complex
set of policies, legal decisions, and operational guidelines called the Law of the River … our
central research question is: what is the role of water governance data in water governance,
as it pertains to agriculture? First, we lay out the digital landscape and theoretical framework
that justify the development of the Colorado River Basin Water Governance Relational
Database. Then, we conduct an analysis of water-sharing policies within Law of the River to
identify and categorise boundaries …
Water and Climate Data in the Ganges Basin: Assessing Access to Information
Regimes and Implications for Cooperation on Transboundary Rivers
Public access to government-maintained water and climate data in the three major coriparian countries of the Ganges Basin – Nepal, India and Bangladesh – has been either
inadequately granted or formally restricted. This paper examines the effects of newly enacted
Right to Information (RTI) laws in these three countries to assess changes in the information
access regimes as they relate to hydrological data …
Water Science Alliance e.V.
… eine Interessensvertretung der deutschen Wasserforschung … verfolgt das Ziel, deren
Vernetzung, Leistungsfähigkeit, Transparenz sowie nationale und internationale Sichtbarkeit
zu verbessern … 26. Februar 2013 in der Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der
Wissenschaften in Berlin gegründet …
http://www.watersciencealliance.org/
WATERWISE
Ausstellung „Wasser für Roms Städte“ …
26.06.2015 Die Menschen im römischen Köln verbrauchten zehnmal so viel Wasser, wie
der moderne Kölner. Eine neue Ausstellung im Römisch-Germanischen-Museum zeigt, wie
exakt die Leitungen der Römer konstruiert waren …
http://www.rundschau-online.de/koeln/roemisch-germanisches-museum-in-koelnausstellung--wasser-fuer-roms-staedte--erklaert-den-bau-der-roemischenwasserleitung,15185496,31054908.html
26. Juni bis 11. Oktober 2015 Wasser für Roms Städte
http://www.museenkoeln.de/roemisch-germanisches-museum/pages/525.aspx?s=525
Our Water-Guzzling Food Factory
MAY 30, 2015 LET’S start with a quiz.
Which consumes the most water?
A) a 10-minute shower.
B) a handful of 10 almonds.
C) a quarterpound hamburger patty.
D) a washing machine load.
The answer? By far, it’s the hamburger patty. The shower might use 25 gallons. The
almonds take up almost a gallon each, or close to 10 gallons for the handful. The washing
machine uses about 35 gallons per load. And that beef patty, around 450 gallons … while we
associate extravagant water use with swimming pools and verdant lawns, the biggest
consumer, by far, is agriculture. In California, 80 percent of water used by humans goes to
farming and ranching … let’s be blunt: It’s time for a fundamental rethinking of America’s
food factory. A mandarin orange consumes 14 gallons of water. A head of lettuce, 12
gallons. A bunch of grapes, 24 gallons. One single walnut, 2 gallons. Animal products use
even more water, mostly because of the need to raise grain or hay to feed the animals. Plant
material converts quite inefficiently into animal protein. So a single egg takes 53 gallons of
water to produce. A pound of chicken, 468 gallons. A gallon of milk, 880 gallons. And a
pound of beef, 1,800 gallons of water … Most of agriculture’s irrationalities aren’t the fault of
farmers but arise from lax regulation and mistaken pricing, and that’s true of water as well.
Traditionally in the West, water was mostly allocated on a first-come basis, so if you acquired
water rights more than a century ago you can mostly still access water for uses (two gallons
per walnut!) that no longer make sense in an age of scarcity … it’s unfair to blame farmers
for the present problems. We’re the ones eating those water-intensive hamburgers, and
we’re the ones whose political system created these irrationalities … Something good could
come from the California drought if it could push this revolution a bit further, by forcing a
reallocation of water to the most efficient uses. But remember that the central challenge can’t
be solved by a good rain because the larger problem is an irrational industrial food system.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/opinion/sunday/nicholas-kristof-our-water-guzzling-foodfactory.html
Israel’s first Jordanian PhD wants to bring peace through water
May 25, 2015 Desalination researcher Amer Sweity’s years at Ben-Gurion University put
him in unique position to build bridges — and pipelines … Sweity recently became the first
Jordanian citizen to earn a doctoral degree from an Israeli university … His research focuses
on the polyamide membranes used in the process of turning seawater into potable water.
Specifically, he seeks to optimize the use of various chemicals that are added to the
seawater to prevent scaling on the membranes … Sweity’s interest in water research is not
at all surprising given that his home country suffers from a severe water shortage. According
to the World Health Organization, Jordan has one of the lowest levels of water resource
availability, per capita, in the world. “The pressure from the Syrian refugees is making it even
worse,” said Sweity about the nearly 1 million Iraqi and Syrian refugees who have crossed
into Jordan because of the Syrian Civil War that has been raging since 2011 … When Sweity
completed his undergraduate degree in land and water management at The Hashemite
University in Zarqa, Jordan, he knew he wanted to study desalination and that Israel was the
best place to do this … His parents, who are originally from the Palestinian village of Beit
Awwa, south of Hebron, were not thrilled about the idea their … He is also frustrated by the
fact that because Jordan is on high alert because of the instability on its borders with Iraq
and Syria, it is forced to invest heavily in security, leaving fewer resources for trying to solve
the country’s water problems … “I want to do something for the coming generations in all the
countries in the region. Science doesn’t stop at borders,” he said.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-first-jordanian-phd-wants-to-bring-peace-through-water/
2,000-Year-Old Water Supply System Uncovered in Jerusalem
May 23, 2015 Part of an ancient aqueduct built more than 2,000 years ago to transport
water into the city of Jerusalem was uncovered during a recent construction project … A
section of the so-called Lower Aqueduct was discovered in the modern-day neighborhood of
Umm Tuba, in East Jerusalem, during efforts to construct a new sewer line. The Lower
Aqueduct was originally built more than 2,000 years ago by kings in the Hasmonean dynasty,
who ruled Judea and its surrounding regions from about 140 B.C. to 37 B.C., and preceded
King Herod the Great. The sprawling, 13-mile-long (21 kilometers) aqueduct carried water to
the capital, and "operated intermittently until about 100 years ago," Ya'akov Billig, director of
the aqueduct excavation with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), said in a statement … For
nearly 2,000 years, the Lower Aqueduct remained one of Jerusalem's principal sources of
water, IAA officials said, which is why city rulers kept the structure so well preserved. About
100 years ago, the channel was replaced by an electrically operated water-distribution
system …
http://www.livescience.com/50951-ancient-jerusalem-aqueduct-uncovered.html
WASSERKUNST
Bucerius Kunst Forum Hamburg
Über Wasser. Malerei und Photographie von William Turner bis Olafur Eliasson
Ausstellung, 13. Juni 2015 - 20. September 2015
… Wasser ist die Voraussetzung für jede Form von Leben. Alle Kulturen widmeten dem
Wasser eine Fülle von Mythen und religiösen Riten. Heute ist Wasser ein zentrales Thema,
weil uns Wasserknappheit, Umweltverschmutzung und Klimawandel bedrohen. Die
Ausstellung Über Wasser. Malerei und Photographie von William Turner bis Olafur Eliasson
verbindet Gemälde und Photographien von 1800 bis heute. Sie spürt der Inspirationskraft
des Elements Wasser über einen Zeitraum von mehr als zwei Jahrhunderten bis in die
Gegenwart nach. Die Naturwissenschaften entzauberten im 19. Jahrhundert die Natur.
William Turner führt die Künstler der Moderne an, die sich der Ästhetik des Wassers jenseits
der Mythologie verschrieben haben: Er machte Wasser zum Motiv …
http://www.buceriuskunstforum.de/ausstellung/ueber-wasser-photographie-und-malerei1800-bis-heute/
The water wives of Maharashtra – in pictures
5 June 2015 Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui has captured the ‘water wives’ of
Denganmal, a village in the Indian state of Maharashtra experiencing acute drinking water
shortage. Some men take a second or third wife, whose duty it is to fetch drinking water for
the family from a far-away well. It allows the women, often widows or single mothers, to
regain respect in conservative rural India …
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2015/jun/05/water-wives-maharashtraindia-in-pictures
siehe auch: Indian Men Take on 'Water Wives' to Survive Drought ..
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/drought-leads-men-india-marry-water-wives-n370381
… und dann war da noch:
150417 Cole MarsWater
+ sonnige Grüße von der Elbe … wir gehen jetzt in die Sommerpause – nächster
WATERINTAKE nicht vor Mitte August.
Jörg Barandat
[email protected]
---------------------------------------------------------------Info: Die monatlichen Zusammenfassungen der WATERINTAKE-Newsletter sind abgelegt in:
>WASSER: Ressource - Risiken – Chancen<:
https://www.xing.com/net/libinter/wasser-ressource-risiken-chancen-by-joerg-barandat-22145/
Der aktuelle >W A T E R I N T A K E< wird jeweils im Massenbach-Letter geposted:
http://udovonmassenbach.wordpress.com/
… der letzte > 4/2015 < vom 21.05.2015
https://udovonmassenbach.wordpress.com/2015/05/22/joerg-barandat-waterintake-42015/
pdf:
https://udovonmassenbach.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/150521-waterintake-04_2015.pdf

150630 WATERINTAKE 05_2015 - Massenbach

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