RE: Why we're running out of water
I read a report a number of years ago by the Worldwatch Institute about the coming water crisis. Among the points I recall are (a) China currently uses more water than falls on the country, which is obviously unsustainable even with massive dams, (b) the Ogalala aquifer that runs under the great plains is being pumped out faster than it can recharge (as noted above), what is not noted, is that the land is subsiding along with the deficit - the aquifer is like a sponge filled with water, as you remove the water, the pressure from the land above compresses it. The result is that it can never recharge to the level it once contained, (c) that trade in wheat and beef are essentially trades in water - a country that does not have enough water to produce either can import the water in the form of its end product, and (d) that if it is not addressed, water could potentially spark wars just as it has caused conflicts in the west.
