“When the well is dry, we’ll know the worth of water.”
Benjamin Franklin
While watching my alma mater play football last Saturday, this video grabbed my attention. The years-long drought in the west is not only hurting farmers, but is putting our food supply at risk. In fact, two-thirds of all fruit and one-third of all vegetables Americans eat are grown in California. The video got me thinking about will happen to our food supply if farmers don’t have enough water for irrigation. With the massive Pacific Ocean nearby, is desalination a solution for drought?
A case of extremes
It is mind-boggling that at the same time many areas of the US have been suffering from flooding, much of the country is having the exact opposite problem. Climate change is making the extremes – drought and flooding – more severe. This scenario is playing out all around the world. True, our planet is 70% water, but only 3% is fresh water. Wouldn’t it be great if we could find a way to take water from the rising oceans and use it to address our need for clean water?
How desalination works
Desalination is the process of removing salt from ocean water so it can be used for drinking, irrigation, and industry. On the surface it seems like this would be a perfect fix. But like many solutions, there are downsides. There are two primary ways to desalinate water right now, and neither is ideal. Among other challenges, they use a lot of fossil fuel, so they actually exacerbate climate change.
Solutions
Scientists are feverishly working on better ways to desalinate. For one, there are plans to fuel the current desalination methods with renewable energy. Also, scientists like the ones in the video from Notre Dame, are researching better, and less energy-intensive, desalination technologies.
Innovations are providing hope, and it seems desalination can be part of the solution. Other strategies being studied and implemented include capturing rainwater, recycling wastewater, conservation, and improving agricultural and irrigation practices.
What can we do?
It is clear we need large-scale solutions to this problem. But that doesn’t mean individuals can’t play a role. Even if you live in an area not suffering from drought, it’s important to know that water scarcity is a growing problem that will affect all of us. If you’re wondering how you can help on an individual level, here are a few simple ideas:
- Think about how you use water, and try to use less
- Take care of plumbing leaks quickly
- Buy less bottled water
Let’s do something about climate change. Learn about it. Think about it. Talk about it.