water a liquid worth fighting for ?

**webMaster412160** · June 30, 2009, 06:02 AM

75% of our earth is water but most of it, you can't drink.
It keeps us alive, we drink it every day.

Do you think their will come a time when water is very valuable, that countries will just fight to have a good amount of water to keep their cititzen alive. Now its nothing special you take a bad or a shower, you turn on the tap and water comes out. You find it completely normal that its their.
We have enough water here on earth.

Do you think their will come a time when their will not be so much water as now, and countries will fight for it like oil ?

But water can't ever run out we have enough for millions of years, you all think.
It could get contaminated, or something else, that makes a huge amount not drinkable.

Post what comes in your mind discuss, what we can do, or what would or could happpen.

**Tiwaz** · June 30, 2009, 06:27 AM

Huge amount of water is undrinkable. Fresh water is tiny drop from total amount of water on this planet.

Those ares which would suffer from lack of water most, are ones that have no means to take it from those who have it.
So no, it is unlikely that there would be all that much wars for water. Middle East, Africa etc just do not have the means to take water from areas who have easy access to it.

**webMaster412160** · June 30, 2009, 06:32 AM

So you are saying when the time comes, we will fight for it and mostly in africa and the Middle East ?

**Tiwaz** · June 30, 2009, 06:41 AM

Originally Posted by master412160

So you are saying when the time comes, we will fight for it and mostly in africa and the Middle East ?

No, I am saying that Africa and Middle east will try to obtain it but have no means to do so. They might for example try to mass migrate to Europe (or other water rich/technology rich areas), just to be slaughtered when Europeans decide they do not wish to share.

It will not be a fight. Fight requires two sides who are at least somehow capable of hurting one another.
But those places which either have plentiful water supply or means to purify one for themselves are simply so much more powerful that there is no contest.

Of course, before that there would be lots of fighting in Africa and Middle East, but that is not really big change from what it is today. But perhaps there would be mass death at level high enough to permit Africa and Middle East to survive with their existing water supply. In which case there would be no migration pressure.

**Manco** · June 30, 2009, 07:03 AM

Pretty much agree. The powerful regions have fresh water, some might need tu use it more sparingly but there is theoretically enough.
The regions who would need it and would fight for it, are piss poor and technologically backwards.

That might change one day, but it'll be a while

**Deep_Red** · June 30, 2009, 08:00 AM

Water will become more valuable than gold.
And there will be wars for it, I´m sure.

**Hippolord** · June 30, 2009, 11:04 AM

I live right on the Great lakes, all of which is owned by U.S. and Canada. So we aint hurtin for fresh water! Just runin through a few filters, and your good!

**The Alchemist** · June 30, 2009, 11:12 AM

Desalination technology, like any other technology today, is making great strides toward affordability and efficiency. In the future, I'm betting that every country with a coastline will be soaking wet. For the unfortunate inlanders, they can always import water.

**Chlodwig I.** · June 30, 2009, 11:38 AM

Yes

**Alba gu Brath** · June 30, 2009, 11:39 AM

Is there no way to purify salt water?

**dogukan** · June 30, 2009, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by RJcfc

Is there no way to purify salt water?

there is but it costs a lot....though in the future, when it is really necessary, I suppose it can be done.

**Justice and Mercy** · July 01, 2009, 09:17 AM

Originally Posted by dogukan

there is but it costs a lot....though in the future, when it is really necessary, I suppose it can be done.

It doesn't have to cost alot.

Nuclear desalination plants would be pretty cheap in the long run.

**Deep_Red** · July 01, 2009, 10:02 AM

Originally Posted by Justice and Mercy

It doesn't have to cost alot.

Nuclear desalination plants would be pretty cheap in the long run.

It will cost alot no matter how easy it´s to produce.
Because, in the end, only few countries will have water and those countries will dictate it´s prize.

**Justice and Mercy** · July 01, 2009, 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by Deep_Red

It will cost alot no matter how easy it´s to produce.
Because, in the end, only few countries will have water and those countries will dictate it´s prize.

A business will sell to whoever is willing to buy, if it means profit.

Usually lower prices means more profit. Now, cheap transportation is another matter entirely. It's expensive to move water.

But if you're on the coast it won't be a big deal. The good news is fresh water resources near the cost won't be so strained, so they can be used more inland. Simply taking the stress off of the system would mean quite a bit.

**Bylandt** · June 30, 2009, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by RJcfc

Is there no way to purify salt water?

Yes. Desalination, as The Alchemist posted above. Israel is already relying heavily on desalinated (and recycled) water. There will always be enough water. It's just a question of what we are prepared to pay for it.

No need for panic yet. The access to fresh water worldwide is not decreasing but increasing (despite the occasional and temporary setback). Of course, these statistics will mean little to the 1/5th or 1/6th of the world population that still have to do without.

Furthermore, a lot of water is still wasted at this moment. Better irrigation techniques could cut the water usage in Africa in half or less, for example.

**Aetius** · June 30, 2009, 01:04 PM

No worries. I have a huge, deep and crystal clear lake a few miles north of me. I think locally.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

**hospik m** · June 30, 2009, 02:26 PM

Do you think their will come a time when water is very valuable

The time has come, and has been here since the dawn of any animal to be quite honest. Fresh drinking water is of the utmost importance to live on this planet, and is actually the most valuable recource there is on earth, mabe accept for sunlight, but most people don't recognize that.

Also people have been fighting over water for centuries now, especially in places wherethere isn't much of it. As mentioned above in places like the Middle East, Africa, basically most 3rd World Countries. Even in warfare, generals were bound to be close to a fresh water source just to keep the army going.

And most of us have a proper water supply. But it wasn't always like this. We tend to forget this now, as we sometimes don't even know where it's comming from.

So yea, there will be a time where people start fighting over water. Only thing is, that time begon a couple biljon years ago.

**C-Rob** · June 30, 2009, 03:38 PM

... if it's so much bother to get fuel when you're near the ocean to get water through electrical processi, just get hand cranked power generators... oooo, that's so hard. If people can get it out of frozen pipes in the siege of stalingrad, you certainly can work a crank to get enough to drink.

**Denny Crane!** · June 30, 2009, 04:40 PM

No there is viable profitable plans afoot to completely resaturate the sahara desert at little cost and huge profit using prevailing winds trenchs and a system to evaporate huge amounts of seawater to create torrents of rain in one of the driest places on earth. THe same could be done anywhere.