Many Changes Await in Colorado’s Future

By CHRIS WOODKA
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

DENVER – Some January day in the future, you might be sitting in your living room, drinking coffee made from bottled water and looking across the sand dunes in the front yard.

You’ll glance at the headlines and notice that the Colorado economy is finally bouncing back from the triple whammy of a poor ski season last year, failed crops in most parts of the state and the loss from forest fires the previous summer.

Oh yeah, and the heat wave that started Christmas Day will be about to end as high temperatures return to the temperate 60s. Still no snow in the mountains, though.

Then, you’ll wonder, “How did this happen?”

A conference last week in Denver looked at ways to avoid that particular picture, or maybe just alert people that sooner or later they may be coping with such a scene. The painting of the future was not pleasant, as a report by the University of Colorado and the Colorado Water Conservation Board depicted it in a theme of gray to black tones. Less white snow, blue water and green trees than you’d like to see. Maybe more red ink for those who need to cope with the economic fallout.

“If you knew 10 years ago that the stock market was going to go into a bear cycle beginning in October 2007, how would you have prepared?” asked Bill DeOreo, an engineer. “You need to be looking at what’s the best way to integrate drought into a long-range water conservation plan.”

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Source: The Pueblo Chieftain

Climate forecasts crucial to water resources and poverty reduction – UN agency

The chief of the United Nations meteorological agency today called for weather forecasts to play a greater role in planning for economic development and poverty reduction because of the impact climate change has on water resources.

Michel Jarraud, the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), told the World Water Congress that the agricultural, energy, tourism and health sectors are among those most affected by the impact of climate change due to drought, deterioration in water quality, increased run-off and an increase in the salinization of ground water as a result of rising sea levels.

“Mainstreaming climate change in decision-making processes will therefore be central to all development and poverty alleviation efforts,” he said at the meeting, held in Montpellier, France.

Mr. Jarraud reminded attendees of the summit that six of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) relate to water resource management, and that severe flooding, drought and cyclones caused by climate change seriously obstruct efforts to meet the MDGs by 2015.

WMO has launched an appeal for funding to set up hydrological information systems that can provide timely, accurate and comprehensive water resources information and support economic development through better land and water resource strategy planning.

The growing demand for a diminishing water supply is among the challenges to resource management. One sixth of the world’s population, mostly in rural areas, on small islands, regions dependant on water from glaciers and snow melt, is adversely affected by the shortage of ground water.

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Source: UN News Centre

For more information on water conservation, visit our LEARN section

Global Security Implications of Climate Change

Over the last 18 months, the security implications of climate change have received increasing attention.

The United Nations estimates that all but one of its emergency appeals for humanitarian aid in 2007 was climate related. In September 2007, at the instigation of the United Kingdom, the UN Security Council held its first debate on climate change and its implications for international security. A report from senior retired U.S. military generals, entitled National Security and the Implications of Climate Change, outlined how climate change was a direct threat to U.S. national security. In March of this year, Javier Solana, the European Union’s High Representative, presented a landmark report on the security implications of climate change in Europe.

Climate change can exacerbate existing trends, tensions and instability. The central challenge is that climate change threatens to overburden states and regions, which are already fragile and conflict prone. It is critical to recognize that the risks are not just of a humanitarian nature; they also include political and security risks that directly affect national interests.

Moreover, in line with the concept of human security, it is clear that many issues related to the impact of climate change on national security are interlinked, requiring comprehensive policy responses.

Areas of increased security risks involve conflict over resources, environmentally induced migration and pressure on international governance, to name a few.

Climate change will alter rainfall patterns and will further reduce available fresh water by an estimated 20 to 30 per cent in some areas of the world. Reduction of arable land, widespread shortage of water and diminishing food and fish stocks will increase flooding and prolong droughts, which are already starting to appear. A drop in agricultural productivity will lead to or worsen food-and-security in the least developed countries and to an unsustainable increase in food prices across the board.

Water shortage in particular has the potential to cause civil unrest leading to significant economic losses, even in robust economies. The overall impact is that climate change will fuel existing conflicts over Canadian resources, especially if access to those resources is politicized.

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Source: Canada’s Foreign Policy Newsweekly

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Americans Driving Less, Conserving Water

If you were concerned about green fatigue hitting the masses, a new poll suggests Americans are still eco-conscious.

According to an ABC News/Planet Green/Stanford University poll, environmentally aware citizens are being hit hard by high energy prices causing them to conserve. Seven in ten Americans said they are trying to reduce their carbon footprint mainly by driving less, using less electricity, and recycling.

Among Americans who are taking steps to conserve, 59 percent say they’re using less gasoline by driving less, using smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, carpooling, or taking mass transit; 60 percent say they’re reducing power and water consumption; and 33 percent are recycling.

The environment is a motivating factor – a third reported this was their main impetus for action – but a quarter of respondents said they were taking these steps to save money. And 41 percent said it’s for both reasons equally.

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Source: The Daily Green

For more information on water conservation, visit www.nuprana.com