The world needs to better manage its freshwater resources, but a much-needed new technology touted as a solution could cause “serious problems” if left unchecked, a UN report said on Friday. I warned you.
Around half of the world's population faces severe water scarcity, with climate change-related droughts affecting more than 1.4 billion people between 2002 and 2021, according to a report by the United Nations cultural agency UNESCO. That's what it means.
It added that by 2022, more than 2 billion people will lack access to safely managed drinking water and 3.5 billion people will not have access to adequate toilets.
In addition, pharmaceuticals, hormones, and industrial chemicals are permeating the world's rivers.
The report, titled 'Water for Prosperity and Peace', called for more water education, data collection and investment to address the crisis.
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It also highlighted the limitations of new computer-driven solutions.
“A variety of technologies are available to improve both the quality and expansion of water supply, water use efficiency, and sanitation services,” the report said.
However, “some rapidly emerging technologies are water-intensive and, if left unchecked, could cause serious problems in the near future.”
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The report said artificial intelligence (AI) “has the potential to enhance (river) basin management, emergency response, and operation and maintenance of water supply and wastewater treatment facilities.”
However, “AI and related technologies, in addition to the (often water-intensive) energy needed to power the equipment, also require large amounts of water for the computers' cooling systems. ”
Climate change is predicted to intensify patterns of record rainfall and drought in the coming years, but solutions to address the problem are also consuming too much water, the report says. added.
One such technology is called carbon capture and storage, which siphons CO2 from the exhaust gases of fossil fuel-fired power plants and heavy industries such as steel and cement factories to reduce global warming carbon pollution.
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However, “carbon capture and storage systems…are very energy- and water-intensive,” the report states.
The report says energy production accounts for 10-15% of global water withdrawals, both for fossil fuel extraction and cooling thermal and nuclear power plants.
Wind, solar, and geothermal energy systems are more water efficient, but still require lithium batteries for power storage.
However, mining for lithium and other critical minerals for solar panels “typically consumes large amounts of water and poses significant risks to water quality, especially groundwater, ecosystems and local populations,” the report said. There is.
