Sunday, December 3, 2006

Blue Revolution? Here's an article about the looming worldwide freshwater crisis, from The Epoch Times. They write, "For years, experts have been warning that the world is facing a freshwater crisis of unprecedented proportions. As populations grow, demand for fresh water is soaring, yet there is less water on earth now than there was 2,000 years ago, when the population was 3 percent of what it is today. While the crisis is already well underway in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the freshwater shortage isn't just confined to a particular region - it's a worldwide issue. The World Bank has said that the scarcity of freshwater is likely to be one of the major factors interfering with economic development in the coming decades. A third of the world's population lives in 'water-stressed' countries. Cities such as Bangkok, Jakarta, and Mexico City have heavily overdrawn from their groundwater aquifers. Hydrologists say large areas of northern China and Africa, and parts of the Middle East, India, Mexico, and North America are on the brink of severe water shortages... "A United Nations report released in November called attention to the practice of 'water apartheid': Slum dwellers and the poorest of the poor in developing nations often have to pay as much as 10 times more for water than their wealthy counterparts. The report found that more than 1.1 billion of the world's people don't have regular access to clean water, and that contaminated water results in the deaths of 1.8 million children under five globally each year - more than are killed by war, malaria, HIV/AIDS, or traffic accidents. The report said that access to clean water should be considered a basic human right. It recommended that governments recognize this right by providing access for all to a minimum of 20 litres of clean water per day, and that those who can't afford it should get it for free... "Pearce says scientists are now looking into a 'Blue Revolution,' which would include breeding crop varieties that don't need much water as well as being drought-resistant. 'Their drive 30 years ago was crops on a given amount of land that could produce more tonnage. But now they're thinking how much tonnage could be produced for a given amount of water, because in a lot of the world, water rather than land is the real constraint on crop production.' With global water use expected to increase by about 40 percent over the next two decades, action needs to happen soon. It has been estimated that the amount of clean water wasted in rich countries would be enough to meet the needs of all those in the developing world who lack access to drinking water. The leakage rate in Montreal currently stands at 40 percent, while in Singapore it's only 5 percent. Pearce says in most countries, improving water management has been a low priority for too long, and governments are loath to invest in expensive improvements." Category: Colorado Water 8:20:29 AM     Allard for U.S. Senate? U.S. Senator Wayne Allard would campaign on his environmental record first, if he chooses to run in 2008, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "Sen. Wayne Allard won't yet answer the biggest question in Colorado politics: whether he'll seek a third term in 2008. But he offers an interesting hint of how he'd campaign. Asked what he has accomplished in a decade in the Senate, Allard doesn't talk first about how he led the attempt to ban same-sex marriage, or how he pushed for billions of dollars for research into a missile-defense system, or how he pressed to improve the U.S. Air Force Academy's handling of sex-assault accusations. He wants people to know he protected endangered fish. 'When I first got into politics, I never knew that I would be in a position to get that much accomplished as far as improving the environment,' he said. Allard, a Republican with one of the most conservative voting records in the Senate, clearly knows the challenges he'd face in 2008. His state tilted toward the Democrats in last month's election, and there's already a Democrat with a pro-environment bent in the race. Rep. Mark Udall, a five-term congressman and member of a veteran Western political family, has announced that he'll run for Allard's seat... "Time magazine named him one of the worst senators, but supporters call him an underrated hard-worker. Allard generally is perceived as a mild-mannered, affable lawmaker. There's less agreement on his record. In his decade in the Senate, he has been a loyal vote for a number of conservative causes, including cutting taxes, protecting gun rights and limiting abortion. He has focused heavily on Colorado issues and has passed just one bill with a national scope. Several Democratic Senate aides describe Allard as 'an enigma' who 'doesn't work the system,' adding that 'we never hear much about him.' Time magazine this year named Allard one of the five worst senators. Allard's aides reject that ranking as not based on 'objective criteria.' Allard and his supporters say he works hard behind the scenes. 'He's probably one of the most underrated senators out there,' said former Rep. Scott McInnis, a Grand Junction Republican who has been mentioned as a possible Senate candidate if Allard withdraws. But former Sen. Gary Hart, a Democrat, said, 'I know from 12 years of experience ... (that) in a body as small as the Senate, if you're working, people are going to know it.' Allard describes his political style as 'fairly low-key.' It's so low-key that several top political analysts say they know little about Allard... "Asked for his top Senate achievements, Allard's aides provided a list that includes, among other items, winning money for Colorado transportation projects, working on water projects, acting to protect open space, passing legislation to create Great Sand Dunes National Park, obtaining money to proceed with chemical weapons destruction at the Pueblo Army Depot, and working to accelerate cleanup and create a wildlife refuge at the site of the former Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Allard said he hasn't chosen to focus on state issues over national debates. He cites his work on missile defense. 'It's not an either-or proposition,' he said. He has passed one bill with a national scope, the American Dream Down Payment Act. It created a special fund to help lower-income families with home down payments. The law, however, didn't provide any separate money beyond what the Department of Housing and Urban Development already gets for home- buying assistance." Category: Denver November 2008 Election 8:07:37 AM

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