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Read MoreThe Sahara Forest Project – A new source of fresh water, food and energy
The world is running short of fresh water. With agriculture accounting for some 70% of all water
used, the water shortage is closely linked to food production and economic development. The
provision of clean water is a pre-condition to life, health and economic development and the lack
of water in many parts of the world is the root cause of much suffering and poverty. Present
methods of supplying water in arid regions include: over-abstraction from ground reserves,
diverting water from other regions and energy-intensive desalination. None of these methods are
sustainable in the long term and inequitable distribution leads to conflict. To make matters
worse, global warming is tending to make dry areas drier and wet areas wetter. Since the 1980’s,
rainfall has increased in several large regions of the world, including eastern North and South
America and northern Europe, while drying has been observed in the Sahel, the Mediterranean,
southern Africa, Australia and parts of Asia.
Read MoreDesert Rose – Fresh Water & Forest Cover
Desert Rose – Fresh Water & Forest Cover
By Dr Richard Lawson
2008 Conference Paper Synopsis: Desert Rose is a conceptual approach to using two resources – sunlight and seawater – that coastal tropical areas have in abundance to supply two resources that are in short supply and dwindling – fresh water and forest cover. It suggests that once past a critical point, the growth in forest and water tend to become a self-propagating system. Energy costings relating to developing this concept are addressed.
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