Global Warming a Security Risk - Water Wars In The Future

[Guest guest]

Hey Dede .. other good folks ..

 

> OK, color me whatever -- but I think this is so alarmist.

 

Actually .. its not at all alarmist. Its just touching the tip of the

iceberg. The U.S. Military has been concerned about international

conflicts over water for a loooooooooooong time. I retired from the

U.S. Army on 1 January 1989 .. and prior to that I had worked with a

bunch of real world scenarios involving such conflicts .. and we (the

U.S. Military and NATO and the UN) had forecast many others.

 

Even back as far as 1953, Eisenhower stopped aid to Israel for

diverting water from the Jordan in violation of a United Nations plan.

It was only after Israel's Lobby in the USA raised hell that the aid

was continued. And even today, a big part of the Israeli-Palestinian

problem is due to water resources.

 

Folks in the USA and in a few other countries drink tap water now ..

but in most of the world those who can afford it buy bottled water ..

and 1 in 5 folks in the world get far less water than is needed for

healthy living. In the future, many more countries will be without

adequate water of any kind .. for crops or stock or bathing .. and for

drinking. There will certainly be conflicts over this. Water as a

commodity will become as precious as oil is now .. and there is no

question that the Western world is prepared to go to war over access

to oil!

 

The Turks have dammed the Tigris and Euphrates .. created a Garden of

Eden in the previously desolate East of Turkey .. its called the

Greater Anatolia Project (GAP) and it will provide jobs and recreation

and food for millions .. but the Syrians and Iraqis have threatened

retaliation. Turkish farmers thrive at the expense of Syrian farmers,

etc.

 

Since the late 70s both Egypt and Jordan have sworn to not go to war

with Israel .. except .. to protect their water resources.

 

There are a few HUNDRED other situations like this world wide .. and

as sure as Politicians eat crap and howl at the moon .. there will be

conflicts and maybe out and out wars in the future .. over water.

 

Global Warming is just one issue .. increased population results in a

need for an increase in agricultural production .. couple that with

rapid urban and industrial growth, overuse, pollution, diversion and

depletion and we have a problem that is easy to foresee but difficult

to fix because international laws do not clearly define or provide

guidance for the sharing of water resources so it will be up to the

country with the mostest to take from those who have the leastest.

 

Such scenarios are not illogical .. let my neighbor try to take water

that my family needs to survive and either me of my neighbor goes

under snakes! At such times laws and morals are not considerations

because right is usually determined by the winner .. the world is

forgiving of all kinds of transgressions; the DisUnited Nations is a

totally useless organization with many members who are Autocrats,

Dictators and Islamic Terrorists .. and many who are even worse. When

a country does not believe in the importance of basic human rights and

freedoms .. then we cannot have great expectations of their leaders.

So .. count out the DisUnited Nations when it comes to intervening in

Water Wars!

 

A few bits on the probability of Water Wars:

 

http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/natres/waterindex.htm

 

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/23/opinion/edwatkins.php

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/01/990106075344.htm

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2949768.stm

 

http://www.jubileesouth.org/news/EpZyVVZykEBFJPggba.shtml

 

http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/19990011071234data_trunc_sys.shtml

 

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0228-05.htm

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/world/2000/world_water_crisis/d\

efault.stm

 

http://slcatlanta.org/Publications/EnergyEnvironment/WaterWar.pdf

 

http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1182739.htm

 

http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/1207.html

 

http://www.culturechange.org/Palestine's%20de-development.htm

 

http://www.healthy-communications.com/waterrunningout.html

 

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33526

 

http://www.democracyctr.org/waterwar/

 

That is just a few .. Google Wars Over Water and you'll find THOUSANDS

of entries.

 

> We already have areas of the world that are unstable: in the middle

> east, in Africa, in middle and south America. People are already

> leaving those areas now. So now they're going to blame it on global

> warming?

 

No m'am .. they are saying it will become worse than it is now due to

the prospects of Global Warming .. and even if Global Warming is but a

natural cycle the world is going through now .. the shortage of water

faced today is GAR-AN-TEED to get worse in the future.

 

Officials in Middle Eastern governments have warned of the possibility

of " a grave and destructive nuclear arms race in the region. "

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/14/africa/web.0415sunnis.php

 

That's all the world needs .. a bunch of Mullahs, Imams, Ayatollahs,

Kings, Sultans, Dictators and Islamic Crazies sitting on nukes while

thinking Allah wants them to go to war for water!

 

> I'm not saying we don't need to clean up our act and do it every day

> (but forget me taking Sheryl Crow's suggestion) - but part of me

> can't help but think " these generals are taking themselves a bit too

> serious " . Let's win the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- then you can

> address the global warming issue.

 

My opinion is .. to Hell with Sheryl Crow and all the idiots like her,

including Al Gore! But those retired generals have a DUTY to go up

against the Commander in Chief .. Generals NEVER retire .. they stay

active in research, etc., and when they retire they no longer have the

legal responsibility of saying " Yes'sir, Yes'sir 3 Bags Full " to the

Commander in Chief! Contrary to what some folks think about General

Officers .. almost without exception they are superior emotionally and

intellectually to the above average politician .. and generally have

far more formal education.

 

As for Global Warming .. I firmly believe that mankind is NOT the

cause. I believe that the Earth is going through a period of natural

change and aside from the emotional aspects of extinction of certain

species .. to include perhaps mankind .. its all a part of the

evolutionary process. But I also believe that mankind is helping to

hasten the situation by our actions. And I believe that we are all

now living in the best of times. Unfortunately, our children and

certainly our grandchildren will not have it as easy as we do now.

 

> And let's get the immigration and border problems worked out, as well.

 

I'm doing my part .. I'm a member of a group that floods politicians

of both parties with emails and faxes .. but I think the Democrats

have caved in so I'm not expecting a lot from the Congress on this

issue. Its easy to make promises when one is the opposition but not

so easy to fulfill them when one is in the Hot Seat.

 

> I live on 180 acres of pasture land with grass fed cows and horses.

 

Cow farts and burps produce a lotta methane .. which contributes to

Global Warming .. the more grass they eat .. the more methane they

produce. ;-)

 

> My gardening is all organic (because I'm lazy). I probably use more

> than my share of gas, but I live 20 miles from town and go to work

> everyday, but I pay my taxes. I take my own trash to the county dump

> and we don't pour any kind of chemicals, etc. onto the ground because

> we don't want to corrupt the ground water.

 

Good show .. but even with your good efforts .. there will be wars

over water .. and your cows are contributing to Global Warming. ;-)

 

> I'm doing as much as I can for my immediate environment and I'm

> barely getting by with the taxes I have to pay. I do not want a

> bunch extra taxes forced down my throat by a bunch of socialized

> international alarmists - which taxes I would probably never see

> utilized here in my neck of the woods. Locally, I'll do my part --

> internationally -- forget it.

 

There is so much truth in what you write above .. but unfortunately,

its not Politically Correct thinking .. so you and I and most likely

at least half the folks on this list are in the same boat. ;-)

 

> Dede

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch http://www.AV-AT.com