Peak Water – aquifer depletion

Not exactly news, but some more warning signs about depletion of underground water supplies in this article at Scientific American.  The basic problem is that agricultural demands are depleting the aquifers and eventually we won’t be able to rely on them for food production.  The good news is that around 80% of the world’s aquifers are being managed sustainably, but that 20% that’s not are critical to food production.  Combine that with global warming and an increasing planetary population, and it seems we have a serious problem looming.

One other bit of bad news…it apparently takes around 140 liters of water to grow the beans for a single cup of coffee!  Crops like that, which can be considered ‘luxury’ crops, will soon be forced aside to make room for the staples we need to survive.  Not quite time to sell your Starbucks stock perhaps, but I wouldn’t consider that a good long term investment…

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