Tag

Water Security

All articles tagged with #water security

Argentina relaxes glacier protections to boost mining, sparking water fears
world1 day ago

Argentina relaxes glacier protections to boost mining, sparking water fears

Argentina's Milei government approved a reform to the 2010 glacier protection law, letting provinces decide which glaciers are protected based on whether they serve a 'relevant water function'. Supporters say the change will attract investment in minerals essential for the energy transition, but critics warn it erodes a national environmental standard and could threaten drinking water for about 7 million Argentines who rely on glacier-fed rivers. The reform has sparked protests and drawn warnings from scientists about glaciers’ broader ecological and hydrological roles.

Argentina approves glacier mining bill amid environmental protests
world2 days ago

Argentina approves glacier mining bill amid environmental protests

Argentina's lower house approved the glacier-law amendment 137-111 (with three abstentions), enabling mining in ecologically sensitive glacier and periglacial areas amid protests; environmentalists warn it threatens water supplies, while backers say it clarifies policy and could boost mining exports by giving provinces more authority to designate protected zones.

Trump's Threat to Iran's Desalination Plants Could Redraw Middle East Water Security
world11 days ago

Trump's Threat to Iran's Desalination Plants Could Redraw Middle East Water Security

Trump said on Truth Social that if a deal isn’t reached and the Hormuz Strait remains blocked, the U.S. could blow up Iran’s energy infrastructure and possibly its desalination plants, a move that could jeopardize Gulf water supplies that rely heavily on desalinated water. Desalination is vital for cities across the region, so such attacks would carry humanitarian and geopolitical consequences, with Gulf states scrambling to bolster backups while international law prohibits targeting civilian water infrastructure.

UN Warns Iran Could Hit Desalination Plants, Triggering Water Crisis and Market Fallout
world19 days ago

UN Warns Iran Could Hit Desalination Plants, Triggering Water Crisis and Market Fallout

A UN official warns Iran could target desalination plants across the Middle East within days, risking a regional water crisis with immediate and lasting knock-on effects on global markets, including oil prices. The report cites alleged strikes on facilities such as Bahrain and Iran’s Qeshm Island plant amid escalating tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran threatening retaliation against energy and infrastructure targets if attacked.

SWOT unmasks a global tidal footprint of rivers
science23 days ago

SWOT unmasks a global tidal footprint of rivers

Using the SWOT satellite’s wide-swath altimetry, researchers mapped tidal elevations across 3,172 coastal rivers and identified over 165,000 km of tidal reach on 51,627 river branches, revealing that tides influence hundreds of millions of people and many waterways. Tidal amplitudes at river mouths, channel slope, width, and human-made obstacles shape how far tides propagate upstream, with dams notably limiting tidal extent in about 16% of rivers. The study, validated against 622 tide gauges and supported by the RiverSP dataset, provides a global atlas of tidal rivers, enabling improved flood/drought analysis, saltwater intrusion prediction, and hydrologic–ecologic modelling for coastal water security under climate change.

Desalination Under Fire: Gulf Water Security on the Brink
middle-east1 month ago

Desalination Under Fire: Gulf Water Security on the Brink

Bahrain says an Iranian drone damaged a Gulf desalination plant—the first reported attack in the region during the current conflict—while Iran accuses the US of hitting a plant on Qeshm Island, highlighting the Gulf’s heavy reliance on desalinated water. GCC states account for a large share of global desalination capacity, making outages potentially severe for drinking water and agriculture; experts urge regional coordination, diversified and distributed desalination, and shared water reserves to bolster resilience amid ongoing tensions.

Scientists Warn of Irreversible Climate Shift Threatening Water Security for 2 Billion
science10 months ago

Scientists Warn of Irreversible Climate Shift Threatening Water Security for 2 Billion

A new study warns that rising global temperatures could cause irreversible shifts in rainfall patterns, particularly affecting the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), which may lead to severe water disruptions for nearly 2 billion people and threaten ecosystems, agriculture, and water supplies worldwide. Immediate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is crucial to prevent these long-term impacts.

Israel's Flooding of Gaza's Tunnels: Impact on Freshwater Supply
international-relations2 years ago

Israel's Flooding of Gaza's Tunnels: Impact on Freshwater Supply

Israel has confirmed pumping seawater into Gaza's tunnels, a move that could violate international law and have dire consequences for the enclave's freshwater supply. Environmental analysts warn that this could damage Gaza's groundwater aquifer, which 2.3 million people depend on, leading to long-term devastation. The region already faces water scarcity and sewage contamination, and the flooding of tunnels could exacerbate these issues. The move has raised concerns about Israel's use of water as a weapon and potential violations of international law, including the UN Genocide Convention.

Stalemate reached as Egypt and Ethiopia fail to reach agreement on Renaissance Dam
international-relations2 years ago

Stalemate reached as Egypt and Ethiopia fail to reach agreement on Renaissance Dam

Egypt has announced that the latest talks over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) have failed. Egypt expressed concerns about its water and national security and reserved the right to defend itself if any harm occurs. Ethiopia accused Egypt of misrepresenting its positions and having a colonial-era mentality. The dam has been a source of contention as Egypt and Sudan worry about their water supplies from the Nile, while Ethiopia argues for its right to economic development. The meeting failed due to Ethiopia's refusal to accept compromise solutions, according to Egypt, while Ethiopia remains committed to a negotiated settlement.

Reviving Springs: Northern Indian Villagers Adapt to Combat Climate Change
environment2 years ago

Reviving Springs: Northern Indian Villagers Adapt to Combat Climate Change

As climate change worsens water scarcity in northern India, villagers in the Himalayan foothills are working to revive their springs, which provide a vital source of water for millions of people. With the help of a development organization, local women are forming water user committees and conducting hydrogeological surveys to identify catchment areas and implement measures to slow down and trap rainwater, such as digging trenches and percolation pits. These efforts have led to noticeable improvements in water availability and have relieved the burden on women who previously had to travel long distances to fetch water.