October 30th, 2013, 10:18 pm
QuoteOriginally posted by: CuchulainnQuoteOriginally posted by: Traden4AlphaQuoteOriginally posted by: Cuchulainnlooming water crisis QuoteIn Ireland, Murphy found, climate change is likely to provoke an increase in extreme events, such as storms and floods, in winter, alongside a rise in sea levels, and reduced flows of water through watercourses in summer. By the 2020s, he estimates, the south and east coasts will see reductions in summer water flows of up to 16 per cent. By the 2050s, they will see reductions of up to 28 per cent; by the 2080s, there may be 40 per cent less water flowing through our lakes and rivers in summer. Potato growing will no longer be viable in the east and south-east of Ireland. In the south-east, pastureland ? that is, grass ? won?t grow without artificial irrigation.A dry topic, what?"People regard themselves as consumers, and consumers have no responsibilities, they just have rights,? he said. ?I grew up with the idea that water was endless, but that?s not the case. Over the last ten years, I?ve become more and more conscious of the way in which water is used and abused in Ireland. There?s an attitude to water, like there?s an attitude to dumping. It goes from the kids who are allowed to litter streets to farmers who let effluent run into rivers. It?s a cultural thing.?"Indeed! It's hard to change a mindset from "water is free and belongs to anyone to use in any way" to "water is scarce and expensive." If Ireland becomes drier, then lands that catch rain water might become quite valuable especially if clever land owners take steps to capture and retain the water that falls on their land.